3 Reasons to Love Camping in the Fall

While the popular camping season may be drawing to a close, we’re just getting started. At Tin Can Cottage, we believe fall is the perfect time to head out with the trailer. So grab a pumpkin spice latte or pumpkin ale and let us give you three reasons to try camping in the fall.

Colin raises a pint outside the Tin Can Cottage on a sunny fall day.

1. Fall weather is perfect for camping

“Won’t you get cold?” is a question our non-camping friends often ask as we prepare to head out for a fall camping weekend. But weather is definitely our favourite part of camping in fall.

Here in southern Ontario, the days remain warm well into October--sometimes even November. The key is to dress in layers as the mornings are often cool, but by midday it’s not unusual to be sporting a t-shirt and shorts--especially if you’re Colin, wears shorts any time it's above 10 degrees Celsius!

The temperature is usually great for hiking. It’s nice to take in the fall colours without turning into a hot, sweaty mess. And the best part? No bugs! By fall, mosquitos and other pesky insects are usually gone. Paddling is also nice in this weather. Valens Lake is a great spot to paddle at this time of year and campsites are open year-round.

As day turns to evening, the temperature cools. It's the perfect atmosphere for cozying up to the campfire. Cooler evenings are also great for sleeping. At this time of year, we always set the furnace to come on if it goes below 14 degrees at night. The ‘click...whirrr’ of the furnace in the middle of the night is a satisfying sound. It means you’ll stay cozy and warm ‘til morning.

A campfire surrounded by trees on a fall day

2. Fall camping means comfort food

A cast iron dutch oven with a lid covered in ash from charcoal

A chocolate chip cake baked in a cast iron dutch oven

If you’ve been following us, you’ll know one of our favourite camp activities is cooking. The change of seasons also brings a change of menu. We love cooking at camp, and, for us, fall camping means comfort food.

We keep a slow cooker in our trailer and it gets used a lot when we're camping in fall. Imagine returning to the aroma of spicy chili, hearty soup or meaty pasta sauce after a long fall hike. Or how about fresh bread baked in the bread machine? The Instant Pot is also a great fall camping option, but make sure you’ve got enough power to run it. We haven’t used our Instant Pot in the trailer yet, but friends have. They needed to plug the pot into the power post directly as it was too much of a draw on their trailer’s power system.

If you’re sticking close to the campsite, fall is a great time to try dutch oven cooking. It takes a bit of time, as you need to get a fire going first to get your charcoal ready. But if it’s a nice day and you’re already enjoying a campfire, this is a fun option.

3. Camping is fall is less busy

Another reason to love fall camping is that campgrounds are often less crowded. This can make it easier to book into some of the more popular parks that are hard to secure in the high season. One of our favourite fall trips was a week spent at Pinery Provincial Park in Grand Bend. It’s difficult to get a spot there in the summer without booking months in advance. In October, though, it was rather quiet.

Fewer crowds may not be the case this fall, as camping has become very popular thanks to the pandemic. The Tin Can Cottage was in high demand with renters this summer as many people realized RV camping is a good way to travel while still maintaining physical distancing (yep, the TCC is available for rent!). We see this trend continuing into the fall. In fact, we just tried to book a spot at Bronte Creek for September or October, but had no luck.

Looking to rent an RV this fall? We highly recommend RVezy. With RVezy, you can select from hundreds of RVs -- big and small, towable or delivered -- to find the perfect match for your vacation. Plus, you're covered by RVezy insurance. Take advantage of our bonus offer. Sign up for RVezy and receive $25 off your first RV rental. Or, if you want to list your own RV for rent, register with RVezy and receive a $25 bonus after your first rental!