Use online tools to choose a campsite safe from noisy neighbors (photo by BarelyFitz)

In my first post of the Camping Mishaps series I talked about the weather and what you can do to avoid, or at least minimize the impact, that bad weather can have on your camping trip. In this post, I’m going to talk about something that is much harder to predict and yet can have a huge negative impact on your camping experience: noisy neighbors.

One of the great aspects of camping is getting away from the hustle, bustle and, yes, the noise of our Monday through Friday lives. There is almost nothing worse than arriving at the campsite of your dreams, only to discover that you are camped next to an RV that wants to run their generator all night.

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You planned your camping adventure for weeks, maybe even months, only to end up huddled in your tent as a thunderstorm pummels the area. Camping is all about rest, relaxation, and enjoying the great outdoors, so when things don’t go according to plan, it can ruin the whole weekend for everyone. Here are some things you can do that, while they might not guarantee a perfect weekend, will go a long ways to ensure that everyone has a good time.

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Looking similar to an oak leaf is typical, but the poison-oak leaf can take on many other shapes and sizes, too

Poison-oak can be a bush or a vine. It grows in sunlight, it grows in shade, it grows up and down the Pacific Coast of the United States and southern Canada. When camping anywhere west of the Cascades or Sierras, below about 5,000 feet, you need to be aware of Poison-oak and educate your children about how to spot it.

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