All Good Things Come to Those Who Camp

Be bold.  Be cheap.  Camp.

You’re young.  You’re broke.  You want to hug trees and sleep under the stars.  Onward, five-borough-nature-loving-soldiers.  This is RecessionGirl’s camping edition.  Complete with campsites that are no more than 2 hours outside of Manhattan.  There’s a good hodgepodge of campgrounds below from beachside to mountainside; Strong Island to the Catskills.  All you need is a few dollars and a dream. 

You also might want to do a pedestrian drive-by the newly opened Eastern Mountain Sports in SoHo on Broadway and Prince. I personally find most of  their equipment overpriced, but if you’re in a rush or just need to experience your product first-hand then they are great.  The quality is comparable to REI for all of you West Coast transplants.  If you want a cheaper alternative, I highly recommend www.backcountry.com.  Now, lets get our camp on:

http://blackbearcampground.com/

http://www.dutchesscountycampground.com/

http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=52

http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=57

http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=153

http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=48

(***Hither Hills is one of the busiest and most beautiful campgrounds in the United States of America and typically books 9 months in advance.  You can call periodically to see if there are cancellations, but for peak season, mark your calendar in October for July reservations, or just try your luck and show up around 11:00am when folks are checking out sometimes miracles happen).

For more New York State camping options further away, check the link below.  Consider the finger lakes for wine tasting and a chance meeting with the Amish who heavily populate several counties upstate:

http://nysparks.state.ny.us/

Be bold.  Be cheap.  Camp.