There are many ways you can go about find a the best hiking trail for you. One of the best is to ask friends and family for their recommendations. Given that you know these people quite well and trust them, you should be able to trust their recommendations and also feel free to ask them for more information if needed.

However, if you want more detailed information about trails close to home, contacting a local hiking club or local or state park might be an even better option. Not only will these organizations have in depth knowledge of local trails, they can also often steer you towards useful brochures and even mail information to you if you wish.

For longer distance hiking trails, the internet may be a valuable resource. By doing a search for hiking trails in a certain region, you will likely get a variety of search results. However, you may want to be careful as to which internet sites you trust. In general, non profit sites are reliable as are personal blogs. Those that are for commercial interests may be less reliable, however. When searching on the internet, it is probably best to review multiple sites and if possible, follow up with phone calls to locations for more information about specific trail conditions.

Finally, you will find many useful books on hiking and camping trails online at retailers like Amazon.com. Not only will a good book provide useful information about specific trails, but it may also detail what kind of hiking and camping supplies you need to bring with you as well, such as portable camping toilets or any other specialized backpacking gear. You also might want to check your local library offerings as well, to see what they have available as well.

With some careful research and questions about different hiking trails, you should be able to find the perfect hiking trail that matches your interests, skill level and your personality.

One of the first things that you will need to decide on is who is going on the camping trip with you. If this is a family outing, this decision will be easy. Once you know who the members are in your party, you will be able to better gauge such decisions as to what kind of lodging will be needed and the amount of food you should pack. Next, make sure that you carry important information such as healthcare and insurance information.

You will then need to decide how long you will be there as well as where you will be sleeping. If you are going camping in a tent area, then you obviously need to have a tent. If not, then you will have make other lodging arrangements, such as renting a small cabin. Before leaving, you will also need to prepare your first aid kit. Some of the things you will need in your kit include tweezers, bug spray, bandage wrap, matches, tissues, personal medicine and adhesive dressings. At least one person in your group should be trained in basic first aid practices as well.

Some other items you will likely need on your camping trip will include a compass, water bottles, sleeping bags, rain ponchos, tent, knives, appropriate clothing for the weather, personal items, trash bags, air mattress, personal items, zip lock bags, extra batteries, pillows, cooking ware and food, and duct tape (for emergency repairs) and a portable camping toilet. You will also need to decide what you will do in terms of disposing of your waste – including some kind of portable camping toilet. Taking the time to plan ahead will help prevent disasters on your camping trip.

You need to be sure to pack adequate food for the trip. For each individual you will need food for snacks and three full meals a day. Be careful about how much perishable food that you bring as perishable foods go back quickly and can make you very sick. Packing a good amount of water is also vital, although you may want to carry a water filter with you so you can take advantage of local supplies from streams and lakes.

The last thing that you will need to do is pack the car and get on the road. Make sure you have plenty of gas, oil and a good clear map. You will also need to have an emergency road kit and let others know where you are going. Have a buddy system in place so that no one gets lost during your camping trip. Keep a cell phone with you and keep your battery charged. This may be the only way to get help in an emergency. Having all of these necessities will make your camping trip go much smoother.