Avoiding Crowds
Don’t camp on major summer holidays. I’ve had very good luck camping right after holidays. For example, arrive at your camping destination on Memorial Day (when everyone else is leaving) and then stay that week.

Getting Good Campsites
To get a good site it is most helpful to do your research. This is especially true of campgrounds you plan on visiting often. If I’m in a campground where I think I might be coming back, I’ll go through the park and make note of the best campsites. Then, the next time I go there I’ll know which sites to ask for. If you do this regularly, in a few years you’ll have a nice database of the best campsites from your favorite parks.

Be Prepared
Make a list of things you want to take along camping. After a few trips your list will be perfect and as long as you use your list, you won’t forget things in the future. To get you started, there’s a good camping checklist, from the Love The Outdoors web site.

I have several of those 10 gallon Rubbermaid containers that I store a lot of my camping gear in. One for general camping stuff, one for kitchen supplies, one for dishes, etc. Then, when I’m ready to camp, I just throw the containers in the car and I know I’ll have what I need. It also makes it handy at the campsite, because you know where everything is.

Watch It
Finally, a tip I learned on my last camping vacation. While hiking along nature trails, watch your step!