New Website Will Help Campers Find the Right Sites

Spring has finally come out of the seasonal periphery and, as temperatures warm and summer approaches, more and more people are heading outdoors again. One of the most popular spring and summer recreational activities is camping, which is getting a little easier thanks to a new website, Hipcamp.

In 2011, more than 42 million Americans went camping. One of the toughest parts of going camping is finding the right campsite, since there hasn’t been a well organized resource to help people find what they need.

According to Mother Nature Network, the website was created in 2013 by Eric Bach and Alyssa Ravasio after Ravasio herself struggled to find a campsite with the amenities she was looking for.

“Hipcamp is the only place you can go that lists campgrounds across all government platforms (national parks, state parks, national forests, etc.),” Bach said. “We make it easy for users to filter through campgrounds based on what matters most.”

A survey by The Outdoor Foundation reports that 67% of respondents said that they mostly camp in public campgrounds, but Hipcamp also provides information about private spaces and is working to open up more camping spaces as well.

“Hipcamp will be a nice addition to help campers find campsites,” says Bruce Aljets, President, Yogi Bear Camp-Resorts.

TechCrunch reported last September that Hipcamp had gained $2 million in seed funds, and has since grown the website to provide information for campsites in four states: California, Oregon, Texas, and Florida.

Hipcamp essentially allows users to search for campsites by location, amenities, and features. Users will be able to book dates for some campsites, which is a service that Hipcamp is looking to expand.

Hipcamp’s main focus is to help people get back to nature and be able to more easily connect with the outdoors. Camping is already a $15 billion industry, but Hipcamp could help the camping industry grow — and bring the joy of camping to even more people.