Fall Camping: Place, Activities, Essentials, Outfits, Recipes

Fall is one of the prime seasons for enjoying the outdoors without worrying about the hassle of bugs and spotting wildlife. As trees burst with bright orange, red, and yellow and warm hiking days fade into calm, fall becomes a beautiful season to camp alone or with friends. If you have never tried fall camping before, it's time to give it a shot and enjoy crisp evenings around a crackling campfire.

Fall Camping Activities

The cool weather of autumn makes it the perfect season to head outdoors for hiking and exploring the beautiful scenery. Here are a few fall camping activities that can help you make the most of your camping trip.

Plan a Day Hike

Fall camping is incomplete without short hiking trips. You can find hiking trails near your campsite. Pick a day that is not too wet and start early to avoid slogging through mud. Bring a backpack with important hiking essentials like snacks, water, a headlamp, a power source, and a few extra layers if it gets cool or starts to rain.

Play Camp Games

If the crisp weather does not allow you to enjoy the outdoors, you can play fun camping games like tabletop ping pong, frisbee, spike ball, slacklining, and bocce ball near the camp. Those who don't love outdoor camp games can read books, tell stories, journal, or play cards around the campfire.

Shoot Some Photos

Camping in the fall is a fun time to shoot photos and capture the beauty of nature. If you're a curious night or landscape photographer, carry all your photography gear when camping. You can spare an evening or night to relax and unwind your stress while capturing the beautiful outdoors.

Pick Berries

In late summer and early fall in the US, you can spend time picking delicious wild berries. While blueberries typically ripen in July and August, raspberries and blackberries linger later into the fall. You can look for some "pick your own" berry patches at farms to pick berries until the first frost.

Go Canoeing or Fishing

Swimming season might have passed, but you can still go to lakes and rivers in the fall. You can gear up and hop on the water in the canoe. Remember, it's not ideal to flip your canoe, so make sure you wear a life vest before jumping into the water. You can even do fall fishing in the late afternoon or evening after the water has warmed up a bit.

Fall Camping Outfits

Weather in the fall season can fluctuate from warm and sunny to cool and wet in no time. It's hard to predict how the weather will change from day to night. Therefore, it's important to pack smart and bring a variety of layers or fall camping outfits to stay comfortable.

Base Layer: The first or base layer should be made from light and breathable fabric. Choose materials like nylon, silk, polyester, wool, or fleece that can wick away moisture to keep you dry. Avoid wearing cotton as it can absorb sweat and moisture, making you feel colder.

Mid-Layers and Outer-Layers: Fleeces, light jackets, and sweaters can adjust to the changing temperatures, making them good mid-layers. A good outer layer should be wind and water-resistant. In addition to clothes, bring rain gear like a rain or poncho jacket and pants, hiking boots, a warm hat, gloves, and socks.

Fall Camping Recipes

Here are a few autumn-inspired recipes for those planning to camp in the fall. From breakfast meals like cinnamon apple cakes and lunch like apple and brie grilled cheese to dinner like hearty vegetable stew, we have the best fall camping recipes for you.

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

You need some apples, such as Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Jonagold, or Braeburn, that skew slightly tart. You will also need baking powder, sugar, flour, eggs, milk, and apple cider or juice. Here's step-by-step recipe:

• Make the pancake batter by mixing the dry ingredients like sugar, salt, baking powder, and flour and placing them into a resealable container. Whisk the egg in a large bowl.
• Now add the milk and apple cider and stir them well to combine. Slowly add the dry ingredients into it and then use a box grater to shred the apple directly into the bowl.
• Let the batter rest for about 30-60 minutes until the flour starts to absorb the water and thicken up. This will produce tall and extra fluffy pancakes.
• Next, remove the core and cube an apple into roughly half-inch cubes. Take a non-stick pan and add butter, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
• Mix them together so all the apple pieces are evenly coated. Cook it over low heat until the apples become soft and tender.
• Next, preheat a large pan over medium-high heat and fry pancakes using coconut oil. When the golden brown bubbles form in the batter, flip the pancake.

Now you can serve these pancakes with cinnamon apple compote topping and a hot cup of camp coffee.  

Apple & Brie Grilled Cheese

If you are looking for a satisfying camping lunch, consider apple and brie grilled cheese made from luxurious brie cheese, honey-mustard dressing, fresh baby greens, and crisp apple slices.

• Take a small container and mix mustard, honey, and mayonnaise to form a creamy spread.
• Preheat the skillet on medium heat with a small cooking oil.
• Spread butter or mayonnaise on one side of the two bread pieces and place them down on the plate. Spread honey mustard and then layer the apples, cheese, baby greens, and another layer of cheese. Place the other bread piece on its top with the spread of honey mustard.
• Heat the sandwich on the pre-warmed skillet and melt the cheese without burning the bread. Serve it immediately.

Pie Iron Pizza Pockets

Pie iron pizza pockets are easy, quick, and so much fun to make. For this fall camping recipe, you'll need to make your pizza dough or bring a pre-made store-bought pizza dough. Here's a step-by-step process to make it.

• Lightly oil the inside of the pie iron using the silicon brush dabbed in some olive oil.
• Shape the dough piece into a rough square that's slightly larger than pie iron. Place the dough on one side of the pie iron and add cheese, toppings, and sauce, and finally, add the top dough pieces one by one.
• Try to tuck the top dough piece inside the bottom one to enclose the entire pocket. Close the lid, and you are ready to go.
• Lastly, warm the pie iron evenly over medium heat. When the dough becomes golden on both sides, you can pop the pocket out.

Dutch Oven Chili and Cornbread

The Dutch oven chili and cornbread combo can be prepared quickly with a Dutch oven. It's light and fluffy cornbread layered on top of spicy chili, making it perfect for dinner.

• To begin with, make chili in the Dutch oven over the campfire and saute the onions with a bit of olive oil. Add beans, green chiles, spices, tomato paste, and tomatoes. Cut the heat when the chili starts bubbling.
• Make cornbread barter with cornmeal, eggs, honey, powder, and milk. Add this cornbread batter on top of the chili and cover it.
• After nearly 20 minutes, you can uncover and check if the cornbread is cooked and ready to eat.

Hearty Vegetable Stew

It's a vegan-friendly take on stew loaded with carrots, potatoes, onions, and mushrooms.

• Heat a tablespoon of any oil in a Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Keep the Dutch oven on top of the grill grate and stir the mixture.
• Add mushrooms (and saute until they become brown), onions, celery, potatoes, carrots, and salt. Stir it well, and then add the tomato paste.
• Add flour and coat the vegetables in it. Once done, add red wine, soy sauce, and liquid aminos.
• Simmer until the red wine evaporates, and then add vegetable stock, thyme, and bay leaf. Heat it until the vegetables become tender and are ready to eat.

Dutch Oven Apple Cobbler

Consider this Dutch oven apple cobbler if you want to prepare a quick dessert during your fall camping trip. It's easy to prepare as well as a delicious addition to your recipe list.

• Mix the dry ingredients, such as baking powder, flour, cinnamon, salt, and sugar in a resealable container. Shake it well to combine. Also, carry a frozen stick of butter in your camp cooler.
• Slice the apples using a knife and place them on the top of parchment paper inside the Dutch oven. Add cinnamon and sugar and mix them until the apple slices are evenly dusted.
• Take out the butter from the camp cooler, slice it into cubes, and add it to the dry ingredients. Crumble and smear the dry ingredients into the flour to create a coarse meal.
• Add milk to it and form a dough. Tear off some dough and place them on the apples.
• Cover the oven and start arranging the top and bottom charcoals: 14 on the top and 7 on the bottom for about 350F. An apple cobbler usually takes 30 to 40 minutes to fully cook.

Fall Camping Essentials

Whether you're planning for summer camping, fall camping, or winter camping, you'll need to bring the right gear. Below, we will include some must-have fall camping essentials:

• Tent:You'll first need a waterproof and spacious tent. The extra space in the tent gives you room to hang out after dark, whereas the waterproof nature protects you from unexpected rain.
• Sleeping Bag:To keep yourself warm throughout the night, you'll need a sleeping bag rated at least 10°F below the nighttime low you expect. You can also choose a sleeping bag liner to add some degree of extra warmth.
• Headlamps: It's a great camping gear that is important for fall camping, especially if you love going out when the sun goes down.
• String Lights:Campers need some form of portable and rechargeable illumination for their space. That's where string lights come in. You can decorate your camp with these lights or illuminate the area when it becomes dark.
• Fire Starter:If there isn't a fire ban near your campsite, carry fire-starting materials and stay warm with the campfire.
• First-Aid Kit: A simple first-aid kit is a must-have, safer feature for all campers. Carry some bandages and other medicines for unexpected scrapes and cuts.
• Portable Power Source:The small solar generators are mighty but powerful charging solutions that supply stable electricity to all your small fall camping appliances. They are a combination of incredible capacity and impressive portability, making them an excellent choice for camping or outdoor adventures.

Jackery Solar Generator For Fall Camping

On a fall camping trip, there's a lot to see, but you'll need a power source to charge the electric devices. Since you won't be using any heavy-duty appliances, a mini solar generator is more than enough to charge outdoor devices.

Jackery offers a wide range of the quietest and coolest solar generators to help you charge appliances for a comfortable and safe outdoor getaway. Here, we will include three Jackery Solar Generators ideal for fall camping.

Jackery Solar Generator 300 Plus 

Jackery Solar Generator 300 Plus is an expandable power station that is convenient to set up. It weighs a mere 11 lbs and is compatible with book-sized SolarSaga 40W Solar Panels. It is ideal for one-day camping trips and can power small appliances with its LiFePO4 battery of 288Wh. With this charging solution, you'll have infinite power that can seamlessly fit your backpack.

Jackery Solar Generator 500

If you plan a fall camping trip for 1-2 days, consider Jackery Solar Generator 500. It has a lithium-ion battery of 518Wh capacity and has multiple output ports. The Explorer 500 Portable Power Station features three USB ports, a 12V car output, and an AC outlet to charge 7 outdoor devices simultaneously. The compact yet powerful solar generator is reliable for RV, camping, and even home backup scenarios.

Solar Generator 1000 Plus

Those planning a long camping trip of nearly 2 to 4 days can choose Jackery Solar Generator 1000 Plus. It has a battery capacity of 1264Wh and a 2000W output to support charging 99% of outdoor appliances. This whisper-quiet generator emits less than 30dB of noise, making it an excellent choice for campers. With Solar Generator 1000 Plus, you don't have to worry about disturbing your sleep at night.

Fall RV Camping

Here are a few more fall RV camping tips to make the most of your trip.

• Find Perfect Location:Choose the best fall camping sites where you can spot wildlife, pick berries, and see colorful leaves. Some popular places for fall camping in the US include Acadia National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Shenandoah National Park, White Mountain National Forest, and Gunnison National Forest.
• Plan Ahead:Always plan ahead and try to prepare everything that may come your way. Start by creating a packing list with everything from RV generators to ideal clothing, and check it off while packing the essentials.
• Stay Hydrated:Carrying and drinking enough water to stay hydrated whenever you do any strenuous activity is essential.
• Watch for Wildlife: Pack all the food at night and store it safely. This way, you can avoid unwanted attention from wildlife.

Final Thoughts

If you want to beat the summer heat and spend time in the tranquility of nature, fall may be the best time for camping. When you plan to venture into the great outdoors, pack all the fall camping essentials, including enough water, power sources, and food.

Jackery Solar Generators are designed to power most of your small camping appliances. They can supply stable electricity to electric grills and cooking stoves to prepare delicious food and heaters that keep you warm and comfortable through the fall.