Best Tent Camping: Oregon. Becky Ohlsen

      INTRODUCTION

      HOW TO USE THIS GUIDEBOOK

      The publishers of Menasha Ridge Press welcome you to Best Tent Camping: Oregon. Whether you are new to this activity or have been sleeping in your portable outdoor shelter over decades of outdoor adventures, please review the following information. It explains how we have worked with the author to organize this book and how you can make the best use of it.

      THE RATINGS & RATING CATEGORIES

      This guidebook’s author personally experienced dozens of campgrounds and campsites to select the top 50 locations in this state. Within that universe of 50 sites, the author then ranked each one in the six categories described below. As a tough grader, the author awarded few five-star ratings, but each campground in this guidebook is superlative in its own way. For example, a site may be rated only one star in one category but perhaps five stars in another category. This rating system allows you to choose your destination based on the attributes that are most important to you:

		The site is ideal in that category.
		The site is exemplary in that category.
		The site is very good in that category.
		The site is above average in that category.
		The site is acceptable in that category.

      BEAUTY

      Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder, but panoramic views or proximity to a lake or river earn especially high marks. A campground that blends in well with the environment scores well, as do areas with remarkable wildlife or geology. Well-kept vegetation and nicely laid-out sites also up the ratings.

      PRIVACY

      The number of sites in a campground, the amount of screening between them, and physical distance from one another are decisive factors for the privacy ratings. Other considerations include the presence of nearby trails or day-use areas, and proximity to a town or city that would invite regular day-use traffic and perhaps compromise privacy.

      SPACIOUSNESS

      The size of the tent spot, its proximity to other tent spots, and whether or not it is defined or bordered from activity areas are the key consideration. The highest ratings go to sites that allow the tent camper to comfortably spread out without overlapping neighboring sites or picnic, cooking, or parking areas.

      QUIET

      Criteria for this rating include several touchstones: the author’s experience at the site, the nearness of roads, the proximity of towns and cities, the probable number of RVs, the likelihood of noisy all-terrain vehicles or boats, and whether a campground host is available or willing to enforce the quiet hours. Of course, one set of noisy neighbors can deflate a five-star rating into a one-star (or no-star), so the latter criterion—campground enforcement—was particularly important in the author’s evaluation in this category.

      SECURITY

      How you determine a campground’s security will depend on who you view as the greater risk: other people or the wilderness. The more remote the campground, the less likely you are to run into opportunistic crime but the harder it is to get help in case of an accident or dangerous wildlife confrontation. Ratings in this category take into consideration whether there is a campground host or resident park ranger, proximity of other campers’ sites, how much day traffic the campground receives, how close the campground is to a town or city, and whether there is cell phone reception or some type of phone or emergency call button.

      CLEANLINESS

      A campground’s

Скачать книгу