Creating a bucket list is all about having fun, making goals, and helping to ensure you live your life to the fullest. For lots of people, their bucket lists will have several outdoor adventure and camping items. We have put together a winning combination of seven outdoor adventures to add to your bucket list of camping trips.
1. Go Hot Air Ballooning
Where to Go: Letchworth State Park, New York
This state park is considered the “Grand Canyon of the East” as the Genesee River plunges through the gorge and over three magnificent waterfalls. With over 60 miles of hiking trails, you can get out in the lush forest and see scenic vistas. Best of all, in Letchworth, you can go hot air ballooning. From up in a balloon, the view is breathtaking and this is something to add to unique experiences on your bucket list of camping trips. You can arrange to have a private flight, even though the usual four to eight passengers isn’t a very crowded setting. When not ballooning, you can hike, go ice skating on the ice skating rink, fish, or visit the museum. Hot air balloon rides go year-round.
2. Discover Bison on the Beach
Where to Go: Antelope Island State Park, Utah
The Great Salt Lake has an island that you reach by traveling a road for seven miles from the mainland. On this island is the state park where you can have one of the most unusual experiences on your camping trip bucket list. The island is home to 600 American bison. You can find them at times prowling the beach shorelines. Be sure to bring a camera, because it is something you won’t want to miss recording for great memories. Besides the bison, you’ll discover mule deer, bighorn sheep, coyote, pronghorn, coyote, and many varieties of shorebirds. Stop by the visitor center to get a look at the geology, history, and biology of the region. There are three campgrounds available to reserve for your stay.
Reserve a Campsite and Book a Tour
3. Enjoy a Paddling Trail Experience
Where to Go: Martin Dies Jr. State Park, Texas
Martin Dies, Jr. Paddling Trails offer a distinctive outdoor experience. In this state park with its diverse habitats, you’ll view many kinds of wildlife along the paddling trails. You can choose any of the three trails: Sandy Creek, Walnut Slough, and Neches Paddling Trails. Enjoy up to 16 miles of trails through the backcountry and deep in the pines. Bring your own canoe or kayak, or rent one near the campsite. Many of the campsites are right next to the water.
Recommended: Great Mountain Hiking Vacations to Add to Your Bucket List
4. Explore a Waterfall in a Rugged Setting
Where to Go: South Mountains State Park, North Carolina
At South Mountains State Park, you will find a rugged area, with some elevations that reach up to 3,000 feet. Your camping trip bucket list needs to feature waterfalls, and this park has 80-foot falls that are sure to please. With over 40 miles of hiking trails, an outdoor lover will enjoy getting back to nature and wildlife viewing. One can catch glimpses of chipmunks, raccoons, Virginia opossums, white-tailed deer, and many birds of all descriptions. Bringing your mountain bike? You will find a strenuous loop of 17 miles in the park which can offer a true challenge.
5. Sleep in a Yurt in the Backcountry
Where to Go: Pearl Lake State Park, Colorado
Travel a bit north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and you’ll discover Pearl Lake State Park. Here you can find amazing scenery and enjoy some solitude and peace. This remote lake is perfect for fishing and paddling a canoe. Best of all, there are two yurts with lake views that are rented out throughout the whole year. In the winter, you can only access them by ski, snowshoe, or snowmobile. Each yurt has deck chairs, bunk beds, a picnic table, and fire ring. Camping under the stars in the backcountry can’t be beat.
6. Go ATV Riding in Western Wilderness
Where to Go: Medicine Lodge Archeological Site, Wyoming
Medicine Lodge Archeological Site is a must for ATV enthusiasts. Located at the western slope of the Big Horn Mountains in northern Wyoming, Medicine Lodge Archeological Site is a fantastic ATV basecamp with access to hundreds of miles of Bureau of Land Management land, Forest Service roads, and trails, which are open year-round (except for the Dry Fork Canyon Trail). Ride through five distinct vegetative zones from cactus to alpine lakes within a 12-mile radius of the park. As if that was not impressive enough, there are hundreds of prehistoric petroglyphs and pictographs along a 700-foot-long sandstone cliff. Archaeological excavations have unearthed 10,000 years of human occupation at the site. Artifacts are on display at the visitor center, so you can learn about the local history before hitting the trails on your ATV.
7. Explore a Historic Site of the Civil War
Where to Go: Fort McAllister State Historic Site, Georgia
Nestled among giant oaks draped with Spanish moss, along the Ogeechee River, you can view one of the earthwork fortifications of the Confederacy. Add this to your bucket list camping trips for its historic importance. The site includes cannons, palisades, bombproof barracks, and a Civil War museum with a collection of additional artifacts from the area. You can also stop in a Civil War museum to see the artifacts collected there. While here, you can also fish, go boating, or walk the nature trail. Choose among 65 trailer, tent, or RV campsites.
Are you ready for your adventure? Plan your camping trip!