Camping in the great outdoors can give you a sense of freedom, but you still have other campers around that you need to be courteous too so some simple camping etiquette rules do apply.

A lot of people go camping to get away from the noise of daily life. Then others go to enjoy the outdoors and this sometimes involves using noisy equipment like ATV’s. Others like to blast the radio while their neighbors might prefer the sound of chirping birds. As you can see, everyone’s idea of camping may not be the same so you need to be respectful of the others in the campground and keep your noise to a minimum.

Many campgrounds have designated areas for ATV’s and dirt bikes and you should stick to these.

If you have pets with you, you want to be sure that you don’t just let your dog run wild over everyone’s camp site. If your dog won’t stay at your site, you’ll have to leash him and be sure to clean up any “mess” he makes so the next person doesn’t have to deal with it.

The showers and toilets are public areas so you should treat them like you would any other public area and clean up after yourself. Don’t leave slippery soap in the shower and try to be courteous of the time and not hog the whole thing if others are waiting! Also don’t use the bathroom sinks to clean out your dirty dishes - no one wants to go in to brush their teeth and find pieces of food in the sink!

Another big part of camping etiquette applies to campground camping as well as camping in the wilderness and that is to simply leave things the way you found them. Here you are enjoying the beauty of nature so you certainly won’t want to leave a big pile of trash behind! Always remember to bring plenty of trash bags with you so you can clean up after yourself. Pick up all traces of your visit - food, cigarette butts, scraps, toilet paper. If you are really roughing it and eliminate in the woods (NOT recommended if you are at a campground just if you are in the wilderness by yourself) try to bury it.

Using some common sense and practicing good camping etiquette will insure that the beauty of the outdoors remains unspoiled for everyone and will be just as beautiful the next time you take your camping trip.