Have
you ever wondered what camping in the winter would be like? Whether you
prefer backcountry camping, tent camping, or RV camping, there are many
beautiful places across the U.S. for you to explore during the winter.
Aside from avoiding the crowds that often congest campsites and hiking trails,
you’ll experience pure solitude as the rustle of leaves and buzz of bees and
insects has vanished. Camping in the winter will provide you with a new
outlook from your typical summer camping trip.
One
of our favorite winter camping locations is Mt. Hood National Forest in
Oregon. The Pacific Northwest always leaves us in awe of the natural
beauty from beaches and bays to the valleys, plateaus, and mountains. Mt.
Hood provides an array of things to do year-round, but winter time is when it
shines. The summer camping crowds have vanished, and the mountain area
has turned into an untouched winter wonderland yet to be explored.
We
like to start our cold weather camping excursion by checking out Mt. Hood’s USDA
Forest Service website
for updates on local conditions, alerts, and warnings. We then make sure all
the essentials are packed such as our winter camping tent (thin, lightweight
summer camping tents won’t cut it out here in the cold!), cold weather clothing
including a base layer and outer layer, proper footwear to keep the toes warm
and dry. Although not always necessary, we like to keep a small propane
space heater in the tent. For an extra
layer of insulation between the ground and sleeping pad, we use a few of
our navy blue wool blanket.
Our Explorer Collection black and white wool blanket are also great as an additional layer of
insulation on top of our sleeping bags. Once basecamp is setup, it is
time to get outside and explore.
