Hey everyone! Just wanted to start a thread where we can all share our favorite camping experiences of the year. My husband (The Dyrt cofounder) and I bought a Cricket trailer this year, so our upgrade was definitely a highlight.
What was your favorite place you’ve visited, or what is your favorite story from your adventures this year?
Looking forward to reading everyone’s responses!
My favorite trip was definitely doing The Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier in 3 days with a few of my old PCT buddies
I took my girlfriend on her first backpacking trip…BY ACCIDENT!! What was supposed to be 6mi in -> camp two nights -> 6mi out turned into a 25mi loop. The trip started off overcast and rainy. We hit our planned destination only to find a “no camping” zone for the entire meadow. When we found a good campsite we looked at the map and said “that looks like a cool sight to see” and we changed our plan. Water falls, tough climbs, and lots of laughs, we crush the 9mi final leg 3 days after we hiked in. She came out with foot blisters, pack rub, and much tougher than she went in. A few weeks later head to REI so she can find a better fitting pair of boots to start breaking in as we plan for our next backpacking trip.
Cool camper! The list of favorites from 2020 is smaller than in other years but we really liked Redstone, a forest service campground near the small town of Redstone, CO. The campground was immaculate and within walking distance of the town. On that same trip, we also stayed at Glenwood Canyon Resort in Glenwood Springs. Not our typical type of “campground” but we had a site right on the water which made up for being lined up like dominoes. Two very different experiences - the first was cheap and the second expensive. Of course, we also love most of the coastal campgrounds in Oregon - you probably know most of them. And our all-time favorite Oregon campground is Silver Falls. Maybe we’ll see you on the road in 2021!
Also not our usual camping summer, but considering that we didn’t think we’d get to camp at all, we made the best of the three trips we did make.
We really enjoyed Big Meadow campground in Colorado. The sites are well spaced and the reservoir was well stocked with Trout and easy walk from the campground. There is great hiking from the campground and just a short drive away.
We took a week-long trip to the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. While we’ve been there before, we haven’t spent a full week camping. The extra days gave us a chance to try different hikes, from 4 miles to 16 miles. We checked out a ton of backcountry trails while the leaves were changing for fall. It was awesome.
Pictures:
Lake of the Clouds
Mirror Lake
Trap Falls
Cool trail with huge trees and a massive root system
The mouth of the Big Carp River where it empties into Lake Superior
One of our fave trips is to our favorite place, the Eastern Sierra in California. We had no reservations and managed to find the very last spot at Tioga Lake campground last August. So many more people camped this summer due to Covid 19 and having to stay socially distant so we were lucky to find a spot.
We sold our truck & camper right before COVID hit and it took a while to get our new A-Frame but we still got in some camping. Eastern Sierras (Rock Creek), Bryce Canyon, Zion & Sequoias were all memorable. Also enjoyed camping in Colorado as well as some camping close to home.
3 Favorite camping spots from the year:
#3 - Local spot at a lake that I always have to myself - go there often
#2 - McConaughy Lake, Nebraska - it’s like being at the beach on the coast…but you’re in Nebraska
#1 - Sheep Mountain Overlook - Badlands, South Dakota. Maybe the best spot I’ve camped at…ever.
The Dyrt is definitely what got me through my six week solo road trip this past August/September. I planned for three weeks and stayed much longer. I knew what national parks I wanted to visit but didn’t have a lot of money so each time before I set off somewhere I looked up a free camping site and headed there. Only when it was time for a shower or I needed WiFi did I go to a site that cost ~$20. This is an amazing app and I am so thankful for it!! I travelled through 10 states and stayed at multiple Dyrt campsites!! 
I kept meaning to do a review/write something about them but the creator lifestyle has me busy, working toward wildlife conservation along with helping girls find freedom and confidence via @shewandersearthfreely … But I def have plans to write about my time at each campsite!! My absolute favorite campsite, was a free campsite in southeastern Oregon, Willow Creek Hot Springs. When I went, there was not a lot of people at all and it was such a peaceful and incredible campsite, I should have stayed there longer!! Most of my photos/videos are on my camera or drone, but here were some worthy ones from my phone! ** 98% of photos taken from the campsite!**
I can’t wait to get back out there for my next road trip!!
Wow! Those stars are amazing!
WOW! That picture of Sheep Mountain Overlook is incredible.
As full-time campers, we have a really hard time deciding which campgrounds are our favorites, as it always seems to be the ones at which we most recently camped. Ha! Here’s a blog that we just wrote about the past 3 weeks camping in various places along the Texas Gulf Coast, many of which were free or very low cost – a very low key place to be during the busy holiday season when other campgrounds are packed. It’s an area we had never been, and really surprised us. The wildlife, sunsets, and lack of beachside development in this area truly blew our minds wide open! Here are a few pics of some of the places we stayed for a few nights, as well as the link to the blog with a whole lotta info and images. Happy 2021 y’all!
!We bought a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser in 2019. I plow snow for the state of Vermont and needed something to “plow” through the snow before I could get into my plow truck.
After getting it I realized the tremendous potential it had for overland camping. In 2020 I discovered the Dyrt app. The 2 seemed to be made for each other.
My wife and I have always had a fascination and curiosity for the Green Mountain National Forest. On a whim, I bought the materials neccessary to build a crude sleep platform. That weekend happened to be Indigenous Peoples Day. Autumn colors were prime and we were anxious to use the Dyrt app to set out for discovery.
My wife and I love camping in the Vermont State Parks and we promote them every chance we get. Every experience in the park is memorable but our trip through the heart of Vermont’s wilderness was the highlight of our 2020 camping season. I guess hind site is 2020. Lol.
Here is a link to my blog that describes our wonderful experience.
We were fortunate enough to camp 90 days last year. Big Bend National Park was definitely the highlight, but we discovered some great spots on the way there & back. San Angelo SP in Texas was quite surprising, had a blast there. I still say Arkansas has the best state parks in the USA.
We also took a mini-trip to Shenandoah NP and Harrison Lake SP in Ohio.
What was the dates that you were there?
Last year, our trip to the Porcupine Mountains was from Sept. 19-27. It was a good time to go, the leaves changed a ton during the time we were there. Plus, since it was after Labor Day but right before “peak” color, we missed the end-of-summer family crowds and the leaf-peeper crowds. 
