21 Oct Why You Want to Go Camping in Autumn
To all fair-weather adventurers – camping in autumn is amazing. In fact, fall is the season to head outdoors – as long as you prepare well. Here’s why you want to go camping in autumn, what to bring, and where to go.
Why camping in autumn is simply magical
Before you can start to appreciate and enjoy fall, do this first – accept that the long summer days with ample sunshine and balmy weather are over for the year. What are you left with? A beautiful season in which nature turns more dynamic and dramatic. Parks and campsites are void of people and mosquitoes. What’s more, forests are covered in a soft blanket of leaves. Need more reasons to enjoy camping in autumn?
Outdoor weather
Sure, 30 degrees celsius is nice for a beach day – but waking up in a tent that is more like a sauna isn’t. Nor is hiking a mountain trail while risking a sunstroke. In fall, the weather is right for outdoor activities while nights are cool enough for long sleeps. Just imagine that clean, crisp air of fall and the smell of forest. That’s why you want to go camping in autumn.
No fire hazards
These past summers, we’ve seen wildfires rage much of Europe, California, Australia, and elsewhere. With the rain showers and damp weather of autumn, lighting a bonfire is less of a risk. Camping in autumn gives you the opportunity to huddle around the fire after a day of trekking!
Quietude in nature
Fall means your favorite patches of nature are how you best like them – uncrowded. Empty campsites, fewer people on trails. Forests don’t echo with crying children. Nature and its inhabitants really only like to show their face when it’s quiet.
Cheaper prices in low season
With less people come lower prices. From campsites to transportation and flights (should you really have to take a plane), there’s a discount on traveling when the masses stick to their couches and tv screens.
What autumn camping essentials to bring
While autumn really is an amazing season to camp outdoors, it does take some preparation to make sure you can enjoy your trip.
Clothing – layers, layers, layers
There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing. Depending on your latitude and local climate, an average day in fall can throw all seasons at you. These are the clothing essentials to bring on an autumn camping trip.
Base layers: Some breathable base layers that can be used by themselves when it gets hot or you get active.
Mid-layers: Fleece is light, packable, and gets really warm.
Water- and wind-resistant jacket: If you’re bringing a strong layer game, this doesn’t need to be a very thick jacket. Just weatherproof.
A poncho: When you’re dealing with sustained downpour, a rain jacket will eventually give up.
Sturdy boots, waterproof: There’s only one thing worse than blistering feet during an outdoor weekend, and that’s wet, blistering feet.
Warm socks: If your feet get cold, the cold will eventually get to your whole body. Bring wool socks for warmth and breathability.
Warm sleeping gear
A good sleeping bag is an autumn camping essential if you want to stay warm at night. Check the label of your sleeping bag – it should say what temperatures it’s suited for. Mummy sleeping bags with a tight fit are most efficient at keeping warmth trapped. However, a good sleeping bag won’t cover all your needs.
The ground you’re laying on emits cold that seeps through your sleeping bag and into your bones. You’ll want a sleeping pad to insulate yourself from the ground – and maybe to sleep more comfortably too.
A tent with a rain fly
Most tents will get you through an autumn squall but make sure your tent is up to the task. Tents will have a season rating – 3-season rating will keep you dry. Read more about the different types of tents here. However, sustained rain can get the best of your equipment. Use a tarp to both cover your tent and the area surrounding it to not wake up surrounded by a moat.
Waterproof backpack or a rain cover
While most outdoor backpacks come with a rain cover, it’s important to mention here – because once your bag’s content gets wet, it’s game over. Unless you can build a good bonfire to dry everything out.
5 autumn camping destinations
Now that you’re aware of all the essentials, it’s time to pick an autumn camping destination. We’ve listed 5 great fall destinations in Europe and added a few suggestions to stay.
PRÉALPES IN FRANCE
The mountainous region west of the Alps has the perfect medium elevation for a breathtaking display of forested, autumnal panoramas. Here, you’ll find plenty of outdoor activities to do when camping in fall. As an autumn camping destination, the Prealps are actually a large swath of mountain ranges ranging from about Lake Geneva down to the coast around Nice.
Between Annecy and Thônes, this farm with campsite is located at some impressive foothills with trails through forests and along rivers. If you’re not bringing a tent and want a classic mountainous experience, stay in a wooden chalet near Grenoble. And if you’re looking for a more modern experience, try the Chéry Dome overlooking Mont Blanc. Jacuzzi and such luxuries are included. Just promise us you’ll go outdoors for some nature activities during the day.
North Spain
From Asturias to the Basque Country, the north of Spain is beautifully wild and rugged and a tad bit unnerving. This is not an autumn camping destination for the faint of heart. There’s a dark kind of light hanging over the land most of the times, whether it’s autumn or spring. The incredibly vast and green landscapes and dramatic coastlines look great under that foreboding sky.
If you’re headed for North Spain in autumn you’re probably no softie – you’ll be looking for a campsite rather than accommodation. Here’s a great campsite on the coastline of San Sebastian. Want some wooden walls to keep you sheltered? Check this lovely wooden a-frame house near Santander in Cantabria.
South Portugal
The South of Portugal is your best bet for a mild autumn. You’ll miss out on the golden autumn foliage but are greeted instead with rolling hills of green that during the height of summer are pale. Inland Algarve’s mild climate is least like autumn, but you’ll know it’s autumn when, in November, the harvest of oranges commences.
For a mild inland climate while overlooking the sea, stay at this wooden bungalow at Quinta do Gato in Loulé. Want a similar stay but on the more rugged west coast of Alentejo? Stay at Casa Borboleta in Aljezur. In return for the colder Atlantic climate, you’ll get a dramatic coastline that is especially pretty in autumn.
Most travelers that make it to South Portugal in autumn come by campervan. And while many partake in wild camping, it is actually forbidden in protected areas – and most of the west coast is protected nature. With the current influx of vanlifers, locals will appreciate it if you stay at a campsite. There are plenty of micro campsites that are privately owned and have a rural and low-key feel to it, like this campsite near Silves with mountain views. Or this agricultural campsite near Faro.
Sicily
Like South Portugal, the beautiful and ancient island of Sicily is not a destination for autumn colors – but for balmier weather and a lot of other great reasons. Like the architecture, the food, and the history. If you’re in need of a getaway, why don’t you hop on a ferry with your campervan and do a roundtrip of Sicily? Campsites are plentiful, from this RV park on the west coast to this camping park on the east coast of Sicily.
Norway
Norway might be the ultimate autumn camping destination. It’s certainly not one where you’re likely to escape the harsher conditions of fall. But if you’re up to that, prepare to be rewarded with some of the most breathtaking nature you can come across.
Norway is a true outdoor paradise and campsites are well equipped for the colder weather of autumn. Nothing gets you warm like a hot tub at the campsite. And nowhere do they build a treetop cabin like they do in Norway. We recommend, however, going all the way and renting a small island with a big lavvu tent. That is wilderness life in a pure environment – and the best way to experience autumn.