This is a guest post by Kaitlyn at CampTrip.com. If you would like to guest post on CampingBlogger, please see the guest posting page for more information.

We all know the main season for camping is the summer-time. Summer offers the best weather – sunny days, clear skies; it’s when everyone takes their vacation time. Well, in this article I want to promote why it is a great idea to go camping in the spring!

Fewer Crowds

By going camping in what is still considered camping’s slow season you avoid the crowded, noisy, busy campgrounds. This is not to say that the campground will be completely empty. There will likely be enough campers there to keep you social and happy. I have had some less enjoyable camping experiences in the summer when I felt like I was a sardine in a too-snug tin (i.e. a crowded campsite). Being smashed together next to other campers in a long cramped row is not really my idea of getting close to nature.

For me, the fewer crowds are one of my top reasons why I love camping in the spring.

Fresh and Beautiful Scenery

Spring is a beautiful and exciting time to go camping! Nature is waking up from its long, cold winter sleep. Everything outdoors is new and bright: the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, the sun is shining – it is surprisingly warm. The air is clean and crisp and the woodsy scent of trees and sweet smelling grass is some of nature’s best perfumes. The rivers and lakes are gorgeous. Their cool and clear waters are so pure that it makes you want to just jump in and cleanse your mind, body, spirit and soul.

Being outdoors in the spring is exactly like those laundry detergent ads on TV when they take their clean laundry out of the washer and it smells like a spring morning. That smell is camping in spring. Imagine waking up in the morning with the sun shining through your tent and peeking your head out to smell the sweetest fresh breeze. To breathe in that breeze is like a boost of energy and a calming relaxant all at the same time. The only things you can hear are birds chirping, the river and the soothing breeze whistling through the trees.

Try camping in spring for yourself. It is heaps better than my poor poetic description – I hope it didn’t put you off.

Cheaper Fees

Camping is supposed to be a cheaper alternative to a more expensive getaway, correct? Well, it all depends. If you go to the most popular camping locations and campgrounds in the dead of summer, you can expect to fork out quite a bit of cash. Camping should not be expensive. Yes, it will cost some money as it is a vacation, but if you are smart you can have a great time without depleting your bank account. One of the added bonuses of camping in spring is that, because it is still considered low camping season, some campsites will offer lower prices. Essentially you get the same camping spot, a less crowed campsite – all at a discounted price. How can you possibly go wrong?

Fewer Insects

Who likes being eaten by bugs? Not me! Insects are a part a nature and, unfortunately, I don’t believe you can ever completely avoid them. The good news is that there is a solution! Apart from applying bug spray, wearing long sleeves and lighting citronella candles, you can try to lessen the number of bugs finding an opportunity to land and feast on your skin. By camping in spring you dodge about 70% of the bug population which will be arriving in summer when the temperature rises and living conditions become ideal.

The bug season doesn’t really start until the much warmer months which are usually summer for most places. Like I mentioned earlier, camping in the spring will not rid you of these pests, but it will lessen the number of blood-suckers circling your head. It is always a good idea when camping in any season that you do not camp near still water (water that is not moving/flowing) as this is where many bugs, like the mosquito, breed.

Not too Hot

It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold, it’s juuust right. Camping in the spring offers the perfect temperature. In the day it is sunny and warm with a light breeze; at night you can cozy up around the campfire for some S’mores before crawling into your warm sleeping bag and waking up feeling fresh the next day.

One of the most unpleasant feelings when camping in the summer is when you come out of your steam bath of a tent in the morning and you feel all sweaty and sticky. Sometimes the warm weather in the summer makes camping more difficult. In summer it gets really hot, there are more bugs, you need to be careful not to get a sun burn, food does not last as long in the heat, etc.

All the more reason to go camping in spring!

Stop Hibernating! Set a Date!

There is no better time to get out of the house than after a long cold winter hibernating indoors. Spring is like a fresh new start, everything becomes clearer, brighter and cleaner. Just as you give your house a good spring cleaning, give yourself a good spring cleanse! Get outdoors and enjoy yourself and enjoy beautiful nature. After a few days of camping and relaxing in the spring sun it will feel as though a huge weight has been lifted from your shoulders and the stress has melted away. Believe it or not, there are actually many opportunities to go camping in spring.

Spring break is a great time as the kids are off school for at least a week, so you can take a few days to go camping with the family. Also, there is Easter weekend when you could take off and go camping. Who says the Easter bunny can’t find you in the wilderness! Pack a bunch of hard boiled eggs or boil them at the campsite and colour the eggs outside with the egg dying kits.

On Easter you can hide the colourful eggs all around the campsite in a grand Easter egg hunt and have the kids collect them all. Think of the fun that could be had!

Well, those are some of my top reason to camp in spring. I hope you gained some insightful information as to why camping in spring is an appealing idea. Maybe I did too well a job of selling you the idea and now spring will become the most desired time to camp….What have I done!?!

Kaitlyn is a world traveler/camper who is the co-founder of CampTrip along with her husband, Jeremy. Checkout their writing contest, where you can share you experience and win great cash prizes.

See also…

• 5 Reasons Family Camping is Fantastic
• Make Your Next Family Camping Trip Better
• Preparing for Family Camping Getaways