CAMPERS HELP! I'm not talking about RVing, I'm talking REAL camping, like hiking in the wilderness camping

Question

Where is a good spot to do that? I live in SE Missouri, so I know the Ozarks are right there, mabey there's somewhere in Illinois, or TN, or KY, or somewhere around there where I can do some real Wilderness camping.... Also, does that have a name? Wilderness Camping? I know there's RV camping, and Camp ground Camping, but is there a proper name for Wilderness Camping? Anyways, any help will be greatly appreciated! GOD BLESS

#1... this is not my first time camping
#2... i won't be alone
#3... i have tried to look on the interent and found nothing, so that first answer is pretty much useless

thanks anyway Ann D

Answer 1

Look around on the internet. There are all kinds of websites for this stuff. If you have never camped before, I suggest you start out trying "campground camping" in a state park. Pick one with minimal facilities or trail camping, and see how that goes before you tramp off into the woods alone. Also, learn how to use trail maps, compasses, GPS, or anything else that will prevent you from becoming fatally lost!

Answer 2

Wilderness camping as you say is typically called backpacking, meaning you put everything you need in a pack on your back and move out.

I suggest that you check the state parks web site in the states you wish to visit or their DNR for parks to hike and camp in. Many state forest allow camping basically anywhere in the park proper and some restrict camping to specific sites or locations.

There are many national parks where you can do the same and just look up National Parks or state parks in a Google search and you will find more information than you will have time to read about. Another good place is the State we b site for where you wish to go. Most have links to camping and packing areas.

Backpacking is a great escape and you will certainly find some nice places by searching the above for places. Many of these jewels are places not that far off the beaten path that just need to be discovered by you.

Answer 3

I call it backcountry camping or just backpacking. if you are willing to drive the length of tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is amazing. i live about 20 minutes from there and that's where i do all of my camping. there are about 100 sites throughout the park where you can camp. me and my friends just went camping a couple weeks ago on campsite 27 up Jakes Creek Trail. it was about a 3 mile hike, but you can go to others that are only a mile or so. the trails are also connected so you can easily make a loop and camp for a few days or a few weeks without staying in the same place. you might encounter a few people on the trail, depending on which one you choose, but you might not. I am planning a camping trip along Lakeshore Trail which will probably take about a week or two.By the Way, it is free to camp in the backcountry in the GSMNP. all you have to do is fill out a permit the day you go, drop a copy off at the nearest ranger station, and carry a copy with you

If you do decide to come over here to east TN you should definately invest in Hiking Trails of the Smokies AKA "the brown book". it is the most amazing book ever. it has just about every trail in the GSMNP and shows how steep it is, tells interesting facts about the trail, tells the history of the trail. it is an overall great book, and its about 20 dollars at any hiking, camping store or visitor's center in the area.

Also, i don't know if you have been going through a drought like we have, but you might have to hike out of the way to get water. we had to hike about a mile to get our water because the creek was dried up by our campsite.

I could go on for days about backpacking in the GSMNP, but if you don't want to make the drive, i'm wasting my time. so if you are interested email me and i can tell you anything you want to know. however, if you decide to go somewhere else, and i understand if you do, good luck and have fun out there!(yes i know i stole Jeep's motto, but im a jeeper myself so it's okay)

Answer 4

If you can make it as far as the Chatanooga TN area, you might want to get some info on Frozen Head State Park. Google it and you will get a lot of hits. There are trails ranging from easy to I'm-too-old-for-that in this beautiful and rarely crowded wilderness area. I do my "hiking" a little differently. I load up a weeks worth of gear and food on my bicycle and push it the fireroad onto the crest of the Tennessee Ridge so the old lady isn't carrying so much on her back. Then I establish a comfy base camp and do day hikes or one-nighters from there. There is a good year round spring about a mile from the observation tower, and water is easy to find near most trails except in the dryest weather. At the end of the week, the food is all used up and I'm traveling light. I load up that trusty rusty bike, put on my Salvation Army sneakers and roll back down that wonderful mountain road. The old sneakers are because I wear them out dragging my feet to control my speed.

Answer 5

This depends on what you call wilderness camping. I live in Michigan. I go to Northern Ontario for wilderness camping. I camp on a lake 40 miles from a town of 300. I take a boat up a river, and carry EVERYTHING 500 yards around an impassable rapids. Then, I go up "my" lake to a beautiful camp spot. I've gone there for years, and have NEVER seen a human on "my" lake. Wolves, moose, bears, and cougars-yes. But, no people. From where you are, you'd just head due north, and enter Canada west of Lake Superior. Canada has all the wild land you could want, and if you want wilder, you'd need to go to Alaska or Siberia. Camping in Canada is cheap, except for the gas to drive there. I only spend about $200 plus gas to spend 8-9 days in heaven. That includes camp permits, fishing licence, and our food. We can drink right out of the lake, and for entertainment catch a hundred fish a day, and watch the Northern Lights at night, sitting around a campfire. All you really need is a SMALL boat, and perhaps a 5-10 hp outboard motor. You can e-mail me if you consider Ontario. I ought to work for their tourist dept, as much as I brag them up. LOL Edit. I must warn you though, don't just go, with no plan. This stuff isn't for beginers, and there are precautions you MUST take, or you could end up in real trouble. But, my memories of my trips are some of the best, and I wouldn't want to face a future where I couldn't get away.

Answer 6

You probably should try the Appalachian Trail. It runs from Georgia to Maine for about 2200 miles. The midpoint is near my house in West Virginia. You can either camp in the wilderness in your tent or hammock, or you can spend lots of money to sleep in motels. People lose a lot of weight trying to hike it the whole way. Makes your feet change shape and get bigger too. And you can't bathe very often and you go all the way through the body odor thing until you actually don't stink quite so bad anymore. You probably should bring money along so that you can buy a new pair of hiking boots when your first pair wears out. Those things are only good for a thousand miles or so.

The proper name for wilderness camping is camping. The proper name for RV or car camping is "faking it."

Answer 7

"Backpacking" is the word you're looking for. At least here in North America, it means carrying all your gear in a backpack, hiking out into the wilderness and camping. In "day hiking" you probably carry a backpack and go into the wilderness, but you don't camp.

FYI, In Europe and Australia (and maybe elsewhere) backpacking means traveling cheaply anywhere in the world by carrying your gear in a backpack and camping out or sleeping in hostels most of the time as you walk, ride a bus, take a train or hitch-hike from town to town. They call what we do "trekking," among other things.

As for Missouri, there's the Ozark Trail: http://www.ozarktrail.com/
And the Kansas City Outdoor Club might have some suggestions: http://www.kcoc.info/

Answer 8

In TN you can hike along the Skyline Drive, an old road that runs along a mountain ridge. Way more deer than cars. That is pretty roughing it. Bring a good pair of shoes. There is a whole lot of nature along the way. Of course, if you are willing to travel a bit, No. Cal has Lassen Volcanic Park, my personal fave in the wilderness camping experience. A whole lot of nature, with all the rugged beauty so wonderfully captured by the National Park System with hardly anybody else there. It must be the least visited park in the country.

Answer 9

I am an avid wilderness hiker and camper.
And also happen to live in Missouri.

We have NO true wilderness camping in the state. Primitive? Yes.

And in fact with but a few exceptions all your wilderness areas in the USA are to be found in our western states.

And there are several of them My favorites are located in Wyoming and Montana..
States that I once resided in. And still get back to rather often.

Answer 10

I Googled "backpacking Missouri" and got a whole list of sites. Try this one -- it seems to list all of the trail areas in your state.

http://www.slackpacker.com/map_mo.html

There are thousands of excellent references and guides on the web -- I'm sure you'll find more now that you know what to call the activity. Pick up "Backpacker" magazine at any newstand or bookstore -- they often list recommended trails in all of the geographic regions. Any decent bookstore will have backpacking trail guides, books and maps, too. Also, if there is a gear shop in your area that sells backpacking and canoeing equipment, you can usually get good advice from the folks who work there on the best local wilderness areas.
Happy Trails!