Most recently updated January 18th, 2022
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Camping is not everyone’s cup of tea.
It could be due to health considerations, or maybe you don’t enjoy all of the setup and planning – or you could just really appreciate modern conveniences on your vacation.
Whatever the reason for your preference, there are some good options to camping available, even in more remote places.
Some people think that you always have to camp out if you want to do any really interesting hiking.
That’s really only true for some very wild or undeveloped areas, where you need to backpack for more than a day to get to your final destination.
My recent hike on the W Trek in Patagonia’s Torres del Paine national park is one example where there were few alternatives to camping if you wanted to go deep into the park.
There are similar longer remote stretches on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail, where you may have to camp for a night or two because you’re so far away from civilization – which is kind of the point for those kinds of trips 🙂
That said, there are a wide variety of beautiful and interesting day hikes – in and out in the same day – that may be found both in the US and internationally, with opportunities for lodging other than camping out.
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Options Other Than Camping
I personally will camp if it’s the only way to get to my destination, but usually I prefer to stay in a central location (with electricity and plumbing) and do a series of day hikes or overnight hikes from there.
That way I can have a longer day hiking and when I’m done, get a hot shower, dry clothes, healthy cooked meal and a bug-free bed to rest up in for the next day’s adventure.
And probably a cold drink, too!
You can provide these things for yourself (and your kids if they are with you) when camping, but it means more planning prior to your hike for food, water and other essentials.
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