For a lot of people, the opportunity to get outside and walk, hike, and bike is one of the greatest lures of camping. It is for me even though it also usually means I am going to be a buffet for mosquitoes.

And, a recent survey conducted by National Transportation Reform Groups that was conducted by Harris Interactive, seems to indicate that Americans are serious about wanting to see more trails for hiking, biking and walking in the United States.

Currently about 80 percent of transportation dollars in the United States are spent on roads and only about 1.5 percent are spent on walking and bicycling.

If people who voiced their opinion in the survey had their way, only 37 percent of transportation dollars would be spent on roads; 41 percent would be spent on transit, and a whopping 22 percent would be spent on walking and bicycling.

It makes sense. The high gas prices in the United States are enough to make a lot of people think twice before turning the key in the ignition of their vehicle with many instead turning to walking and biking.

And with national attention on childhood obesity (there’s plenty of chubby adults too - me for instance) it makes sense to start spending more money on trails for walking, hiking and biking so that it’s easier for everyone to have safe and convenient places to hoof it and pedal it.

So in the spirit of the “power of one person” the Rails To Trails Conservancy is asking people to get the word out and to also possible win a free t-shirt in the process (who doesn’t like to be rewarded?)

During the last week of August congressional representatives are going to be in their home districts campaigning for the elections and word is that one of the ways they find out what’s on the minds of their constituents is to read the local papers.

So here’s what Rails To Trails would like you to do: write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper asking for more walking, hiking, and biking trails. If your letter gets printed between August 25 and August 31, the Rails to Trails Conservancy will send you a free t-shirt!

It’s a win-win situation. You get the word out about wanting more walking, hiking, and biking trails and Rails to Trails rewards you with a t-shirt (that, yes you could wear while out walking, hiking or biking!)

For all the details, including some talking points and tips on writing the letter, click here to go to the Rails to Trails Conservancy website.

More dollars spent on trails is great for everyone, including campers because dollars tagged for trails will almost certainly mean more trails near campgrounds, state parks, and national parks.

On Friday August 15, 2008 Dennis Tyrrell from Arkansas found a 4.42 carat diamond stone at Crater of Diamonds State Park.

I obviously do not camp in the right places because all I ever find laying on the ground when I go camping are beer bottle caps and cigarette butts, although I admit I am not diligent like Mr Tyrrell is. He searches for diamonds three or four days a week at Crater of Diamonds and has found smaller diamonds before.

If you are not familiar with Crater of Diamonds State Park, it has the only diamond mine in North America where the general public can search for diamonds and other gems and keep anything they find.

Although Mr. Tyrrell’s diamond 4.42 carat diamond is large, the largest one found at the mine was 40 carats and was found in 1924.

Click here for the entire story about the diamond find.

Click here for more information on Crater of Diamonds State Park and then watch the funny 30 second video about the park by clicking on the play button below.

Reserve America, the largest campsite reservation service in North America, has released its annual list of top family campgrounds. Criteria used to select the campgrounds included the availability of amenities family campers most often request such as hot showers, laundry facilities, hiking trails, family beaches, radio free zones, visitor centers, educational programs, events for children, and parks that are located within 100 miles of a metro location.

There are national parks, one of which is Channel Islands National Park in Ventura, California; state parks, one of which is Fishermen’s Memorial State Park and Campground in Narragansett, Rhode Island; KOA campgrounds, one of which is St. Augustine Beach KOA in St. Augustine, Florida; and two resorts, one of which is ViewPoint RV & Golf Resort in Mesa, Arizona.

The list doesn’t have many private campgrounds on it because Reserve America primarily handles reservations for Federal/National Parks and State Parks. The private campground it handles reservations for are Encore/ELS, KOA, and Thousand Trails.

Of the 100 campgrounds on the list I’ve only been to one, Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin. It’s a nice state park but the downside is that the campsites are pretty far from the lake and if a family wants to enjoy a day at the beach it’s a long way to walk - especially when loaded down with food, beverages, sunscreen, towels, and flotation toys for the water.

Here’s the complete list of Reserve America’s top 100 family campgrounds for 2008.

LASKA
Brooks Camp Campground-Katmai National Park & Preserve-King Salmon, AK

ARIZONA
Mather Campground-Grand Canyon National Park-Grand Canyon, AZ

ARKANSAS
Hot Springs National Park KOA-Hot Springs, AR

CALIFORNIA
Channel Islands National Park-Ventura, CA
Columbia State Historic Park-Tuolumne, CA
Forks Campground-Sierra National Forest-Bass Lake, CA
Laguna-Cleveland National Forest-Mt. Laguna, CA
McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park-Shasta, CA
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park-San Diego, CA
Richardson Grove State Park-Humboldt, CA
Van Damme State Park-Mendocino, CA

COLORADO
Steamboat Lake State Park-Clark, CO
Glacier Basin Campground-Rocky Mountain National Park-Estes Park, CO

CONNECTICUT
American Legion State Forest-Austin Hawes Campground-Pleasant Valley, CT
Hammonasset Beach State Park-Madison, CT
Housatonic Meadows State Park-Sharon, CT
Rocky Neck State Park-Niantic, CT

FLORIDA
Fort Clinch State Park-Fernandina Beach, FL
Oscar Scherer State Park-Osprey, FL
St. Augustine Beach KOA-St. Augustine, FL
St. George Island State Park-St.George Island, FL

GEORGIA
Watsadler Campground-Hartwell, GA

KENTUCKY
Barren River State Resort Park-Lucas, KY
Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park-Burkesville, KY
Green River Lake State Park-Campbellsville, KY
John James Audubon State Park-Henderson, KY
Nolin Lake State Park-Mammoth Cave, KY

LOUISIANA
Cypremort Point State Park-Cypremort Point, LA
Grand Isle State Park-Grand Isle, LA
Bayou Segnette State Park-Westwego, LA
Hodges Gardens State Park-Florien, LA

MARYLAND
Greenbelt Campground-Greenbelt Park-Greenbelt, MD

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Harbor Island National Park Area-Hingham, MA
D.A.R. State Forest-Goshen, MA
Pearl Hill State Park-West Townsend, MA
Tolland State Forest-East Otis, MA
Wells State Park-Sturbridge, MA

MICHIGAN
Petoskey KOA-Petoskey, MI
Sand Lake Campground-Huron-Manistee National Forest-Manistee, MI

MISSISSIPPI
John W Kyle State Park-Sardis, MS
Lake Lincoln State Park-Wesson, MS
Paul B Johnson State Park-Hattiesburg, MS
Percy Quin State Park-McComb, MS
Trace State Park-Belden, MS

NEBRASKA
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park-Ashland, NE
Fort Robinson State Park-Crawford, NE
Ponca State Park-Ponca, NE

NEVADA
Hilltop-Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest-Charleston, NV

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Bear Brook State Park-Allenstown, NH
Crawford Notch State Park-Crawford Notch, NH
Franconia Notch State Park-Franconia, NH
Lake Francis State Park-Pittsburgh, NH
Pawtuckaway State Park-Nottingham, NH
Umbagog Lake State Park-Errol, NH
White Lake State Park-Tamworth, NH

NEW YORK
Brown Tract Campground-Raquette Lake, NY
Buck Pond Campground-Onchiota, NY
Cedar Island State Park-Clayton, NY
Coles Creek State Park-Waddington, NY
Delta Lake State Park-Rome, NY
DeWolf Point State Park-Fineview, NY
Hearthstone Point-Lake George, NY
Keewyadin State Park-Alexandria Bay, NY
Keuka Lake State Park-Bluff Point, NY
Mongaup Pond-Livingston Manor, NY

OHIO
Shelby/Mansfield KOA-Shelby, OH

OREGON
Nehalem Bay State Park-Nehalem, OR
Pine Meadows Campground-Cottage Grove, OR

PENNSYLVANIA
Seven Points Campground-Raystown Lake-Hesston, PA

RHODE ISLAND
George Washington Memorial Camping Area-Glocester, RI
Burlingame State Park and Campground-Charlestown, RI
Fishermen’s Memorial State Park and Campground-Narragansett, RI

SOUTH CAROLINA
Aiken State Natural Area-Windsor, SC
Calhoun Falls State Recreation Area-Calhoun Falls, SC
Hamilton Branch State Recreation Area-Plum Branch, SC
Keowee-Toxaway State Natural Area-Sunset, SC
Paris Mountain State Park-Greenville, SC
Table Rock State Park-Pickens, SC

TENNESSEE
Bristol/Kingsport KOA-Blountville, TN

UTAH
Bear Lake State Park-Garden City, UT
Fremont Indian State Park & Museum-Sevier, UT
Goblin Valley State Park-Green River, UT
Red Fleet State Park-Vernal, UT

VIRGINIA
Chippokes Plantation State Park-Surry, VA
Claytor Lake State Park-Dublin, VA
Douthat State Park-Millboro, VA
Fairy Stone State Park-Stuart, VA
Lake Anna State Park-Spotsylvania, VA (click here to view the Lake Anna webcam)
New River Trail State Park-Foster Falls, VA
Occoneechee State Park-Clarksville, VA
Smith Mountain Lake State Park-Huddleston, VA
Westmoreland State Park-Montross, VA

WASHINGTON
Central Ferry Park-Pomeroy, WA
Takhlakh Lake Campground-Gifford Pinchot National Forest-Trout Lake, WA

WISCONSIN
Roche-A-Cri State Park-Friendship, WI
Buckhorn State Park-Necedah, WI
Devil’s Lake State Park-Baraboo, WI
Wisconsin Dells KOA-Wisconsin Dells, WI

ENCORE RESORTS
Tropical Palms Resort - Orlando, Florida
ViewPoint RV & Golf Resort - Mesa, AZ

Have you been to any of these campgrounds? Do you have a different suggestion for one of the top 100 campgrounds? If you have, please share your thoughts about its ranking as one of the top 100 family campgrounds in America in the comments section below.

Personally, I think the best campground in Wisconsin, which is where I’m from, is Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. It has campgrounds very close to the beach, bike rentals, boat rentals, level hiking and biking trails, an outdoor ampitheater, a nice nature center, a lighthouse, a 75 foot high lookout tower, and a fun night-time Halloween walk in October.