Most people's first experience with camping is usually the car camping variety. If I'm ever faced with the important task of introducing someone to camping for the first time, I usually start off by asking if the person has ever gone car camping before, especially if they're the type of person who likes their creature comforts. If not, that's where I take them first. But if you don't have the luxury of a friend well-versed in the different types of camping, and the different types of campgrounds available, you might not be sure which of all the various options is right for you. This post will help clarify them and provide you a detailed menu of your options.

RV Campgrounds: Tightly Squeezed Sites & Creature Comforts that Come at a Price

We rarely go for RV campgrounds ourselves as they generally have a different culture around camping, even if they do have sites designed for tent camping. The vast majority of people staying at them are there because they want the comforts and convenience of the available amenities, like power hook-ups, showers, laundry machines, convenience stores, even a restaurant and/or bar. Many of the people in RV parks have their massive trailers on blocks and are there for the long term. Provincial parks sometimes have showers, sometimes convenience stores, but rarely more than that. Recreational sites, on the other hand, have even less, usually limited to pit toilets with no running water. Convenience and comfort come a cost; you aren't as immersed with the surrounding nature at an RV campground. You’re generally in closer proximity to your neighbours so if you end up stuck next to people who are a little noisier, you’re kinda screwed. This is why I always bring ear plugs to help me sleep at night no matter where I go car camping. You also have to hear the constant hum of generators. All the extra services come at a financial cost as well. Depending on whether you're there at high season or low season, sites are around $40-70.

That being said, some RV campgrounds also have cabins or their slightly more rustic cousin, yurts. If you're doing off-season camping and you don't own the kind of equipment that makes it comfortable or even tolerable, these offer options for people who want to get away in nature when its colder or the weather is not so agreeable as often is the on the "wet" coast. Over the past two winters, a small group of us wanted to go on some snowshoeing getaways and the consensus among the group was that heated sleeping quarters were desired. One year we stayed in a luxurious cabin at Sunshine Valley RV resort. The second year we stayed in a yurt at the Whistler Riverside RV resort. The latter was a lot more expensive, but then the cabin was fully heated with a fire place (wood included), full kitchen and bedrooms with bedding, cable TV, private shower with towels, even access to an indoor pool with hot tub. The yurt at the more tourist-loving location of Whistler was ⅓ the price, but it was little more than a heated shelter with with 2 bunk beds, electricity and lighting. The washrooms were a hike away and we had to bring our own stove and do our cooking outside. Cabins and yurts at RV parks offer a degree of flexibility for comfort that is rarely available at other kinds of campgrounds.

Provincial Parks: Gorgeous Campgrounds but You May Have to Fight for Sites

Provincial Parks are much better, well-maintained, and with lots of different potential activities (i.e. hikes, boating, swimming, fishing, sometimes even educational courses for kids, etc) but in high demand. They usually have well-manicured beaches like the one at Hicks Lake, Sasquatch Provincial Park, as seen here on the left, as well as playgrounds, multi-purpose trails, and more. If you want to go on a weekend, you have to be at the ready to book a site 3 months in advance, or else take your chances at trying to get one of the few first-come-first-served sites that are available at most parks. It is not unusual to see a line-up of carts and trailers waiting to get into sites as they come available on summer weekends. Once you're in, the campgrounds are much busier, filled with kids running, laughing and playing, and young adults partying around the campfire.

If I had young kids, I would probably take them car camping at provincial parks until they got older. I grew up going car camping at Ontario provincial parks with my parents in our tent trailer and always looked forward to those trips. It's what sparked my love of the outdoors. There is a wider range of activities for them and it helps them see "roughing it" as a fun thing to do before you try to upgrade them to more challenging camping types like rec sites or even backpacking.

Recreational Sites: Hit & Miss Service but Great for Reclusive Nature Nerds

Recreational sites are usually my choice for car camping as they tend to attract a different kind of camper; people who just want to escape the city and enjoy quiet time in nature. If you don't know about rec sites through word of mouth, you're not as likely to discover them by searching online, unless you really dig. While they're less convenient, they tend to be more remote and thus you get a more immersive nature experience. Also, they cater much more to the first-come-first-served crowd, usually having 50-100% of their sites with this designation. This works great for people like us who never know what their schedule will be like far in advance.

There aren't usually as many hikes directly in the campground itself, but usually there's at least one, or a few a short drive away. If the site is on a lake or river, we like to try to get out kayaking. This is usually a great option because motorized boating is usually prohibited on the smaller lakes and river where recreational sites are located for the most part.

Recreational sites do require that you have more of your own gear. You usually have to either bring your own water, filter it, or boil it as they don't usually have potable water sources. The pit toilets are what they are. Some people can't handle them, but who goes camping to spend more than brief visits to the washroom? Most will have their own toilet paper and hand sanitizer, but not always. One particularly poorly serviced rec site we visited, located on the stunning shores of Lilooet Lake was like going to the bathroom in a Saw movie and it had no toilet paper or sanitizer. Fortunately, we always bring some in our camp bucket for just such occasions.

Which Style Car Campground Is Right for You?

I can't tell you that. Figure it out for yourself. The information I've given you here is a good start, but you really won't know your preference until you go and experience them for yourself. What I consider stifling you might consider acceptable. What I consider to be wonderfully secluded, you might find yourself lacking in terms of the comforts of civilization. Or maybe you would rather ditch the car altogether and do some backpacking, which I have been doing more and more often of late. Whatever. Just get outside and enjoy it.

Over to you. What is your preferred style of car camping? Which kinds of sites do you most frequent? Please share your thoughts in the comments.