Are you planning a camping trip next month?
June is National Great Outdoors Month, which is a wonderful time to enjoy fun outdoor activities with family and friends.
Presidential recognition of Great Outdoors Week was begun in 1998 by then-President Bill Clinton. Since 2004, Presidential proclamation of Great Outdoors Month has come annually, celebrating a variety of important events and actions that occur during the month.
The 2011 Presidential Proclamation states in part:
“America’s vast and varied outdoor spaces are a source of great national pride, and we have long strived to protect them for future generations. Our lands and waters provide countless opportunities for exploration, recreation, and reflection, whether in solitude or with family and friends. During Great Outdoors Month, we renew our enduring commitment to protect our natural landscapes, to enjoy them, and to promote active lifestyles for ourselves and our children.”
Great Outdoors Month highlights the benefits of active fun outdoors and our magnificent shared resources of forests, parks, refuges, and other public lands and waters. Media attention to the proclamation triggers actions by millions of households and prompts public discussion of important issues linked to outdoor recreation, including volunteerism, health, and outdoor ethics.
Additionally, the majority of governors issue proclamations declaring June as Great Outdoors Month in their states, and many take further actions ranging from Governor’s Outdoor Conferences to hosting campouts for local kids on their state capitol grounds.
Many campgrounds across the country are offering discounts to encourage people to spend time outside and appreciate the outdoors during 8th annual National Great Outdoors Month in June.
Get outdoors next month and enjoy America's parks. Pictured above Enchanted Rock Natural Area, Texas Hill Country. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved
“We think National Great Outdoors Month is a perfect opportunity for America’s campground industry to encourage everyone to get outdoors, explore nature, and have fun with their friends and families,” said Paul Bambei, President and CEO of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC).
The Denver-based association represents more than 3,300 private campgrounds, RV parks, and resorts, which it promotes through the GoCampingAmerica.com website.
All participating campgrounds are private campgrounds associated with GoCampingAmerica.com. The 20 percent discount will be valid for the first three weeks of June.
In addition to discounts on camping, GoCampingAmerica.com provides e-coupons that consumers can use to obtain discounts at Camping World stores, on Coleman gear, and RV rentals at El Monte RV (7-night minimum required).
“We encourage campers to use GoCampingAmerica.com to locate the parks of interest to them and to call ahead to book their reservations,” Bambei said.
Although participating campgrounds are not located within national parks, many sit on the doorsteps of parks or in nearby towns. A few examples:
- West Yellowstone outside Yellowstone National Park
- Columbia, Montana, near Glacier National Park
- Cherokee and Bryson City, North Carolina, near Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Three Rivers, California, outside Sequoia National Park
Details
GoCampingAmerica.com is the largest searchable database of privately owned and operated campgrounds, RV parks, and resorts in the U.S., which offer family activities as well as rental accommodations ranging from safari tents and teepees to cabins, park model cottages, yurts, and RVs.
GoCampingAmerica.com promotions
American Recreation Coalition (ARC)
The American Recreation Coalition (ARC) is dedicated to the protection and enhancement of everyone’s right to health and happiness through recreation.
Worth Pondering…
To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.
—Helen Keller