Awesome Canada’s First-time Camper Guide

Ah, Camping, a word that gives us thrill. A chance to get closer to nature, and be adventurous for once. Listening to your friend tell how they spent an amazing night gazing at the stars can awaken the camping desire in almost any of us!

While millions of people are well seasoned in the art of camping, if you are a first timer there are some things you need to know. Bellow is Awesome Canada’s guide for First-time campers. A must read before you rush into the wilderness.

1. Go to Camping Grounds with Facilities: Canada is as beautiful as it gets. From beautiful lake filled Ontario to the Canadian Rockies, but all these places offer locations with facilities. Already pitched tents, fledged with everything from a restroom to shower are available depending where you’re looking to go. One of the best parts of these type of parks is you can find people from all over the country there!
But for the adventurous, more seasoned camper many parks also offer backcountry camping. You come prepared with tents, and perhaps a guidebook – and go out on your own. But only go back country if you’re ready for an uncomfortable night, no facilities and because it’s Canada – bears and other wild animals. This is not recommended for first timers, we’d suggest camping at places equipped with facilities. To book a site at a camping ground, just visit Parks Canada they manage hundreds of camping grounds all over Canada. Another option is to simply Google “Camping” and the nearest town to the area you’re looking to stay.

2. Dress in Layers: Always dress in layers, regardless of the weather. For instance: wear a basic T-shirt, pair it with a buttoned shirt, which in turn will go under a sweater. Don’t forget to bring an overcoat as well, even in the dead of summer occasionally it can still get cold at night (Remember, we are in Canada). Now, you have complete control over your body temperature. If you spend the day going around exploring the trails and hiking in the wilderness you can easily raise your body temperature, so being dresses in layer you can easily take off your sweater to help regulate yourself.

3. Go Luddite: The Luddite were people who opposed technology, perhaps their most famous (and ironic) member was Charlie Chaplin. Although I don’t get what their beef with tech was all about it does make sense in this case, you wouldn’t want to be stuck on your iPad when out camping. That can be especially hard when you’re at camping grounds with no Wi-Fi facilities.

Don’t leave your smartphones at home, though. They are important while outdoors, for their GPS and calling capabilities. Take them – but limit their use.

4. Don’t ruin the place: Canada provides you with some spectacular sites – don’t ruin them. Don’t go around throwing litter and garbage around after your stay ends. Not only you could be fined, but also be the disgust of the people who camp after you.
That’s it. If you follow these tips, hopefully, your first camping trip will be a start to future adventures. Canada has unmeasurable places to go. Explore them. They’ll do you a world good. After all, as The famous Cartoonist Bill Waterson once said, “If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I bet they’d live a lot differently.”