Travel

There’s nothing quite like sitting around a campfire, feeling the warmth of the flames and hearing the crackling of the wood. But some campfire spots are more scenic than others, offering stunning views that enhance the entire experience. From mountains to beaches, forests to deserts, the United States is full of incredible places to enjoy a campfire. Here are some of the most scenic campfire spots in the U.S.

Glacier National Park, Montana

With its crystal-clear lakes, towering peaks, and abundant wildlife, Glacier National Park is a nature lover’s dream. There are countless spots within the park to set up camp and enjoy a campfire, but some of the most scenic include Many Glacier, St. Mary, and Two Medicine.

Big Sur, California

Known for its rugged coastline and dramatic cliffs, Big Sur is one of the most beautiful places in California. Whether you’re camping at a state park or on private land, you’ll be treated to breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.

White Mountains, New Hampshire

The White Mountains are a hiker’s paradise, with miles of trails leading through some of the most stunning scenery on the East Coast. After a day on the trail, set up camp and enjoy a campfire with views of the surrounding peaks.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The Grand Canyon is one of the most awe-inspiring natural wonders in the world, and camping within the park is an experience like no other. Set up your tent near the edge of the canyon and watch as the sun sets and the stars come out.

Zion National Park, Utah

With its towering red cliffs, narrow canyons, and rushing rivers, Zion National Park is a photographer’s dream. There are plenty of campsites within the park, but for the most scenic campfire experience, head to Watchman Campground.

Acadia National Park, Maine

Maine’s rugged coastline and dense forests make it a great place to enjoy a campfire. Acadia National Park offers some of the most beautiful camping spots in the state, with views of the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding islands.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Yellowstone is one of the most popular national parks in the U.S., and for good reason. From the geysers and hot springs to the bison and elk, there’s something for everyone here. There are plenty of campsites within the park, but for the most scenic experience, head to Grant Village.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina

The Great Smoky Mountains are home to some of the most beautiful forests in the country, with thousands of miles of trails to explore. Set up camp and enjoy a campfire with views of the misty mountains.

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Mount Rainier is one of the most iconic peaks in the country, and camping within the park is a bucket-list experience for many. Set up your tent near one of the park’s many lakes and enjoy a campfire with views of the mountain.

Olympic National Park, Washington

From the rugged coastline to the mossy rainforests, Olympic National Park is one of the most diverse national parks in the U.S. Camping within the park is a great way to experience all that it has to offer, with plenty of scenic spots for a campfire.

Whether you’re a seasoned camper or a first-timer, these scenic campfire spots are sure to provide an unforgettable experience. So grab your tent, pack some s’mores, and get ready to connect with nature in some of the most beautiful places in the country.

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Seeing the Northern Lights for ourselves was something we’ll never forget. Their hypnotic dance across the horizon and towering rays into the night sky is something so spectacular, everybody needs to see them. We have lived in Michigan all our lives, but have only seen them once.

With a little planning, a flexible schedule, a tank of gas, and minimal equipment, you can plan a Northern Lights viewing experience that you’ll never forget!

Here’s how to be in the right place at the right time to see the Northern Lights.

When and where to see the Northern Lights

This is the most important and trickiest part of your plan. You ultimately need a combination of four things:

• Atmospheric conditions are correct for the Northern Lights
• Location in a northern latitude
• Clear, dark sky
• Unobscured view of the horizon

Get one thing wrong and your experience quickly becomes you standing in the cold in the dark wondering if the pizza place is still open. Trust me.

Proper atmospheric conditions

Besides some greenish swirling curtains of light, what are the Northern Lights exactly? According to the Northern Lights Center, “The Northern Lights are actually the result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun’s atmosphere.” Essentially, the sun shoots charged particles towards earth. When these particles arrive, most are deflected by our magnetic field, but some make it through the weaker fields near the poles. These particles from the sun collide with atmospheric gas particles, causing billions and billions of tiny explosions. Combine all those microscopic explosions, and you get dancing lights. Science is fun!

So how can we predict the best atmospheric conditions? There are a lot of interesting space and atmospheric events involved here, but you won’t need to learn them. You’re just going to use a handful of forecasting tools.

Best days to see the Northern Lights

Before you get in your car to drive north, you need to verify that the Northern Lights will be available once you get there. The Northern Lights are most common between September to mid-April, so you’ll also get the advantage of long nights.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute’s Aurora Forecast offers a long-term forecasting tool you can use to plan your trip. Scroll down to the 27 Day Forecast bar chart. To best optimize your chances, you’ll want to plan your experience on the red days, when the Kp > 5. (Kp stands for “Kennziffer Planetarische”, which roughly means “planetary index”. It’s a measure of aurora strength from 0-9, 0 being very quiet and 9 being a major geomagnetic storm. You’re about to become good friends with Kp.)

Keep in mind that this site sets daily forecasts at midnight Universal Time, so an evening viewing in most of the United States would actually be the following day on the tool. For example, the forecasts for March 6 12:00AM UTC were actually experienced the evening of March 5. We almost went on the wrong day.

Remember the moon

You’ll also need to consider the brightness of the moon. The forecast tool above includes a small moon phase section, but you’ll need to consider both the moon phase and the time of the moon rise. Full moons directly overhead at midnight will ruin a good viewing opportunity, but only a few days later, a waning gibbous won’t even have risen yet. Approximate the moon’s phase and location in the sky before you schedule your trip.

Space Weather Alerts

If you’re serious about optimizing your Northern Lights viewing opportunities, spaceweatheralerts.com offers a subscription service to receive text alerts of incoming solar storms.

Location in a northern latitude

This is probably the most important factor, since you will likely need to go to the aurora rather than it coming to you. The University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute’s Aurora Forecast also does a good job of recommending viewing location. Once you determine a day with Kp > 4, you’ll need to determine where to go. Those broad green bands on the map are your goal destinations, but the green line below them represents the southernmost viewing. You’ll need to place yourself north of the green line to have any chance of seeing the Northern Lights, and the further north you go, the higher the aurora will be in the sky.

The combination of a high enough Kp, a reasonably accessible location, and relatively short notice are the limiting factors for most people planning to see the Northern Lights. Being flexible and patient is important. Spend some time with the 27 Day Forecast tool before planning anything.

Clear, dark sky

Even if you’ve chosen the best day and location for Northern Lights viewing, you’re still not guaranteed anything. Light pollution will certainly ruin your viewing, but if you’re driving far enough north to view them, odds are the big cities are far behind you. Your bigger problems are clouds and the moon. As your viewing day gets closer, if overcast skies are also forecasted, you may want to reconsider. If a bright moon is expected around the times you intend to view, you may need to reschedule your sleeping plans.

Unobscured view of the horizon

If you go far enough north, this may not be an issue for you since the Northern Lights will appear higher in the sky the further north you go. For us, because they were just above the horizon, even the tree line on the northern end of a smallish lake would have obscured them. Our viewing was at Whitefish Point in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so we had wide open northern views of the horizon over Lake Superior. There was no light pollution from cities, but we did have the Whitefish Point lighthouse 100′ behind us to contend with, but it wasn’t that bad. (In addition to amazing views of Lake Superior, Whitefish Point is also the location of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, which we highly recommend.)

If you can’t find the southern shore of a great lake, you’ll have to go up. See if you can find a fire tower, a light house, a mountain top, a cottage with two or three stories, etc…..

Plan your trip!

So you’ve found a day with a Kp > 4, you can travel to a reasonably accessible location, the moon won’t be too bright, and the skies are forecasted to be clear…… Schedule that fun little cottage and go!

Evening of the viewing

On the evening of your viewing, Soft Serve News’ Aurora Borealis Forecast offers to-the-minute forecasts. It was very cold and windy when we went, so this tool came in very handy to help us accurately time our trips to the beach without standing in the cold too long. After only a little use, your family will become oddly excited about Kp values greater than 4.

Who knew that space weather could be so exciting?

BONUS: How not to photograph the Northern Lights

This is a picture I took of the Northern Lights using my iPhone 8 and a frozen hand in howling wind:

This is a picture that a different photographer took the same evening using an iPhone 8 and a long-exposure app:

Finally, this is what yet another photographer took using an iPhone 11 and a tripod:

In terms of extremely amateur photography, we were completely unprepared. The only decent pics we got came from two guys who happened to be there with better equipment. (I wish I could credit them, but they’ve become lost to Michigan lore.)

At the end of the day, you’ll need a tripod and a good camera. Long-exposures seem to have some promise in a low-light environment, but you’ll lose the movement. Time-lapses might be a fun alternative, but you’ll also need a great camera to back it up.

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Swimming in all Five Great Lakes in One Day (US-only version)

On June 23rd, 2020, our party of four completed the Five Lakes One Day Challenge by swimming in all five Great Lakes in one day. In addition, our route was entirely based in the US because COVID had closed Canada to non-essential traffic. A cursory glance through social media suggests this may be a first.

How we completed the challenge

1: Lake Ontario

We drove to Four Mile Creek State Park in western New York the previous day so we would wake up on the shore of Lake Ontario. From Detroit via Columbus to pick up the rest of our crew, this was a longer day than expected. The skunk greeting us on our campsite when we pulled in at 12:30am should have been a bad omen, but he walked off quietly, as they do. I wanted to wake up at sunrise, but after arriving so late I let the crew sleep in until 6:00am. We changed into our bathing suits, took down the tent, and headed to the water.

We swam in Lake Ontario at about 7:00am. The water was flat and the sun was still low in the sky, so it was a very pleasant morning. Rocks skipped forever!

2: Lake Erie

We jumped into the car and made the long drive through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan to Sterling State Park on the western shore of Lake Erie. I had warned our party that road trips means Neil Diamond is on the radio! They were unimpressed.

We swam in Lake Erie at about 2:00pm. It was very windy and everything was covered in mayflies.

3: Lake Huron

Back into the car, a quick stop at home for some forgotten supplies, and a short drive to Lighthouse Park in Port Huron. This is the very southernmost tip of Lake Huron.

We swam in Lake Huron at about 4:30pm. It was still windy, but we could have abandoned the challenge and stayed here all day. It was beautiful! Our favorite beach! We pressed on.

4: Lake Michigan

Another long drive to a public beach access on Lake Michigan between Wilderness State Park and Headlands International Dark Sky Park. At this point it was raining like crazy, and would rain for the rest of the day.

We swam and bodysurfed in the cold, rough waters of Lake Michigan at about 9:30pm, shortly after sunset. The changing area was closed, so we got…. brave and creative.

5: Lake Superior

Our last driving leg took us over the Mackinac Bridge in the rain and dark to the Big Pine Picnic Area near Brimley, directly north of the bridge. The rain had turned to sleet. Our walk down to the beach was quite scary. It was very dark, very cold, very windy, and possibly full of bears. Did I mention the sleet?

We swam in the bone-chilling waters of Lake Superior at 11:20pm, fulfilling our quest! We had swum in all five Great Lakes in one day and had a great time doing it.

I highly recommend you try it too!

What to expect

This is not a full day of swimming. This is a full day of driving with a little swimming. We estimated that for every hour in the car, there was 5 minutes of changing clothes and 5 minutes of water time. Frankly, that’s probably overestimating the water time.

All meals were eaten in the car, so prepare accordingly. Save the pastie, Tony’s, or chicken dinner for the way home.

Plan your route, or not

In a world of GPS in every phone and/or vehicle, perfectly planning the Five Lakes One Day Challenge ahead of time is relatively unimportant. We didn’t prepare a route at all. What is important is knowing where you’re going to camp/swim beforehand and verifying that the GPS knows its location.

The one caveat to this is when you leave Lake Ontario, your GPS will try and try again to send you through Canada. We had to correct it about five times and still ended up turning around through customs. Be careful around Buffalo.

The other thing to keep in mind are the toll roads. We used the toll roads because we felt they were the most direct route, and we were looking to save time. Total cost might have been about $10.

Depending on your goals, there are lots of different route options. You can hit Lake Ontario and Lake Erie in New York, and then drive all the way to the Mackinac Bridge and grab Lake Huron and Lake Michigan as a two-fer. Another option is to grab Lake Huron from Saginaw Bay and Lake Michigan in Petosky. You could even throw in Lake St. Clair if you wanted to. There are lots of options. Once Canada is open for travel, you’ll have even more.

This was our route:

Needless to say, we did NOT complete it in 12 hours and 38 minutes. It was more like 16 hours.

When to complete the challenge

What we DID plan was the date. We needed the Five Lakes One Day Challenge to occur on one of the longest days of the year. In retrospect, this wasn’t really necessary. Any summer day would work.

In fact, we are considering a polar bear dip version of this trip in the winter. There will just be more driving at night.

What to bring

There are three sets of things to consider:

• Things for the car ride
  • Lots of snacks (Was 18 snack-size cans of Pringles too many? Sadly, no.)
  • Meals
  • Ukulele and a ukulele songbook
  • Games
  • Phone chargers
  • Garbage bag
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Neil Diamond playlist
• Things for the challenge
  • Dry-erase board and markers (Obviously this isn’t needed, but if you’re the type of person that likes documenting your travels, you’ll want something. The dry-erase board also did triple duty as a cutting board and game board.)
  • Selfie stick / tripod
  • 5 bathing suits (see what we learned below for why)
  • Maybe you want a different tee-shirt or hat in each pic?
  • Towel
• Things for camping
  • Tent, sleeping bags, etc.
  • Flashlight

COVID considerations

If you’ve prepared properly, COVID exposure will be minimized. We didn’t stop at any restaurants. Bathroom breaks were taken at the swimming locations or reputable truck stops. Hand sanitizer was used after every break. Masks were worn where appropriate. The beaches at Lake Erie and Lake Huron were the only ones with other people, so finding an open spot wasn’t a problem. All in all, I was pleased with how we minimized our exposure and prevented further spread.

The only other thing to consider is that campgrounds require reservations beforehand. You can’t rely on just showing up and getting a site.

What we learned for next time

Initially, I was trying to complete the Five Lakes One Day Challenge between sunrise and sunset. Early in the day I realized that wasn’t going to be possible, and I would have to settle for finishing before midnight.

The amount of time spent changing clothes was definitely something we didn’t anticipate. Next time we would either pack more bathing suits and change only when we got out of the water, or sit on a towel in wet clothes for the shorter legs.

Also, we should have simply started earlier. We could have been in the water at sunrise and been on the road an hour earlier than we did. Between this and better clothing strategies, we could have easily finished at sunset. Next time…….

Having said all that, this is not a race or something that needs to be optimized. Enjoy the beaches! Find a cool rock! Have fun!

Go do it!

Completing the Five Lakes One Day Challenge is definitely something you can do! And why stop there? Try catching a fish, or kayaking, or skipping rocks, or doing that dance that embarrasses your kids, or collecting a rock, or sing your favorite Neil Diamond song! The possibilities are endless!

If you decide to do it, use #flannelandflame AND #fivelakesoneday or #5L1D in your social media posts, and we’ll send you a free sticker to commemorate your challenge!

STAY WARM!

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