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Best Spots to Pitch a Tent

Campers love the great outdoors -- that's a given, but where are the best places to pitch a tent? Here is a round-up of best parks, favorite wilderness areas, and the top spots for a camping escape.

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Camping Spotlight10

Campground Statistics Across the US

Friday May 10, 2013

Frustrated with campground directories, Tom Hillegass, a retired engineer living in Alexandria, Virginia, decided to build his own online campground directory. According to Tom, most directories poorly cover public campgrounds, or  only cover only certain types (eg; National Forest, but not National Park).

map

With 12,000 listings, USCampgrounds.info is the most comprehensive guide that we've seen to public campgrounds in Canada and the United States. With the data he's complied for the online campground directory, he also  developed the Camp Where iPhone app, and he recently created these two graphs, which visually display the number and location of different types of campgrounds.

graph

"The main surprises I had from the data were how many city/county/regional (CP) campgrounds there are, and how few National Park campgrounds there are" Tom said. "Also, it appears that State Parks dominate in the east, National Forests in the west and CPs in between."

More: The Best Camping iPhone Apps | What are your Favorite Android Camping Apps?

Images: © USCampgrounds.info | Tom Hillegass

Share Your Favorite Android Apps

Wednesday May 8, 2013

CAmp FinderThis week we featured the best outdoors and camping apps for the iPhone, but we want to hear from the readers about their favorite camping apps for Android operating systems!  Share your favorites in the Android Camping Apps forum.

Photo: the Camp Finder App is one of the highest rated camping Android apps. | © Campfinder CampingRoadTrip.com

Gear Reviews: Solar Charger and Bear Canister

Friday May 3, 2013

Portable solar chargerAs the summer season gets closer and camping season is upon us, we are bringing  you camping gear reviews of products that we've tested thoroughly. These may not be the latest or greatest on the market, but we've used them and will continue to.

It's tough to test camping gear over a short period of time, so we've committed to only reviewing our favorite products that have had survived a camping season because most campers want to know how durable equipment is and how the equipment performs under a variety of tests. Out latest camping gear reviews are from our personal stash of equipment--no freebies and no fads. These are two products that we don't leave for the campground without.bear canister

Camping Gear Reviews:

More: Camping Gear Reviews | Backpacking Gear Reviews | Backpacking Gear Checklist | Camping Gear Checklist

Camping at your Fingertips

Thursday May 2, 2013

Recreation.gov appFinding a campground has never been easier. There are iPhone apps for just about everything and campgrounds and RV parks are no exception. We've compiled a list of our favorite apps for campers and outdoors enthusiasts, including campground finders, how to tie a knot and the best campfire songs.

Do you have a favorite app for camping and the outdoors? Share your favorites in the comments below.

More: The Best Camping and Outdoors Apps | Follow About Camping on Facebook and Twitter | Subscribe to About Camping's free eNewsletter

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