I know this topic is not camping related but I think it is important so I wanted to share it with you. Many of us are now officially in “holiday mode.” Thanksgiving is just a few days away and Christmas is only a month away.

In the spirit of the holiday season of giving…………

When you are doing your Christmas or Hanukkah cards this year, please take a few minutes to send a card to a soldier at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. to let him or her know how much you appreciate the sacrifices they have made for the United States.

Here’s the address:
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center

UPDATE ON DECEMBER 7, 2008

For other ways to support our military personnel check out information on the U.S. Postal Website or visit the USO website for information on donating a package of needed items to our soldiers.

A big thank you to “c suton” for calling this to my attention; and again - my apologies.

New Hampshire is a great place to visit no matter what time of year it is. To make it easy to plan a trip there, whether it is a camping trip or not, order the FREE 2008-2009 New Hampshire Visitor’s Guide from the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development.

In addition to the gorgeous 176 page visitor’s guide, you’ll receive an official New Hampshire Highway Map and all it costs is a couple minutes of your time to fill out the request form. Then you just sit back, relax, and wait for the guide and map to arrive in your mail!

The guide includes a section on New Hampshire State Parks and includes a listing of all the state parks by region that lists the activities available, facilities/amenities, what type of camping whether it’s a campground or has cabins, if the campground is pet friendly, and contact information.

So don’t wait. Order your free guide today!

Who isn’t looking for a good deal these days? While camping and campground fees have always been a great deal, there’s a website I just found, freecampgrounds.com that currently has over 1,600 campsites listed that are either free or almost free, meaning $10 or less.

The website is really easy to use. Just click on the state you want to camp in and scroll through the list. Most camping areas have a scenery and noise level rating; the number of campsites; the maximum days allowed; nearest city; amenities; months open; and a description. Plus, many of the listings have comments from people who have camped there which is great information to have.

Here’s a couple FREE camping places I found:

MONTANA
Columbus. It’s a city owned campground on Yellowstone River. It’s free to camp there but donations are accepted. It’s open all year but the bathroom closes in the winter. It has a scenery rating of 5 out of 5, and a noise level of 1 out of 5.

FLORIDA
Apalachicola Boondocking. The description on freecampgrounds.com says, “I live in Apalachicola, and I know that a lot of RVs and travel trailers camp all over town. Just find a parking lot and pull in. If you go though the blinking caution light (from the east headed west), don’t turn following 98, go straight. Several places along this short road to pull up for the night, but follow to the end (about 1 mile) and you end up at the harbor with all the shrimp boats. Lots of parking there! This is a beautiful coastal village with great seafood restaurants and interesting shops and galleries. There is a lot of history here and is worth a few days stay. St. George Island is 12 miles away with its sugar white sand and beautiful beaches! This isn’t called the “Forgotten Coastline” without reason. It’s totally unspoiled!”

CALIFORNIA
Big Bar Campground near the Trinity River. The nearest town is Big Bar and the nearest city is Eureka. It’s open year round.

These are just a few examples. Check the website out for yourself and find a free or nearly free campground to stay at on your next camping trip!