Campsite Selection: The Skill That Separates Beginners from Veterans

The Most Underrated Outdoor Skill

You can carry the best tent money can buy, but pitch it in the wrong spot and you'll have the worst night of your life. Campsite selection is the skill that separates people who tolerate camping from people who love it — and in a survival situation, it can mean the difference between a restful night and a life-threatening one.

After three decades of sleeping in the dirt across every terrain type in North America, here's everything I know about picking the right spot.

The 5 Rules of Campsite Selection

Rule 1: The Widowmaker Check

Before you set down your pack, look up. Dead branches overhead — called "widowmakers" in the backcountry — kill more campers than bears do. Look for:

• Dead branches hanging in live trees
• Dead standing trees (snags) that could fall in wind
• Trees with visible lean toward your site
• Loose rock on slopes above you

A 40-pound dead branch falling 60 feet generates enough force to crush a skull through a tent. This isn't theoretical — it happens every year. Always, always look up first.

Rule 2: Water — Close But Not Too Close

You want water nearby for cooking and drinking, but not underfoot:

• Camp at least 200 feet from water sources (Leave No Trace standard)
• Never camp in a dry streambed — flash floods come without warning
• Avoid the lowest point in a valley — cold air pools there, creating the coldest possible campsite
• Listen for running water at night to gauge proximity

In mountain terrain, cold air flows downhill like water. Camp on a bench or slight rise above the valley floor — you'll be 10-15°F warmer than people camped at the bottom.

Rule 3: Wind Protection

Wind is the silent comfort killer. A 15 mph breeze steals body heat faster than a 20°F temperature drop:

• Use natural windbreaks: rock walls, dense trees, ridgelines (camp on the lee side)
• Orient your tent door away from prevailing wind
• In the mountains, wind typically blows uphill during the day, downhill at night
• Avoid exposed ridgelines and saddles — wind accelerates through these
• In winter, wind protection is more important than any other factor

Rule 4: The Flat and Dry Test

• Flat ground — even a 2-degree slope will have you sliding into your tent wall by 2 AM. Test by lying down before you set up
• No standing water — check for soggy soil, puddle stains, or water-loving plants (cattails, willows)
• Natural drainage — a very slight slope away from your tent prevents pooling in rain
• Ground composition — pine needle beds are ideal. Rocky ground and roots will punish you all night

Rule 5: Sun Exposure Matters

• Summer: Camp in shade — especially morning shade so your tent doesn't become an oven at sunrise
• Winter: Camp in a spot that gets morning sun — it'll warm your tent and dry your gear
• Shoulder seasons: East-facing sites get early sun and afternoon shade — the best of both worlds

Terrain-Specific Campsite Tips

Forest Camping

• Established sites with bare dirt are lowest impact
• Look for flat spots between trees where the ground has been naturally cleared
• Pine forests have the best ground — needle beds drain well and cushion your sleep
• Hardwood forests can be muddy — leaves trap moisture
• Avoid camping under cottonwood trees — branches drop constantly

Mountain Camping (Above Treeline)

• Wind is your #1 enemy — find rock walls or depressions
• Watch for lightning exposure — don't be the highest point on a ridge
• Snow patches indicate where water collects — camp nearby but not on the wet ground
• Alpine meadows are fragile — stay on durable surfaces (rock, gravel, snow)
• Temperature can drop 30°F+ at sunset — pick your camp early

Desert Camping

• Avoid dry washes completely — flash floods are invisible killers
• Sand provides insulation — it's warmer than you think
• Camp on elevated terrain with good drainage
• Shade is king — use natural rock overhangs or bring a tarp
• Scorpions are attracted to warmth — shake out boots and check your sleeping area

Winter Camping

• Wind protection is non-negotiable — it will literally kill you
• Stamp down a platform in snow 2+ hours before setting up (let it harden)
• Camp on snow, not bare ground — snow insulates. Bare frozen ground conducts all your heat away
• Build snow walls around your tent for wind protection
• Dig a cold well inside your vestibule — cold air sinks, keeping your sleeping area warmer

The 10-Second Site Assessment

When you're tired and want to stop walking, run through this checklist:

• Look up — any widowmakers?
• Look around — any flood/water risks?
• Feel the wind — is it protected?
• Check the ground — flat? dry? good drainage?
• Check sun exposure — will tomorrow morning be comfortable?

If all five pass, drop your pack.

Hidden Tips from the Trail

These are the things that don't make it into guidebooks — knowledge you pick up from grizzled veterans at trailheads and around campfires:

The Pine Needle Trick

In cold weather, gather 4-6 inches of dry pine needles and spread them under your sleeping pad. It's free, natural insulation that adds R-value to your sleep system. Thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail have used this trick for decades.

The Trucker's Hitch

Learn this one knot and your tent guylines will never fail. It creates a 3:1 mechanical advantage — your guylines will be tighter than a drum. It's the only knot you need for tarp camping, bear bag lines, and clotheslines.

Reading Bear Sign

Before you camp anywhere, scan for bear indicators:

• Scat — dark, berry-filled in summer; tubular, hair-filled in fall
• Claw marks on trees — 4-6 feet up the trunk
• Overturned rocks and logs — bears flip them for insects
• Hair on bark at rub trees

If you see fresh sign, move at least half a mile.

The Water Bottle Test

Not sure if your ground is level? Place a water bottle on its side. Where it rolls tells you the low point. Adjust tent position accordingly.

Dawn Orientation

If you don't have a compass, face your tent door east. You'll get morning light (morale booster), you can read the sunrise for weather prediction, and in an emergency, you immediately know which direction you're facing.

Camp Hygiene That Most People Ignore

• Cook 200+ feet from your sleeping area — especially in bear country. The cooking smell triangle (cook area, food storage, sleep area) should have at least 100 feet between each point
• Change out of cooking clothes before bed — food odors cling to fabric
• Cat holes: 6-8 inches deep, 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Pack out toilet paper in a ziplock (yes, really)
• Wash dishes 200 feet from water sources — scatter strained dishwater broadly

Leave No Trace: The Non-Negotiable

Every experienced camper follows these principles. Not because of rules — because you want the next person (and your future self) to find a pristine site:

• Plan ahead and prepare
• Travel and camp on durable surfaces
• Dispose of waste properly
• Leave what you find
• Minimize campfire impacts
• Respect wildlife
• Be considerate of other visitors

The best campsite you've ever used was one that someone before you treated with respect. Pay it forward.

Start Practicing Now

The best time to learn campsite selection is during casual weekend trips — not during an emergency. Every time you camp, consciously evaluate your site choice:

• What worked?
• What would you change?
• What surprised you about the conditions?

After 10-15 camps, site selection becomes instinctive. You'll walk into a new area and immediately see the best and worst spots without thinking about it. That's the kind of pattern recognition that makes you a true outdoorsman — and a better prepper.