Hello friends, today I am writing about spring camping. I don’t know about you but after months of winter, I am craving an outdoor adventure. Camping usually does the trick. However camping in springtime can be tricky with the weather. It usually rains at night, here in Utah when camping in the spring, if it doesn’t rain it might even snow. However I still think that mid to late April can be a great time to camp, as long as you are prepared for the weather. This means bundling up in coats at night, around the campfire and bringing along warm sleeping bags if you are in a tent.
We have a small trailer that we broke down and bought a few years ago after swearing we would never own one. Trailers can be a lot of maintenence and are a big thing to store for the majority of the year. Which is why we opted for a small 21 ft trailer. It is just big enough for our family of 4 and giant dog. I say family of four but my daughter who is in her 20’s doesn’t go camping with us much anymore, so we bring my younger daughter and usually one of her friends.
Our trailer has a big queen sized bed and two single bunk beds, as well as a kitchen table that folds out to sleep one adult or two smaller kiddos. It’s just big enough for us, and allows us to extend our camping season to early spring and late fall.
In Utah in the early spring, we tend to head south to warmer weather. Just a couple of hours drive south and the weather heats up considerably during the day time. This does mean that we are desert camping however, so no big trees for shade, just short juniper tree bushes.
Most of our camp trips are over the weekend, so that we don’t have to take any time off of work. We will leave in the late afternoon on Friday, and drive to our campsite, stay Saturday and come home on Sunday afternoon. This gives us a nice taste of the outdoor life without requiring us to take a vacation day. Because we live in Utah, we are so close to the mountains and lots of camping spots. From high mountain camping in the heat of summer, to desert camping farther south, we camp all over this beUTAHhful state.
I am a listmaker at heart. So when planning out our trips, I make multiple lists. I find that it helps me, so I remember to pack everything we need. I make a grocery list, and a camp gear list. I also will make a list while camping of items we run out of on the trip, so I remember what we need for the next time, when we get home.
One of our favorite places to camp is in Moab. To camp in Moab in a developed campground you will need to reserve a site months in advance. Since we don’t usually plan that far out for just a quick weekend trip, we will camp on BLM land. BLM land is public land, and you can camp for free on it. To find BLM land in your area, do a google search, and always read the local rules for camping on public land. Remember to pack out whatever you pack in, and there won’t be hook-ups, trash or water available, so you will need to bring everything with you.
We also like the Bryce Canyon National Park, and Kodachrome State Park area for camping. See my post here.
I love to cook, and camp cooking is no exception. There is something about cooking outdoors over a hot grill or fire that brings out the primal in me. I usually make a simple breakfast of bacon and eggs and a simple picnic lunch, but go all out at dinner time. My most popular dinner recipe is King Ranch Chicken. Everyone eats this up then asks for the recipe. This is a spicy tex mex casserole, similar to a layered lasagna, except instead of noodle layers you use tortillas. Spice the recipe up below with a small can of diced green chiles, serve with avocado slices and a sprinkle of cilantro leaves.
Breakfast Ideas
- Bacon and scrambled eggs
- Bagels and cream cheese
- Fruit and yogurt
- Breakfast Burritos
Lunch Ideas:
- Charcuterie board: Salami, Pepperoni, 2-3 cheeses ( one soft and one hard), Olives, Crackers, and Grapes
- Chicken Salad Sandwiches (see recipe below)
- Turkey sandwiches
- Hot dogs on the grill
- Chicken quesadillas
While camping, during the day we usually find a hike in the area to do. If we aren’t hiking we are usually fishing. I’m not much of a fisher myself, but I do find fishing to be relaxing and kind of meditative. I will bring a camp chair and sit on the shore and relax in the sun. Don’t forget sunscreen, this brand was recommended to me by a dermatologist that I used to work with. I have never burned when I’ve used this sunscreen, though to be fair, I don’t sunburn easily.
Recommended Camping Gear:
- Cast iron pan– for cooking. You can use this over the fire without worrying about ruining it.
- Foldable knife– This is nice because it folds down, so you don’t accidentally cut yourself, and it keeps the blade sharp.
- Camelbak– For hydration while hiking, a camelbak is great. You carry it like a backpack and it has a hose that you drink from. These are nice because of the amount of water you are able to hold in them. I don’t recommend putting anything except water in them, to avoid bacteria buildup inside the bladder.
- Ella Pee– This amazing device allows you to pee, standing up. This comes in handy while camping, but especially while hiking. I have tried many brands but this one holds up well, is sturdy and cleans easily.
- Travel Speaker– This tiny speaker, is affordable, compact and has pretty loud and decent sound. It is a bluetooth speaker, so you can play all of your downloaded music on the go.
- Solar String Lights– These lights are solar powered and roll up into a compact case. There are multiple light color options for added ambience at your campsite. I think they are fun, and I liked them so much I bought two. We hang them from the canopy of our trailer, but they will work hanging from trees, a shade canopy or even your tent.
- Coffee pot– I MUST have coffee in the morning. There is nothing better than sipping a hot coffee on a chilly morning outside. I have tried all kinds of camp coffee pots, but the most simple is the best in my opinion.
- Coffee mugs– I like to buy cute enamel camping mugs to serve coffee in. Be careful though because they do get hot to the touch. Etsy has a ton of cute enamel mugs. If you want to keep your coffee hot for longer, check out this travel coffee mug in a cute wood pattern.
- Reuseable water bottle– I know how popular the Stanley mug has gotten, but I really like the Iron Flask brand. Whatever brand you choose, bring a refillable water bottle, to stay hydrated out in the sun.
- Collapsible Camping Garbage bin– These collapse down and velcro for ease of storage. Don’t forget to pack 30 gallon garbage bags to line it with.
- Camp rug– I love having an outdoor rug in front of the door to our trailer. It really cuts down on the amount of dirt and dust that gets tracked inside. You can also place this in front of your tent door for the same benefits. Plus you can take off your shoes and leave them on the rug when going inside.
- Games– We like to play board games or card games while camping. We have a variety of games that we just leave in our trailer at all times. If you are short on room, try a game like Uno.
- Shade Canopy– Or a simple tarp with rope will work too, especially if you are tight on room in your car. We have a truck to pull the trailer so we usually have room to pack the larger shade canopy. But we used to tent camp and have used a tarp for rain cover plenty of times.
- Travel First Aid kit– See my post here about how to create your own travel first aid kit. Don’t forget to add bugspray and sunscreen!
I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to get out for the first time this year.
Check out my posts on what to do and see in Moab, Utah. Also see this post about Bryce National Park as well.
- Beck
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