What Are the Busiest Camping Days, Weekends, and Months? How To Prepare?

Camping is an exciting activity, but some people really wish they would have some sort of privacy and quiet when they go camping, especially on public camping sites.

But can it be helped? Is there ever a time when you can go camping and you won’t find that the parks and camping grounds are crowded? What days are the busiest camping days?

Generally, holidays are some of the busiest camping days literally everywhere that camping is a common activity. Holidays like Labor Day and memorial weekend day are the busiest for state parks and campgrounds.

Beyond holidays, some days of the week are busier than others as far as camping is concerned. That being said, let us find out the busiest days, weekdays, and months to go camping.

What is the Busiest Camping Day?

Fridays are the busiest camping days, and while some people choose to consider it as a weekend, it is technically a part of the work week, so it is a weekday. 

Most people who come in for the weekend come on Fridays after work and school and get settled into camp, so there are a lot of people and activities taking place on Fridays in camps. 

As far as free days go, most days of the week are free because most people leave camp on Sundays or early Mondays, leaving the rest of the week free for camping.

In fact, many camping sites review their pricing to make it cheaper during the weekdays from Tuesday to Thursday because campers are few.

If you like camping when it is quiet and peaceful, a weekday camping schedule is the best for you.

What Are the Busiest Camping Weekends?

Generally, the busiest camping weekends start on Friday nights, including Saturdays and Sundays because people move into camp to spend the night away from work and home.

However, specifically, holiday weekends are the busiest of all weekends. Two of the busiest holiday weekends are the Labor Day weekend and the Memorial Day weekend. During this weekend, state parks and campgrounds are the busiest. 

Adults get the entire weekend off and students are also free from school. So, more people are camping, kayaking, hiking, and relaxing in different camps. 

What Month Do People Camp the Most?

Beyond the weekdays and weekends, some months are busier for camping than other months. When planning for your camping activity, you can bear these months in mind, whether you want to go camping at these times or avoid camping.

As far as camping months are concerned, the most popular months for camping are between mid-June and mid-August.

These months are popular amongst most people who want to go camping because the weather is great and they want to make the best of the summer weather.

If you visit campsites, you’ll find that the camping crowd is at its highest between June and July. At this time, children are on holiday from school and the weather is also great.

Combine that with the ease of taking vacations in the summer, and you know why the campgrounds are crowded at this time.

What Is the Best Time to Go Camping?

Although everyone has a preference as it concerns the best time to go camping, there is always the best time to go camping based on several factors. Such factors include weather and location.

Within the colder climes, the best time to go camping is between May and October, while December and April are best for environments that are prone to extreme heat as the cooler temperatures at this time make it great for camping. 

When you go camping in the Rockies, the months between June and September are great, but July to August often has the best weather for mountain camping.

To be better specific, let us look at the best time to go camping depending on where you live in the United States.

Important Tips to Plan Better While Camping on Busy Days Or Weekends

If you have to go camping on busy days or weekends, then you need to plan appropriately for such times so that you can cope with the crowd and enjoy your activities even on a busy campground. Here are some tips to help you. 

1. Plan, Plan, Plan

The first step when going camping at a busy time is to ensure that you plan for all the eventualities.

For instance, if the camping ground should be reserved, then ensure to reserve spots on time. Otherwise, plan to arrive early so that you can get a good spot. 

The best time to arrive on a busy camping day is by midday; at that time, people who are leaving will have left, while those arriving haven’t gotten there yet.

2. Prepare for the noise

You can expect busy campgrounds to be noisy and there’s not much you can do about it.

If anything, you can only do things to make the noise less burdensome for you, such as pitching your tent a good distance away from the crowd. However, you might not even have the space to do that.

Even on campgrounds that have noise regulations, these things just go out the window when the excitement is high, especially when there’s a celebration.

You might attempt to make people tone it down, but you might be unsuccessful and even make enemies in the process.

You can go with your own music to drown out the sound, but that’s at the risk of also disturbing others. Earplugs will save the day or night and protect you from human noises and even the wind.

3. Choose a good location when setting up

Where and how you set up your camp will affect how comfortable you’ll be at a busy campsite. 

First, ensure to set up your tent away from the noise and disturbing lights. If possible, create a sort of barrier close to your tent that makes it difficult for people to cross over.

Also, ensure that you’re not situating your tent on a common route where you’ll have people and vehicles passing by day and night.

Avoid dusty areas because moving vehicles could send all those dust your way and get your tent all dirty and dusty.

If you really want privacy, ensure that you don’t leave enough space within your immediate environment for another camper to pitch a tent too close for comfort.

4. Avoid setting up near the ensuites

If you don’t look around properly, you might end up setting camp close to an ensuite for showering or defecation, especially when you’re camping in a bush or the wild.

If someone or a group of people have an ensuite close to their tent, you might want to move a good distance away.

Otherwise, you might be woken up at night or disturbed at odd times of the day by the sounds of people bathing or using the loo. You don’t want to experience that!

5. Protect your valuables

This tip is important all the time, but more importantly when you’re in a crowded campground. There’s a high possibility that people who’re sharing a campground with you can take your stuff without your knowledge and never give it back.

You’re going to be sharing a space with strangers, no matter how large the space might be, so you need to keep all your valuables out of the sight of others.

Although even the basic items like your camping chair or water bottle could get missing, it is not as painful and traumatizing as losing your expensive watch, phone, lantern, or any other valuable you might travel with.

Be careful who you invite into your tent or RV, especially if you’re not sober because you cannot tell what they’ll leave with. Even if you suspect them of stealing something, you might be unable to prove it.

6. Be security conscious

Beyond your belongings, your own safety and security are paramount when you’re camping in a crowded location. The person nearest to you could pose a danger to you, so you shouldn’t overlook your safety.

Be careful at all times with your movement and even interactions you have with strangers. 

One helpful practice is to carry a whistle or alarm with you in case you ever find yourself in a precarious situation and you need help.

Get the security numbers for the camping site so that you can call the appropriate authorities if you notice anything suspicious or sinister.

7. Go with enough water

Even if a campground is known to have a good water supply and the managers assure you of water, always go with enough water, especially when going to a bush campground in the summer.

As much as you might find water at the camp, it doesn’t help to go with some extra and keep it for emergencies; unless you can easily purchase water when you run out.

8. Prepare your mind

A lot of unpredictable things can happen when you camp on a busy day or holiday weekend. So, it is necessary to prepare your mind for everything; from the expected to the unexpected.

You will meet noisy people, nosy neighbors, friendly people, and challenging circumstances that you must overcome.

Do your best to enjoy your camping experience, whatever might be the case/

Final Words:

Before you get all excited and go camping, only to find out that you chose the wrong day, or you’re stuck with a crowd of people, ensure to find out the busy camping days and the free days.

Plan your trip using the tips we have made available to you and you’ll be set for a nice camping experience.