page_title: Campsite
section_title: Campgrounds
hierarchical_section_title: Campsite / Campgrounds
caption_attribution_description: English: Gallanach Campsite. Looking south over the campsite with the Sound of Kerrera in the background.
context_page_description: A campsite or camping pitch is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In UK English, a campsite is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using tents or camper vans or caravans; this UK English use of the word is synonymous with the US English expression campground. In American English, the term campsite generally means an area where an individual, family, group, or military unit can pitch a tent or park a camper; a campground may contain many campsites.
  There are two types of campsites:
  an impromptu area.
  a designated area with improvements and various facilities.
context_section_description: The term camp comes from the Latin word campus, meaning "field". Therefore, a campground consists typically of open pieces of ground where a camper can pitch a tent or park a camper. More specifically a campsite is a dedicated area set aside for camping and for which often a user fee is charged. Campsites typically feature a few (but sometimes no) improvements.
  Dedicated campsites, known as campgrounds,  usually have some amenities. Common amenities include, listed roughly in order from most to least common:
  Fireplaces or fire pits in which to build campfires (this can be a circle of rocks, a metal enclosure, a metal grate, a concrete spot, or even just a hole).
  Road access for vehicles
  A gravel or concrete pad on which to park a vehicle
  Picnic tables
  Marked spaces indicating a boundary for one camper or a group of campers
  Reservations to ensure there will be available space to camp
  Utility hookups, such as electricity, water, and sewer, primarily for the use of travel trailers, recreational vehicles, or similar
  Raised platforms on which to set up tents
  Piped potable water
  Campgrounds may include further amenities:
  Pit toilets (outhouses)
  Flush toilets and showers
  Sinks and mirrors in the bathrooms
  A small convenience store
  Shower facilities (with or without hot water)
  Wood for free or for sale for use in cooking or for a campfire
  Garbage cans or large rubbish bins in which to place refuse
  Camping outside a designated campsite may be forbidden by law. It is thought to be a nuisance, harmful to the environment, and is often associated with vagrancy. However some countries have specific laws and/or regulations allowing camping on public lands (see Freedom to roam). In the United States, many national and state parks have dedicated campsites and sometimes also allow impromptu backcountry camping by visitors. U.S. National Forests often have established campsites, but generally allow camping anywhere, except within a certain distance of water sources or developed areas. Camping may also be prohibited in certain ‘special areas’ of national forests containing unusual landforms or vegetation. And if conditions allow campfires, a campfire permit is required for campfires outside of developed campsites.
  In Britain, it is more commonly known as wild camping, and is mostly illegal. However, Scotland has a relaxed view and wild camping is legal in most of Scotland.
  In many parts of Canada, "roughing it" or "dormir a la belle etoile" (French) is considered to be wilderness camping on government owned, public land known as crown land and commonly called "the bush". There are no amenities of any kind and typically no development except for possibly logging roads or ATV trails, and few rules beyond the requirement in some provinces to move the site at least 100 metres every 21 days.
caption: Undeveloped tent camping area
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