I know it’s only January but it’s time to start thinking about where you’re camping this year. Here in the PNW, campsites fill up so stinkin’ fast. Anyone else already have alarms set up so you can book the very second a date and site open up? Seriously, it’s crazy. Two years ago, after realizing so many of the popular campsites were already booked (newbie mistake), I stumbled upon a website called Hipcamp. What is it exactly? Hipcamp is a site where private land owners can offer up their land as camping space. The sites range from extremely primitive (just a piece of land to set up your tent) to more traditional camp sites with fire rings and even outhouses, to glamping-style sites. It really is up to the land owners to develop (or not) as much as they want. The landowners get to use their land and make some money and the campers get access to places that would typically be off-limits to them.
You can search by locations, dates, type of campsite, and check out all the reviews other campers have left. You can filter by activities, amenities, terrain, and accessibility which makes finding the perfect site for you and your family super easy. New locations are constantly being added as more landowners become hosts. Booking through another agencies (for example, state or national parks)? Hipcamp allows campers to leave reviews for those, too. We always check the reviews for tips (best sites and sites to avoid) before booking elsewhere.
So, back to our camping dilemma. We found a site that had great reviews and booked for just one night since it was our first time camping with our youngest. We almost immediately regretted not booking a longer stay. The host (landowner) swung by at one point to check on supplies and told us the history of the land that had been in his family for many years. We’ve gone two years in a row and are looking forward to making it back again this year. He has an amazing pad for the tent, but we end up setting up on the beach since that’s where we spend most of our time anyway. If you’d like to check out the view from a giant unicorn floating on the river, check out my Instagram stories in the “in the water” section for a video.
How awesome is that outhouse? Hipcamp is a great way to camp at some really unique sites (we have a sheep farm and a teepee on our bucket list) and we can’t wait to explore even more places this summer.
Want $10 towards your next Hipcamp adventure? Use my link and we both earn $10 towards our next camping trip.
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