The Camping Trip that Changed America by Barb Rosenstock: 9780803737105 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books (2024)

FAQs

What is the camping trip that changed America about? ›

This beautiful book tells of the meeting of naturalist John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt during a camping trip at Yosemite that inspired President Roosevelt to declare 18 national monuments including the Grand Canyon.

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt joined naturalist John Muir on a trip to Yosemite. Often camping alone in the uncharted woods, the two men saw sights and held discussions that would ultimately lead to saving large parts of America's wilderness.

Mann's picture book The Camping Trip takes protagonist and narrator Ernestine from being one of those “people in cities” to getting her first taste of camping in the woods and enjoying it so much that she's ready to bring her closest relative into the exhilaration and fun of camping.

But MacGillivray captures the essence of it via perhaps the most famed, and most unusual, camping trip in U.S. history: naturalist John Muir's 3-day escapade roughing it with U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt through Yosemite Valley in 1903. It was a moment of precipitous change.

In the USA you can camp anywhere you want on National Forest land as long as it's not posted “no camping”. The National Forests belong to the people. Technically, there is a limit on how long you can stay at any particular place, but I almost never saw rangers out in the boonies.

One of the primary reasons why camping is often illegal in urban areas is due to the issue of homelessness. Many people who are experiencing homelessness may set up encampments or "tent cities" in public places in order to have a place to sleep.

This Week in NWF History

No matter how you camp or who joins in, camping is timeless fun. But how did this pastime begin? Organized camping in the United States began in the mid-1800s at Gunnery Camp in Connecticut. Founded in 1861, this camping trip brought a class of home-schooled boys into the woods for two weeks.

In fact, it was in the late 1800s when camping became a popular recreational activity for Americans. It was initially embraced by wealthy individuals who sought to escape the city and enjoy the great outdoors. However, by the early 1900s, camping had become more accessible to the general public.

Camping is an outdoor activity that involves staying the night/more than one night in a protective shelter out in nature. Camping is a broad term but in its essence, camping is a way of getting away from the hassle of urban life, to a more natural environment for a limited time.

Glamping. One of the most popular camping trends is luxury camping or as it's more commonly known, glamping. The art of glamping can be enjoyed in a variety of ways depending on the camper.