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Campora Blog

Outdoor guides for better trips.

Practical ideas for finding places, preparing well, staying organized outside, and remembering the routes worth returning to.

Articles

A daypack, water bottles, rain shell, map, snacks, headlamp, first-aid kit, and hiking essentials laid out on a trailhead picnic table

Hiking

Day Hike Checklist for Beginners

A practical beginner checklist for packing the Ten Essentials, planning your route, checking weather, and leaving the trailhead prepared.

June 16, 2026 / 13 min read

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A beginner backpacking kit laid out on a weathered trailhead table with a forest trail and gravel access road behind it

Backpacking

Backpacking Checklist for Beginners: What to Pack

A beginner-friendly backpacking checklist that turns the Ten Essentials, sleep system, food, water, permits, and weather planning into a packable first-trip workflow.

June 16, 2026 / 13 min read

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A campground picnic table with a map, notebook, phone, keys, and blank reservation sheet ready for campsite planning

Camping Planning

How to Reserve a Campsite on Recreation.gov

A beginner-friendly workflow for finding campsites, reading booking windows, booking fast on release day, and building a backup plan if your first choice is full.

June 9, 2026 / 13 min read

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Camping planning gear, an unlit stove, gloves, a shovel, and a cold fire ring at a dry public land pullout

Camping Safety

How to Check Fire Restrictions Before Camping

A beginner-friendly workflow for checking campfire bans, red flag warnings, stove rules, and local agency orders before a camping trip.

May 28, 2026 / 12 min read

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A forest road pullout with a paper motor vehicle use map, a compass, and a backpack on a truck tailgate in a pine forest

Public Lands

How to Use an MVUM to Find Legal Dispersed Camping

A beginner-friendly guide to Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs): what they are, where to download them, how to read the legend, and how to use them to avoid illegal roadside camping on National Forest land.

May 19, 2026 / 11 min read

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Alpine forest above a braided river valley with snow-streaked mountains and low clouds

Environment

What the Public Lands Rule Repeal Means for Conservation

A clear look at why the Biden-era Public Lands Rule was created, why the Trump administration moved to repeal it, and what the change could mean for public lands, recreation, and habitat.

May 12, 2026 / 11 min read

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A quiet dispersed campsite near forest roads with public land and mountains in the distance

Camping

How to Plan a Dispersed Camping Trip Without Guessing

A beginner-friendly guide to what dispersed camping is, where it is allowed, how it differs from car camping and backpacking, and how to plan a legal, low-stress first trip.

May 12, 2026 / 12 min read

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