Michigan is undoubtedly one of the best places to go for a picturesque camping trip. You’ll find yourself captivated by the rushing waters of Tahquamenon Falls, or if you prefer exploring dense forests, you also have the option of hiking through the Porcupine Mountains. And for tranquil rivers, you can go canoeing in Lake Huron. With so many places to visit, it will be a camping experience worth remembering.
When camping in Michigan, you will also have the opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of the city life, spend quality time with your family and friends, and grow a new love for mother nature at some of the most breathtaking campsites in the state.
Whether you are a first-time camper or an experienced one, making camping mistakes is part of your camper’s experience. However, not all mistakes will spoil your camping trip, but some of them can lead to unpleasant, frustrating, or even harmful outcomes. And to help you keep away from a bad situation, here are several tips to follow if camping in one of Michigan’s best campgrounds is already in your to-do list.
1. Bringing Loads of Unnecessary Items
If you are camping, then it’s easy to try to bring all of your stuff with you. However, space is something to worry about, especially if you don’t have a lot of it, to begin with. So, concentrate on packing the essential items first, leaving behind completely unnecessary equipment, tools, and clothing. And to prevent anyone from bringing too many things, you can set a rule that everyone joining the camping trip is only allowed to carry one bag.
2. Not Having a Proper Plan
Whether you believe it or not, camping requires a huge amount of preparatory work. Camping is more than just setting up a tent, building a campfire, and sharing good stories. If you try to carry out your trip without a proper plan, you are likely to have a bad experience. So, it is advisable to create a checklist of the most important things that you need to secure on your camping trip. Be sure to check the items off as you pack, and don’t forget to make a second checklist when you leave.
3. Not Wearing Appropriate Clothing
When you are camping in Michigan, it’s important to remember that there’s an acceptable selection of clothes. Hold your fancy shoes at home and wear your sneakers instead, especially if your camping site requires you to wear casual attire. You should also pay close attention to the weather forecasts and be mindful of the fact that the weather can change rapidly. Also, you are going to want to pack clothing that stays dry and keeps you warm. Another thing you need to keep in mind is that you are going to get dirty, so don’t wear or better leave your favorite shirt at home if you don’t want it to get ruined.
4. Preparing Perishable Foods
Many campers end up taking food that quickly spoils, trusting their easy cooler to keep the patties, steak, fish, and other raw meats cold for some time. This is a common yet rather growing camping error. To avoid starvation, you’ll need to keep in mind taking a lot of non-perishable food, especially if you’ve scheduled some rigorous activities, such as biking or hiking. There’s nothing wrong with having some beef, but grab a lot of trail mixture, pasta, peanut butter, and other convenient-to-prepare snacks.
5. No Knowledge About Poisonous Plants
You can have significant issues on your camping trip if you are unable to recognize stuff like poison oak, poison sumac, or other poisonous plants. An accidental poison oak sweep could get you with a horrible and painful rash. To avoid this, you may consider getting a Plant Identification Guide and use it to search your campsite for any harmful plants. Moreover, most campsites will warn and even provide you with helpful information about all the poisonous plants that can be found in the area so that you can avoid them.