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About Eugene register-guard. (Eugene, Or.) 1930-1983 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1961)
America's Best - AMERICA -OUT-OF-DOORS Camping Spots Majestic moun tains , fish-filled streams, rolling surf this country offers them all to the family looking for fun, adventure, and economy By ERWIN A. BAUER 10 Essentials for Family Summer Camping 1. Shelter, either a tent or a camper-type trailer, Wall or umbrella tents are best for larger groups. 2. Lightweight deeping bag or air mattress for each person. Folding cots are optional. . 3. A kitchen which includes a two-burner gaso line stove, portable refrigerator or cooler, lan tern, and canvos fly leaf for "roof." 4. Set of nesting aluminum pots, pans, dishes, utensils. 5. Sand axe and small trench shovel. Gasoline can. Supply of aluminum foil and plastic freezer bags. 7. Insecticide bomb for camp, insect repellent for campers. First-aid kit and any medical supplies nor mally required at home such as tooth paste, as pirin, laxative. . Compact kit which contains nails, baling wire, rope, flashlight, pliers, hammer, waterproof matches, candle. 10. Camera and twice as much film as you plan to use. , ; There hasn't been anything like it since pioneer days. Armed with tents and tarpaulins, with portable stoves and folding cots, about one in every four Americans headed for the wide-open spaces last summer to go camping. And it's a good bet that even more of them will sleep under canvas sometime during 1961. It's no mystery why camping is enjoying its greatest boom in history. For one thing it's a happy blend of adventure, escape, and relaxation an elegant vacation that anyone can afford. With equipment which may cost less than a week's pay, and which will last through many seasons, camp ing opens up a whole new concept of spending leisure time. Nowadays, any family can enjoy our most magnificent scenery, can sample our fastest fishing, or visit countless historic shrines and show places all on a shoestring. One neophyte camper at Yellowstone Park last year summed up the sentiments of almost all campers. "Living in a tent," he said, "was the sum mer's most rewarding experience. Responsibilities seemed to evaporate for everyone in camp. Even chores became a pleasure." Camping was never the happy, almost luxurious pastime it is today. Many designers and manufac turers now offer tents wijh metal ribs which prac tically jump into place. The station wagon has be come the Conestoga of today. No less than a dozen different lightweight trailers which open up into small "apartments" are now on the market. And then there are folding stoves, portable refriger ators, dehydrated foods, inflatable mattresses, and nesting sets of dishes. The list is endless. But all the essentials for one family tent; stove, sleeping bags, utensils can be purchased for about $100. America's carefree campers have still another advantage: more budget facilities are available to them than to any other vacationers. There are well-manicured camp sites in nearly all our na tional parks, and in many state and county parks. Camping is either completely free or permitted for a very nominal fee. Besides these public lands, numerous company owned and industrial lands are "open." The Weyer haeuser Timber Co., for example, maintains 14 free camping parks in the Northwest The secret of any successful camping trip, whether it's for the weekend or for the entire summer, is in the planning. There are a number of good books on the subject. Beginners should try short trips at first, extending them as they gain experience. But both beginners and veterans should remember that midsummer is camping's biggest season, and that they will find some campgrounds filled to capacity. It's always wise to make reser vations or to inquire ahead. Camping itself is fun, but other activities should be considered. Some activities compatible with camping include fishing, hiking, boating, : swim . ming, collecting (rocks, gems, seashells, fossils, etc.) , photography, bird watching, mountain climb ing, and even spelunking (cave exploring). Some campers carry Geiger counters to prospect for rare or radioactive metals. Some pan for gold. Other campers with small children carry playpens and toys. Still others might tote such luxury items as portable showers, toasters, rotisseries, or hi-fis. But nothing is as important as selecting a good camping area, and herewith are some of America's best, selected on the basis of facilities and outdoor opportunities available for campers. They're not necessarily the largest or best-known camping areas (which sometimes are too crowded), but in stead each one offers plenty of elbow room, ex cept during peak periods of July and August when camp sites anywhere are most scarce. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colo. Few places on earth have greater natural beauty or more spectacular Alpine scenery than this bit of high real estate astride the continental divide north west of Denver. A wandering outdoorsman can pitch his camp near the timber line or deep in a green valley below. Well-marked trails for hikers lead to lonely lakes and good trout fishing. There's excellent mountain climbing, abundant wildlife to see, and extravagant photographic possibilities. Cape Halteras National Seashore Recreation al Area, N. C. Here is something distinctly differ ent in camping, a change of pace for campers used to a place on a blue Northern lake. This area is ac tually a 100-mile-long strip of sand beach along the outer bank from Nags Head to Hatteras Inlet and Ocracoke, and a number of neat camp sites ventilated with salty breezes have been established there by the Government. Besides the novelty of camping out on bleached white sand within the sound of the surf, there's superb fishing in the Atlantic and in Pamlico Sound, and beachcombing for mementos of old shipwrecks. Water birds are numerous, too. Area is crowded during August. The Ozark Mountains of Southern Missouri anil Arkansas. This is a picturesque region which in part might have been preserved out of the hickory-smoked past. From Government camp sites on the shores of giant reservoirs (such as Bull Shoals, Norfolk, Table Rock, Ouachita), a camper can ex plore the hardwood hills all around on little-used back-country roads. There are also lovely rivers (Buffalo, Current, White, Eleven Point, Gascon ade) that drift through undisturbed wilderness. Both the rivers and reservoirs have good fishing, and this entire region is considered happy hunting grounds for antique collectors. Quelico-Superior Wilderness, Minnesota and Ontario. This evergreen vacationland, which con tains more water than dry ground, is unique because it's strictly for canoe campers. Here you load your duffel and equipment into a canoe or two and travel by paddle- and elbow-power. There's good fishing everywhere, wildlife is abundant, and you will find the Northwoods environment is complete ly unadulterated. ' It's worth noting here that an outdoor family doesn't need its own equipment to enjoy camping in the Quetico-Superior forest. They can rent everything from tents and teapots to guides, sleep (Continued on page 16) . family Weekly, May 21, INI
