Here’s Everything You Need for an Epic Outdoor Adventure

Summer is in full force, which means it’s time to throw a few craft brews in the cooler, pitch a tent or park your van and spend the night in one of the roughly 100 campgrounds across Central Oregon.

If you’re excited to sleep under the stars during the coming months, we’ve put together a guide that breaks down the basics for an epic camping adventure—from finding a site and pampering your pooch to telling spooky stories and keeping warm around a (safe) fire. Here’s everything you need to know for a memorable trip into nature.

Find Your Next Favorite Campsite

Most campgrounds across the Deschutes National Forest and at Oregon State Parks offer reservations on a six-month rolling basis—meaning you can book a site as early as February 1 if planning a trip for August 1. While most choice sites have likely been booked since Valentine’s Day, hope for a more spontaneous camping trip is not lost.

Even if your favorite campground looks full all summer long, be on call for an opening by setting up availability alerts (via ReserveAmerica.com for Oregon State Parks campgrounds or Recreation.gov for Deschutes National Forest campgrounds) that automatically email you when sites become available at your desired destination. For better odds, set your sights on the region’s larger campgrounds (such as Tumalo State Park, which hosts more than 75 sites near Bend)—where the chance of a last-minute cancellation is higher.

As your trip date approaches, look into tighter reservation windows. Some campgrounds within the Deschutes National Forest open a limited number of sites for booking on a 14-day rolling basis; Paulina Lake Campground, within the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, makes five of its 68 sites available two weeks in advance.

If your camp time inches even closer and you haven’t received one of those coveted alerts, see if your preferred campgrounds have set aside some sites on a first-come, first-served basis—and if so, try arriving early on Thursday for your best possible chance at scoring a site. (For example: Four of the nearly four-dozen sites at Lava Lake Campground along the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway are set aside for last-minute arrivals.)

If you’re a fastidious planner who’d rather have a reservation before packing the car, check some of the region’s rare campgrounds that are not managed by the Deschutes National Forest or Oregon State Parks—they tend to have more availability than you might expect. It’s not unheard of, for instance, to find week-of availability at Creekside Campground near downtown Sisters (which is managed by the city)—assuming you’re not trying to reserve a site during a big event such as Sisters Rodeo. Private campgrounds—including The Camp, an RV park in Bend—tend to fly under the radar and have last-minute availability, as well.

Being a Good Neighbor

If you have campsite neighbors, follow a few simple guidelines to keep everyone happy.

Respect a campground’s “quiet” hours (usually from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) by keeping your conversation volume low, turning off the Bluetooth speaker and putting away the guitar. Just before bed, take care to put a campfire all the way out; it should be cool to the touch. And if camping with four-legged friends, respect all leash rules.

Sharing a tent with someone? Practice good tent-iquette by ensuring your headlamp is nearby in case you have to get up in the middle of the night, storing all your gear and clothing on your side of the tent, and trying to limit the amount of noise you make.

Bringing Pups to Camp

Camping is a family-friendly activity—and, in Central Oregon, that means the whole family, including fur babies.

When planning, look for a campground that offers pet-friendly amenities; for instance, The Cove Palisades State Park offers a fenced-in, off-leash dog exercise area. LaPine State Park hosts five dog-friendly log cabins.

As the trip approaches, be sure to pack dog food and a food bowl, a separate bowl for water, at least one towel, a leash, plenty of waste bags, identification tags, bedding, extra water and a pet-specific first-aid kit.

Once at the campsite, note that dogs must typically be leashed at all times, other than in your vehicle, tents, pet-friendly cabins or yurts, bodies of water and in designated off-leash areas. Note leashes should be no more than six feet long.

Gathering Together

When the sun sets and it’s time to gather, it helps to have a few ways to kickstart the storytelling.

Not sure where to start? Take a cue from Campfire Stories Card Deck, where 50 cards offer prompts that ask about national park visits, favorite experiences, animal encounters and other revealing topics.

All three books in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series make frightfully good camping companions. In each piece, author Alvin Schwartz draws on urban legends, folklore and other genres to craft stories guaranteed to spook children of all ages.

Get a hootenanny going after packing a copy of Campfire Songs from Hal Leonard’s Strum Together series; the book includes the melody, lyrics and chord diagrams of 70 classic songs for five instruments (such as guitars, ukuleles and banjos). Sing along to notable songs including “You Are My Sunshine,” “Sweet Caroline” and “Hey Jude.”

How to Have Fun Without a Campfire

What happens when you can’t gather around a campfire or cook over an open flame? (Don’t worry, s’mores are still on the menu.)

Wildfires have grown more common in recent years, as have fire bans at campgrounds across the region. These regulations are put in place to keep campers safe and ensure that firefighters are being deployed where the need is greatest. But bans don’t need to spell the end of a memorable night.

If you encounter a campfire ban on your next trip, consider cooking meals with a butane- or propane-powered stove—which is prohibited in only the most extreme circumstances. Look for Coleman’s lineup of two-burner, propane-powered stoves that provide reliable cooktops for most car campers.

You’ll have plenty of options for gathering around a portable, propane-powered firepit after dinner; the small firepit may not keep you quite as warm as a traditional fire—but isn’t typically banned at the lowest levels of fire restrictions, won’t force you to dodge smoke all night, holds up better in damp conditions and requires almost no clean-up before bed. Outland Living is a popular producer of propane-powered firepits, with offerings in a variety of sizes and colors to match your needs and style. Whichever brand or model you go with, take heart: Propane firepits are still warm enough to roast a perfectly gooey s’more.

Gear for a Fun, Cozy Stay

You don’t need to fill your vehicle with gear and gadgets before heading out, but a few helpful items can take your camping trip to the next level.

Poler Napsack

Part puffy jacket, part sleeping bag, the Poler Napsack is a vibe, whether you’re warming up with camp coffee on early mornings or sharing tall tales at the end of a day.

Stanley Adventure Happy Hour Cocktail Shaker Set

Embrace your inner mixologist with the shaker set that’s designed specifically for outdoor use. The all-in-one set comes with a twist-to-lock cap that prevents spills, and stainless steel cups offer a camp-friendly alternative to glass.

Luno Air Mattress

After a full day of adventures, happy campers sleep deeply without interference of rocks and roots emerging from the ground beneath them. With headquarters in Bend, Luno offers comfy car-camping mattresses for a range of vehicles, from truck beds and vans, to Subarus Jeeps and Teslas. Their upcycled gear line, Project ReRoam, uses fabrics from returned mattresses to make new camping gear. 

Portable, Re-Chargeable Lanterns

After stargazing, want to read a book before bed? Portable LED lanterns hook to the top of a tent’s interior, provide plenty of light and won’t blind neighbors. Black Diamond’s Moji R+ Lantern comes with a micro-USB charging port plus a full spectrum of fun colors to accompany impromptu dance parties or howling at the moon.