Post: #1

I need rivers and trails, beautful scenery, and fresh air. Don't know where to start since I left boy scouts in high school. Things like Outside magazine have neat ideas but are a bit to exotic for what I'm looking for.

Are there turn key camping solutions in the US, maybe even in less know places like the Ozarks? What about farm stays? Or I'd even be interested in structured group trips if I knew of good ones. Spontaneity is key, so I'm not talking outward bound where you fork over a small fortune and apply months in advance. Real life friends are also hard to plan with due to everyone's work schedules and constantly shifting jobs. I'm not opposed to solo trips either, by any means.

Post: #2

Nature is good for inner game

Post: #3

Colorado has great options. You can stay in a small town and find great hikes all over. Many mountain towns have small populations, in the 10k range. It's easy to escape into the wilderness. You can also set up a hut trip. There are all sorts of huts the 10th mountain division set up a long time ago if you aren't Bear Grylls, but you have to rent them in advance. Only problem with CO is right now is a terrible time to go. It's "muddy season" because all the snow is melting in the mountains. I'd wait until June if you're serious about it. Utah, Montana, Wyoming also have many options as well.

Post: #4

Skip the Ozarks in the summertime. Hot, humid, very little breeze, and full of ticks.

Post: #5

Appalachian trail. New york, the weather is real mild and the tick and deer fly presence is quite low now. I did my undergraduate research on turtles on the AT. I'm sure there are rivers somewhere but I studied in a marsh. Still pretty though. During the summer the dragonflies would circle me to eat the flies that wanted a piece out of me. Very serene and beautiful.

Post: #6

Go to the National Parks of Utah.

Bring magic mushrooms

Post: #7

(04-09-2013 12:22 PM)Van Zandt Wrote:  I need rivers and trails, beautful scenery, and fresh air. Don't know where to start since I left boy scouts in high school. Things like Outside magazine have neat ideas but are a bit to exotic for what I'm looking for.

Are there turn key camping solutions in the US, maybe even in less know places like the Ozarks? What about farm stays? Or I'd even be interested in structured group trips if I knew of good ones. Spontaneity is key, so I'm not talking outward bound where you fork over a small fortune and apply months in advance. Real life friends are also hard to plan with due to everyone's work schedules and constantly shifting jobs. I'm not opposed to solo trips either, by any means.

Where are you located? I could tell you about 20 amazing places to go in California...

Post: #8

There are some pretty desolate places in the middle of Pennsylvania I went to a number of years back that are great for this purpose. I would look into it if you like woods, fishing, birds, camping, hiking, etc.

Post: #9

I really love how the rich folk in my state boost their taxes for the idea of supporting the state park system and then they NEVER visit them, especially any wilderness area more than 5 miles away from the parking lot. Same thing with a lot of public parks, too. The only exception is the occasional easy access area that gets ALL the traffic. This country is still a huge place and there's tons of land to hide away for a bit.

You don't know fear until you are alone at night with nobody around for over 10 miles, too. Camping alone has put me into entirely new mindsets.

Post: #10

Banff, Canada. The green lakes and mountains are amazing.

Pacific Northwest. Puegot sound is pretty awesome as is the Oregon coast. Ditto British Columbia

Post: #11

I've camped out all over the country and the first thing you need to do is get over the idea of having someone to go with. Yeah it's nice to have companionship but unless you have good friends who are already on board to go (which it doesn't sound like) then you're just going to sit around waiting for someone to go with you and never get out.

You gotta go solo. Get a map, pick an area that looks remote, do some research, go to REI or a similar camping store and gear up, and don't forget a topo map and know how to read it. I don't know where you are but the odds of you going so far out that you get lost and can't find your way back are pretty low. There's roads and rivers and also tons of people out in the woods, a lot more than you think.

There's only one way to gain experience: go do it. You don't need anyone to hold your hand.

If I were you I would start out with short, small trips, don't plan on anything epic until you have enough experience. You'll find that it's not easy being in the woods alone all day and all night, bring a book, preferably one on survival. Also bring something you can sit on or a small hammock.

You'll be amazed at the amount of personal growth and introspection you can have when you're off by yourself in nature with no tv, radio, internet or commercials blaring at you 24/7.

When you get back to the city you'll feel a real sense of accomplishment, especially if you've gotten lost and found your way back.

Post: #12

The mountains between Vancouver and Whistler (e.g Black Tusk, The Chief) are very good. There are some provincial parks with campsites. In the Summer you get a lot of Vancouverites heading out of the city and hiking in this area. A good combo of nature and meeting new people. And, yes, there are plenty of cute girls who hike. In fact, stating the bleeding obvious here, you see almost no fat chicks on these trails since they wouldn't have the stamina to make it more than a few metres. Think Lululemon yoga types, but very fit. These are real mountains, not hills. You need to be fit. Black Tusk is great. Usually requires two or three days.
Day 1: Hike from the parking lot to base camp (lot's of people, good atmosphere. It's on a beautiful lake)
Day 2: Set out early, hike to the top and quickly return to base camp.
Day 3: Stroll back to the parking lot

Post: #13

Boulder, Colorado. There are excellent hikes in the Flatiron Mountains, which are literally five minutes from the city itself, and even better backpacking and hiking locations in Estes Park, which is about an hour away. These places are kick ass for day hikes. I haven't really camped in this area much, but it's probably just as good if not better.

You could also try the Ohlone Wilderness, near the Diablo Mountains in the Bay Area California. Lots of hills, oak forests, and grazing pastures. It's gorgeous at all times, really big sweeping landscapes. I backpacked there for a week with the Boy Scouts as a sophomore and had an amazing time.

Post: #14

(04-10-2013 11:26 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

(04-09-2013 12:22 PM)Van Zandt Wrote:  I need rivers and trails, beautful scenery, and fresh air. Don't know where to start since I left boy scouts in high school. Things like Outside magazine have neat ideas but are a bit to exotic for what I'm looking for.

Are there turn key camping solutions in the US,...hifting jobs. I'm not opposed to solo trips either, by any means.

Where are you located? I could tell you about 20 amazing places to go in California...

Second this, the lower Sierras are beautiful now and if you get a permit certain National Forests to the West of Reno are free to camp but fires are restricted. You could go cheap, and visiting Tahoe is amazing-- Motel 6 in South Lake Tahoe is quite cheap. It's still prob a bit cold to camp above about 3000 feet.