Site Selection

When to use this

Before you unload the car. Five minutes here saves a wet night.

• Arriving at a campground with multiple sites
• Backcountry site choice
• Re-pitching after weather forecast changes

What you need

• Eyes, common sense
• A weather check from earlier in the day

Step by step

1. 1.Look up. Reject any site under dead branches, leaning trees, or widow-makers.
2. 2.Look down. Pick flat, slightly elevated ground. Avoid depressions where rain pools.
3. 3.Check the wind. Place the tent so the door opens leeward (away from the wind).
4. 4.Note the sun. East-facing sites get morning sun and dry out fast. West-facing sites stay warmer at sunset.
5. 5.Listen. Avoid the site next to the camp road, the bathroom path, and the dumpster.
6. 6.Think about water. Tent at least 200 feet from any stream or lake — both for safety and to protect the shoreline.

Pro tips

• Walk three sites before picking one. The first one that looks fine usually has a flaw the third doesn’t.
• Drag your foot through the grass — you’ll feel hidden roots and rocks faster than your eyes will see them.

Common mistakes

• Pitching in the lowest, flattest spot. Lowest = wettest after a storm.
• Setting up directly under a "perfect" big tree. Branches break.