Cooler temps, emptier campsites, and fall colors make for perfect camping.
Camping in the fall is the best. The summer crowds are gone, so it’s easier to score a coveted campsite at the last minute. Temperatures are cooler but still warm enough to sleep outside. And if you pick the right spot at the right time, you’ll be treated to a display of fall colors from your tent. But there are a few things to remember when camping at this time of year. The days are shorter, the nights are colder, and the weather can be a little less predictable. Pack the right things and you’ll be just fine.
When to Go
Fall foliage season tends to go from mid-September to mid-November, depending on factors ranging from temperature and precipitation to geographic location and altitude. If catching changing aspen trees is your number one goal, use this handy Fall Foliage Prediction Map to estimate roughly when different parts of the country will be at peak foliage. Holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving can be great times to camp—with less crowds and plenty of ways to celebrate (s’mores trick-or-treating or Dutch oven turkeys, anyone?).
Some campgrounds close after Labor Day or open just for limited weekend dates in the fall, so make sure you triple check availability and operating dates before you go. Temperatures are clearly colder come fall, so if you’re pitching a tent from September through November, plan accordingly. You’ll want some warmer layers—like a puffy coat, warm hat, and fleece midlayer—as well as your warmest sleeping bag. Bring firewood, if campfires are allowed, or a propane firepit. Shorter days means less daylight, so stock up on lights—headlamps, solar string lights, or lanterns to set on your picnic table. Also, wildlife like bears are stocking up for the winter, so if you’re camping in bear country, as always, be sure to put food and trash away in proper receptacles.
Where to Go
This is a great time of year to snag those busy campsites that you can’t get during the peak summer season. Head to the coast, where the summer fog has finally lifted, or head to the desert, where mountain biking, trail running, and climbing are perfect in more mild fall temperatures. Some of our favorite fall campsites? Head to Moab, Utah’s Sand Flats Recreation Area, where all the sites are first-come, first-serve and have great access to Moab’s legendary mountain bike trails. California’s Tioga Pass, outside of Yosemite National Park, has ample camping, most of which is first-come, first-served, like Saddlebag Lake, Junction Campground, and Ellery Lake. The dispersed and designated campsites along Gothic Road in Crested Butte, Colorado, are a perfect fall destination, when the aspen trees are at their most brilliant and the biking is prime, or check out nearby Campfire Ranch for a more full-service campground.
Smart layers are key to a comfortable camping trip in the fall season. During the day, you may want shorts and a T-shirt, but at night, you may need to layer up with long underwear or insulated joggers and a puffy coat. The men’s Bear Jacket and the women’s Lynx Jacket make a great packable puffy you can wear around the campfire at night and it can double as your camping pillow. For a backup rain layer, the Trailworks Jacket is your trusty rain shell that can also be a sturdy windlayer for colder biking or hiking outings. And a warm fleece or insulated flannel, like the Katinka Hoody, Tate Fleece, or Felice Jacket for women or the Lassen Fleece Lined Flannel or Sinclair Insulated Flannel for men are all good options.
For pants, the Tiller Jogger and Trailworks Pant for men are sturdy, around-camp pants for chillier mornings and nights. For women, it’s the Tucker Jogger and Portola Pant that you’ll wear daily. Don’t forget a warm hat, like the Fireside Beanie or Longshoreman Beanie.