Why My Family Replaced Thanksgiving with Campsgiving

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A couple years ago, my husband, Dan, and I were trying to figure out what to do for Thanksgiving. Go to my mom’s house, an hour away, for dinner? Fly back east to visit his family for a few days? Invite friends over for a Friendsgiving feast? Every option sounded stressful. “What if we just ditched all that and went camping somewhere warm instead?” I offered.

The idea of enjoying the holiday outside, instead of spending it indoors cooking and making small talk with distant relatives, sounded appealing. So that’s exactly what we did.

It’s not that I hate turkey and mashed potatoes. Or that I don’t like my extended family. But camping with my kids is the best quality family time we have. And, as we quickly learned, the long Thanksgiving weekend is an ideal time to enjoy incredible U.S. campgrounds without throngs of people. That’s why we’ve given up the notion of a traditional Thanksgiving—and all the emotional and literal baggage that goes along with it—and spend the holiday camping instead.

That first year, we drove our camper van from our home in Tahoe City, California, down to the sleepy central coast and Montaña de Oro State Park, 15 miles west of San Luis Obispo. At 8,000 acres, Montaña de Oro is one of California’s largest state parks, with over 50 miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking as well as a picturesque beach that’s walking distance from the campground and seven miles of shoreline. In the summer months, the park’s 47 campsites book up quickly, but in November, it’s relatively easy to score a site.

On Thanksgiving day, we spent the morning surfing mellow waves at Cayucos Beach and the afternoon hiking the four-mile Bluff Trail, accessed right from our campsite. We bought crab cakes from a local fish shop and green beans and squash from a roadside farm stand, so dinner was easy and delicious. I made a caramel-banana pie (from a recipe I tore out of Outside magazine) in a cast-iron pan over the fire. That evening, we FaceTimed our families from the picnic table, and they were thrilled to see us having a good time. Nobody’s feelings were hurt that we weren’t there.

Later that night, some kids at the site next to ours started kicking the soccer ball around and invited our two to join. Suddenly, we had friendly neighbors. They were the Petersens from a town not far away, and they go camping every Thanksgiving. They’d roasted a turkey all day in their Dutch oven over the campfire, while a second cast-iron pot was filled with potatoes and stuffing. (I took notes for my next Thanksgiving camp menu.) They welcomed us over for dessert, so we brought our pie and sat around the fire chatting amiably.

Our first Campsgiving was a success.

Last year we decided to camp with friends in Moab, Utah, over the holiday weekend. Arches National Park was surprisingly quiet—trails were empty once you got away from the parking lot—and we had the slot canyons of the Fiery Furnace all to ourselves. (I reserved self-guided tickets for the Fiery Furnace for the four of us one week in advance.)

Finding an empty first-come, first-served campsite in Sand Flats Recreation Area, nine miles south of the park’s visitor center and close to the town of Moab, was easy. We just drove around until we spotted one we liked that was empty. Temperatures got down into the thirties at night, but it was nothing that s’mores around the campfire, a down jacket, and a flask of whiskey couldn’t fix.

This Thanksgiving, we’re again camping on California’s central coast, and guess who we’re camping next to? Yep, our new friends, the Petersens. They’re bringing the Dutch oven and the soccer ball; we’re bringing the pie. It’s going to be great.

Tips to Having an Equally Wonderful Campsgiving

Thanksgiving shouldn’t be something you dread. In a 2023 USA Today poll, 85 percent of those surveyed said they’ve lied or come up with an excuse to get out of attending a family holiday. And in 2023, the American Psychological Association reported that 38 percent of people are more stressed during the holidays (only 8 percent of respondents said they felt happier). Why are we doing this to ourselves? My advice is to go pitch a tent in nature somewhere instead.

Here are a few things I’ve contemplated when planning our family’s annual late-November camping trip.

Consider the Weather

Camping this time of year can mean you’re in for cold temperatures and variable weather, depending where you’re headed. If this doesn’t sound appealing, head south to warmer climes or rent a camper van or an RV so you have an indoor option if a storm rolls in.

Outdoorsy is a great place to start for peer-to-peer camper-van or RV rentals, or check out Moterra for high-end Sprinter vans, with pick-up locations across the country. Usually, you can get better rates on these rentals during the colder seasons, too.

Book a Campsite in Advance

Campsite availability in late November is pretty wide-open—it’s much easier to book a popular site now than during the summer. That said, it’s still wise to make a reservation ahead of time if you’re headed to an in-demand spot.

Also keep in mind that many campgrounds close for the winter, so be sure to check that your campsite of choice is open before you get on the road. Recreation.gov is the booking site for national park campgrounds, while sites like Campendium, the Dyrt, and Hipcamp are good resources for finding public and private campgrounds. I like iOverlander for occasions when we’re looking for dispersed campsites on public lands.

Set the Scene

You can make a campsite festive with a few thoughtful additions. A tablecloth and picnic blankets draped over the benches can be a nice touch. Your holiday centerpiece can be pine cones or driftwood collected from around camp.

Remember that it gets dark early in November, so pack headlamps, solar-powered string lights, or LED lanterns to brighten up your campsite. I like these Luci solar string lights ($69 on Amazon) to hang from tree to tree and this rechargeable Bask battery-powered lantern ($40 on Amazon) to set on the table.

Cook a Memorable Campfire Feast

There are no rules about what to whip up over your Thanksgiving camp stove. Anything goes. But you might keep it simple to maximize your day outdoors exploring.

I like to prep meals at home before we leave. These turkey meatballs are easy to make both at camp or ahead of time, and here’s a one-pot stuffing bowl that’s a cinch to put together. You could cook soup or chili at home and reheat it over the fire or stove. Or a box of pasta or mac and cheese and some tinned fish will get the job done, too.

Dessert can be marshmallows on a stick, or if you want to get fancy, check out these camp-friendly recipes for sweet potato pie and apple crisp.

Finally, for a festive fall cocktail, I like this cranberry spritz (make the cranberry simple syrup in the recipe at home in advance).

Megan Michelson is an Outside contributing editor. S’mores are one of her favorite foods.