National Parks: Tips for Camping

ELITE TRAVEL

國家公園周邊露營小貼士

By Juliette Fairley

THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN AMERICAN ESSENCE MAGAZINE. W hen Mark Koep first started camping with his family 12 years ago, one of his fears was being attacked by a bear. “We've seen black bears invading trash cans, but that's about it,” Koep said in an interview. “There's not a lot of danger when you're out camping, especially when there's a lot of people in the campground, just because animals shy away from that.”

Although bears are rare, Koep said he has seen other wildlife emerge from the surrounding forest

12年前，當Mark Koep剛開始跟家人一起露營時，他最擔 心的事，就是被熊攻擊。Mark Koep是美國著名營地搜 索網站「營地視界」（Campground Views）的創辦人。 「我們看過黑熊翻垃圾桶，但也就這樣了，」Koep在一 次採訪中表示。「在外露營並沒有那麼危險，尤其是營區 裡還有很多露營客，其實這樣動物就不太敢靠近了。」 雖然露營時很少見到熊，Koep 說，不過還是看過 別種野生動物在營地外的森林裡徘徊。「我們在營區附 近看過麋鹿、山獅和狼，不過從沒感受到生命威脅，」 他說，「每次看見他們，總是感到又敬畏又驚喜。」

at campsites. “We have seen moose, mountain lions, and wolves in and around campgrounds, but never in a threatening way,” he said. “There was always a sense of awe and amazement to see them.”

Koep and his family are among the 10.1 million households who camped in 2020, according to a Kampgrounds of America study. “We already had growth in camping, but then COVID just accelerated it,” Koep said in an interview. “With the loss of other types of travel, camping became a fallback; plus it has the benefits of you’re relatively isolated, so you're able to stay distant from people, and you're able to go out into remote areas.”

根據美國野營協會（Kampgrounds of America, Inc.，簡稱 KOA）在 2020 年發表的數據，美國有 1,010 萬戶左右的露營家庭，而 Koep 和他的家人也是其中的 一員。「本來露營人數就在成長中，而疫情讓露營客變 得更多了，」Koep 在採訪中表示。「因為其他旅遊方式 都被限制了，很多人退而求其次選擇露營，再加上，露 營的時候幾乎與世隔絕，在維持社交距離同時，也可以 去外面透透氣。」

Koep, who founded the resource site Campground Views based on his camping experience, expects campsites to be packed this year now that COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted state by state. “A lot of the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands where you can camp for free by just parking off the side of a road are going to see record numbers of people,” he said. For newcomers to the campsite scene, Koep offers the following tips.

Check Again. When campgrounds tell you they're booked two to six months out, call back.

“They may have just had a few cancellations for the weekend,” Koep said. “Generally, people are booking up campgrounds, but then the trend we're seeing is cancellations at the last second. There are about a million campsites nationwide, and there's never going to be a million people camping. So there's always availability.”

在許多州針對防疫規範逐漸撤銷的情況下，「很多由森 林局或土地管理局管理的免費營區，可能會迎來破紀錄 的造訪量，」Koep 說。同時提供了幾個實用建議：

再次電訪營地 當營區管理人員告訴你，接下來的2~6個月營位都訂滿 了，可以過一陣子再打回去問。「可能過個週末，就會有 人取消預定，」Koep說，「常有人提早預訂，又在最後 一分鐘取消。全美有超過百萬個露營區，但露營者不超 過百萬人，總之，一定可以找到空營位的。」

擴大尋找營地的範圍 從洛磯山、黃石、優勝美地和大提頓等知名國家公園內 的營區向外拓展。「在黃石公園之類的國家公園裡的營區 非常少，但往外擴展半徑50英里的範圍之後，就能找到 上百個露營地，」他說。「雖然需要多花點心思研究，但 一定可以找到的。」

PICTURES COURTESY OF FREEPIK, MACROVECTOR, AND UNSPLASH/MATTIAS HELGE Broaden Your Search. Look for campsites outside of major national parks such as Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Teton. “There's a handful of campgrounds inside Yellowstone National Park and other national parks, but if you do a 50-mile-radius search around Yellowstone, there are literally hundreds of campgrounds,” he said. “It may require a bit more research, but you can always find a campsite in the surrounding area.”

Bring a Propane Stove for Tent Camping. “If you're in an RV, you'll have a stove or microwave in the RV and maybe even a power-appropriate barbecue. And in a tent, generally, you’ll have a Coleman camping stove that's propane powered,” Koep said. “Sometimes you can cook on a fire at a campsite, but there's usually a lot of fire restrictions in the summertime, especially out west.” Check State Fire Restrictions. Ask before transporting firewood across state lines. “Some states don’t allow it,” he said. “Research and understand the rules of where you're going before you get there so that you don't inadvertently do something that causes damage to the area.”

自行攜帶野炊爐 「如果你開RV，那麼車上一定有爐子或微波爐，甚至 可能連烤爐都有。而帳篷的話，你可能會帶個科曼野炊 爐，而那就需要以丙烷為燃料，」Koep說。「有候你可 以在營地用真的柴火做飯，不過有不少營區，特別是在 西部地區，夏季時有許多用火限制。」

了解州際限制與規定 跨州露營時，務必先了解木柴運輸的規則。「有些州禁止 運輸柴火，」Koep說。「在出發之前，多了解你要去的 地方，才不會不小心破壞當地環境。」（防範當地自然生 態遭外來物種入侵）