Camping Bucket List The camping moments worth doing at least once, from your first s'mores and a night in a tent to sleeping in a fire lookout or a portaledge on a cliff: campfire classics, camp skills, nights under the stars, and the places and ways to camp people remember for years.
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Sleep in a tent
The defining camping night: walls of fabric, sounds of the outdoors and waking up already outside.
Make s'mores
The most famous camping treat, and a fun test of marshmallow-toasting patience.
Build a campfire
The heart of camp, where you cook, warm up and spend the evening.
Pitch a tent
Every camping trip starts with getting your shelter up, and doing it together is the first shared win.
Cook a meal over a campfire
Food cooked over flames is a camping ritual that tastes better than it should.
Tell ghost stories around the campfire
Spooky stories in the dark are a campfire tradition that never gets old.
Cook a hot dog over the fire
The simplest campfire meal, with a stick and an open flame.
Sing campfire songs
Singing together around the fire is one of the oldest camping traditions.
Sleep in a hammock
Swaying between two trees is a different, often better, way to rest outdoors.
Swim in a lake
A cool swim in natural water is how many camping days are best spent.
Catch and cook a fish
Catching your dinner and cooking it yourself is deeply satisfying, at camp or anywhere.
Brew camp coffee at sunrise
Coffee made outside while the morning light comes up is a small luxury of camping.
Make a tin foil dinner
A whole meal sealed in foil and cooked in the coals, a camp classic for generations.
Go to the bathroom in the woods
Every camper's unforgettable first; part of really being out in nature.
Go Kayaking
Exploring the water around camp shows it from a whole new angle.
Make camp oatmeal for breakfast
The warm, easy breakfast that starts many cold camp mornings.
Go Stargazing
Away from city lights, a campsite sky shows more stars than most people ever see at home.
Sleep under the stars without a tent
Nothing between you and the night sky: the most direct way to sleep outside.
Milky Way Band
Seeing our galaxy stretch across a dark sky is one of camping's great rewards.
Watch the Sunrise
Waking at camp to watch the sky change color is one of the best parts of the trip.
Take a night hike
The trail at night feels like a different place, with sharper senses and new sounds.
Meteor
A shooting star streaking over camp is a moment people remember and wish on.
Meteor Shower
Lying back to count meteors on a shower night is a classic camping memory.
Hear coyotes howl
Coyote calls at night are a thrilling sign you're out in wild country.
Hear wolves howl
A wolf howl from camp is one of the wildest sounds a camper can hear.
Auroras
Seeing the northern or southern lights from camp is a rare, unforgettable night.
Camp in a Dark Sky Park
Certified dark skies offer some of the best stargazing campsites there are.
Big Dipper
Finding the Big Dipper is often a first step in learning the night sky, and camp is the place to look.
Photograph the Night Sky
Capturing the stars above your campsite makes a dark-sky night last forever.
Summer solstice camping trip
Spending the longest day of the year outside is a natural camping celebration.
Camp in the rain
Staying dry, or not, through a rainy night is a camping rite of passage.
Take someone on their first camping trip
Sharing camping with a first-timer is a gift to both of you.
Camp out in your backyard
The easiest first night outdoors, and a fun one at any age.
Pitch a tent in the dark
Arriving late and setting up by headlamp is a classic camping story.
Go on a big group camping trip
Camping with a crowd of friends or family makes for big campfires and bigger memories.
Unplug for a whole camping weekend
A weekend without screens shows what time outdoors together can feel like.
Reserve a campground spot
Booking your own campsite is the first step of many great trips.
Use a porta potty
An unglamorous but genuine part of campground life.
Leave a campsite cleaner than you found it
Caring for the places you camp is part of being a good camper.
Start a fire without matches
Making fire with a ferro rod or by friction is a skill campers are proud of.
Cook a Dutch oven meal
Cast-iron cooking over coals opens up stews, cobblers and bread at camp.
Whittle your own roasting stick
Carving the perfect marshmallow stick is a small camp craft with a tasty payoff.
Hang a bear bag
Keeping food away from wildlife is part of camping responsibly in bear country.
Purify water from a stream
Making wild water safe to drink is essential beyond the campground.
Navigate with a map and compass
Finding your way without a phone signal is a classic outdoor skill.
Split firewood
Turning logs into firewood is satisfying work that keeps the campfire going.
Put out a campfire
Drowning and stirring a fire until it's cold is a must-know camping responsibility.
Rig up a tarp shelter
A well-pitched tarp turns a wet day at camp into a comfortable one.
Go Hiking
Trails from camp lead to views, lakes and quiet you can't reach any other way.
Go backpacking overnight
Carrying everything on your back to a wild campsite is camping's big step up.
Summit a mountain
Standing on the very top is the reward that makes the climb unforgettable.
Hike a Mountain
Climbing a mountain trail is one of the great outdoor efforts and views.
Hike 5+ miles in a day
A five-mile day is a real hike and a fine way to explore around camp.
Hike 20+ miles in a day
A twenty-mile day is a serious endurance milestone for any hiker.
Cross a river on foot
Fording a stream safely is a memorable backcountry challenge.
Eat a dehydrated meal
Just-add-water dinners are the taste of the backcountry.
Get a backcountry camping permit
Earning a permit is the gateway to camping in protected wild places.
Camp in a forest
Falling asleep among tall trees is the classic camping setting.
Camp on a beach
The sound of waves all night makes a beach campsite special.
Camp by an alpine lake
Waking beside a high mountain lake is one of the most beautiful camps there is.
Go winter camping in the snow
Camping in snow brings quiet, crisp nights and a real sense of accomplishment.
Camp in the desert
Desert camping trades shade for silence, sunsets and enormous starry skies.
Soak in a hot spring on a camping trip
A natural hot spring soak is the ultimate reward after a day outdoors.
Camp on an island
Reaching camp by water and having an island to yourself feels like an adventure.
Paddle to your campsite
Arriving by canoe or kayak opens up campsites that roads never reach.
Go glamping
Comfortable beds and real shelters make camping easy to love.
Take a camper van road trip
Life on the road with your bed on wheels is a camping style of its own.
Sleep in a yurt
A round, sturdy yurt is a cozy middle ground between tent and cabin.
Sleep in a treehouse
Spending a night up in the trees is a childhood dream come true.
Sleep in a fire lookout tower
Overnighting in a historic lookout gives you a 360-degree view from bed.
Sleep in the bed of a truck
A truck bed under the stars is a simple, beloved way to camp anywhere.
Take a multi-day river rafting trip
Days on the river and nights on sandy banks make an epic camping trip.
Watch the sunrise from a summit you camped near
Climbing in the dark to catch first light from a peak is unforgettable.
Build and sleep in a snow cave
Sleeping in a shelter you dug from snow is a true winter adventure.
Sleep in a portaledge on a cliff
Spending a night hanging on a cliff face is the boldest bed in camping.
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