Is it safe for a young woman to go camping all by herself?

[Anonymous]

And maybe get a big ass NRA sticker to put on your car lol

[Anonymous]

I would not camp alone unless the campground has good 24 Hour on-site security patrolling the grounds.

Perhaps speak to a ranger + request if you can stay close to a ranger station.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't camp alone as a young woman and honestly I wouldn't want my husband or teenage sons to camp alone either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You might research youth hostels along your route. I tried camping alone in OBX and gave up, only because it was so windy (40 knots) my tent was flapping around my head like a giant bat all night long. I bailed and got a bunk in the hostel where I was camping. It was only a few bucks a night and I could read/enjoy the AC and still have a campfire or a glass of wine at the picnic tables and not worry about my safety. That would be a good option for you. I also would not hesitate to camp at a national or state park or RV park type place esp. if I arrived and set up after dark. A small pop up tent, air mattress and sleeping bag and a bottle of Jack to help you fall asleep.
Last year I took the kids "camping" in Rehoboth and got a cabin at the campground. It started as a security measure because DH was not coming with us, but turned out to be great because it had A/C, mattresses, a small fridge to keep food & beer cold (and leftovers to reheat for lunch) electric, and when it rained we could watch a DVD without worrying about having to pack up a soggy tent later. We still cooked on a camp stove and made smores.

Anybody know if there is an organization or website that lists hostels across the country? I thought hostels were only in Europe. Or, any other advice on how to search for one in a particular area? Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm a single woman who lives in the west and I say do it. You'll regret it if you don't. You'll be as safe or safer than you are driving to the grocery store at home and you'll open yourself up to learning more about yourself and testing your meddle. You may even meet some great people along the way. Don't let the city slicker nay sayers dissuade you. If you want to do it, then do it. Don't let other people's fears make decisions for you. Join the Facebook group solo women travelers and there are people who have done what you're doing and can give you tips and encouragement. Live your life for YOU not for random scaredy cats on the Internet.

I camped all the time traveling back and forth between college in the East and home in the West. I was a young woman alone and never had a problem. My impression was that the people in campgrounds were both polite and kind. I've only ever been frightened by random strangers in cities, never in campgrounds! Probably one of the safest, cheapest ways to travel. (I did once camp totally alone in a snowy forest service site and found large cat tracks around my tent in the morning, which was very spooky, but nothing happened.)

[Anonymous]

I've camped in 20 some states and 5 countries, at least half of them I've camped alone. I'm not sure why this is something people are freaking out about.
(btw- I'm a petite, 5'2" blond and quite fem. I'm not hiding behind a perceived physical threat. I'm just not scared of camping.)

[Anonymous]

I did this all the time in my 20s - state park campgrounds, national forest campgrounds, not so much private campgrounds. Some of them (like national parks) often have a "camp host" (i.e. people who live in an RV there for the season and kind of take care of the place) so you could try to snag a campsite near them.

[Anonymous]

for hostels, I used to use hostelz.com to locate them. I think many of them are better in other countries, but there are a few gems in the US - some actually have a rule that you have to be from out of state to stay there.

[Anonymous]

If you're just trying to save money by camping, some people on airbnb rent tent sites in their yard, or the tents themselves, for prices comparable to campgrounds.

[Anonymous]

I've camped solo in the west. I was car camping, staying at family friendly places. I sometimes ate at my campsite, other times went into town to a restaurant. If you are concerned talk to the campground hosts and tell them you are alone and would like it if they would check in on you.

I was a little concerned, but I think everything is fine. Car camping at a popular campground should be fine. Car camping at an isolated campground would not be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And maybe get a big ass NRA sticker to put on your car lol

lol!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm a single woman who lives in the west and I say do it. You'll regret it if you don't. You'll be as safe or safer than you are driving to the grocery store at home and you'll open yourself up to learning more about yourself and testing your meddle. You may even meet some great people along the way. Don't let the city slicker nay sayers dissuade you. If you want to do it, then do it. Don't let other people's fears make decisions for you. Join the Facebook group solo women travelers and there are people who have done what you're doing and can give you tips and encouragement. Live your life for YOU not for random scaredy cats on the Internet.

Look OP, I have camped alone, but I think it is generally dangerous. So, if you are hell bent on doing it anyway, stick will heavily populated campgrounds with drive in camp sites. No trail hiking, no backpacking, rock climbing, long strolls, none of that. Just stay on your campsite. If you can, use the site next to the camp host or a huge family. Ask a ranger to stroll with you, etc.

What happened to you to make you think it is so dangerous? What exactly are you afraid of?

A blanket 'no trail hiking solo'? Sure that applies in Grizzly Country, but are you really suggesting a solo woman shouldn't hike the Billy Goat trail alone? By all means hike safe and assess your skills / the trail / leave proper information for the folks back home.

And I'm actually *less* worried about a young, solo female hiker vs a young, solo male hiker. Statistically it's young males who are more likely to take the kinds of stupid risks that disproportionately get you in trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm a single woman who lives in the west and I say do it. You'll regret it if you don't. You'll be as safe or safer than you are driving to the grocery store at home and you'll open yourself up to learning more about yourself and testing your meddle. You may even meet some great people along the way. Don't let the city slicker nay sayers dissuade you. If you want to do it, then do it. Don't let other people's fears make decisions for you. Join the Facebook group solo women travelers and there are people who have done what you're doing and can give you tips and encouragement. Live your life for YOU not for random scaredy cats on the Internet.

Look OP, I have camped alone, but I think it is generally dangerous. So, if you are hell bent on doing it anyway, stick will heavily populated campgrounds with drive in camp sites. No trail hiking, no backpacking, rock climbing, long strolls, none of that. Just stay on your campsite. If you can, use the site next to the camp host or a huge family. Ask a ranger to stroll with you, etc.

What happened to you to make you think it is so dangerous? What exactly are you afraid of?

A blanket 'no trail hiking solo'? Sure that applies in Grizzly Country, but are you really suggesting a solo woman shouldn't hike the Billy Goat trail alone? By all means hike safe and assess your skills / the trail / leave proper information for the folks back home.

And I'm actually *less* worried about a young, solo female hiker vs a young, solo male hiker. Statistically it's young males who are more likely to take the kinds of stupid risks that disproportionately get you in trouble.

True.

Males are dumb in general.

[Anonymous]

OP it takes roughly 4 days to drive from Virginia to California if you make decent time. You could probably get a hotel 3 nights. Probably $75-80 a night, Times 3, that's roughly $240. If you stop to camp you have to set up camp, which no one wants to do in the dark, so I'd estimate it would be at least 4 or 5 nights, so $150 or so. Also, most run-of-the-mill hotels have breakfast, so that's going to save you a few dollars each morning, and you won't have to buy or rent any gear if you stay in hotels.

[Anonymous]

Camping *shudder*