Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Be a True Patriot and Do Some 4th of July Camping this Year

By

This year, Americans will once again gather to celebrate the 4th of July, AKA Independence Day. We do so with fireworks, beer, burgers, and flags aplenty. It is righteous indeed to commemorate the date on which our revered forefathers officially stated their intent to cleave from Britain and form “a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (thank you Abraham Lincoln’s superlative Gettysburg Address). However, even this finest, most hallowed of holidays can become rather blasé after years and years of the same beer ‘n burger celebrations.

DECLARATION
(This Exact Scene Never Occurred, FYI…) Image used with permission by copyright holder

So this year, if you’re looking for a unique new way to celebrate America’s birthday, why not take advantage of one of your country’s greatest resources: the American wilderness!

Recommended Videos

Camping out is a great way to have a great time that’s both memorable and affordable, and with a bit of planning, it can be a uniquely American experience, too.

PATRIOTIC CAMPSITE CUISINE

The Main Course – Campfire Pot Roast

Guess what, America? Meat and potatoes in on the menu for your 4th of July Camping extravaganza. You can prepare an amazing take on the classic pot roast even when you’re miles away from an oven. All you need is a big ol’ campfire and a Dutch oven or a large cast iron pot with a lid.

patriotic campsite cuisine
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • One 3 Pound Chuck Roast
  • One Large Onion, Chopped
  • 1 Cup Red Wine
  • About 2 cups of water (ideally broth, but water is fine — you’re camping, dude)
  • 4 or 5 Carrots, chunked
  • 2 or 3 big ol’ potatoes, chunked
  • Salt and pepper and maybe garlic powder and such

OK, here’s what you do: put all that stuff in your Dutch oven or iron pot. Now stick the pot right next to the fire. Keep the fire going, and turn the pot (or oven or whatnot) around about once an hour. Plan for about two hours cooking time and check on the meat from time to time; once it’s cooked through, it’s dinner time. Be ready to add more water and a bit more wine if things get dry.

For Desert – S’Mores

What sweet do you eat on a 4th of July camping trip? Dude… you eat s’mores. The simplest answer is always the best, right? Right. So, for the three of you not in the know, here’s the 4-1-1 on the s’more:

smores
Image used with permission by copyright holder
  • Graham Crackers
  • Chocolate Bar (better make it a Hershey’s)
  • Marshmallows

Roast a marshmallow over the fire, then sandwich it between graham crackers with a layer of chocolate on one or both sides. Allow for brief melting. Eat. And sure, go ahead and try fancy varieties like flavored crackers, varieties of chocolate (like cayenne pepper infused chocolate FTW) and such.

To Imbibe – The Old Fashioned

Our Campsite Cocktail Old Fashioned is a simple twist on the original. For each serving you’ll need:

simple campsite old fashioned cocktail
Image used with permission by copyright holder
  • 2 Ounces Whiskey (Bourbon or Rye)
  • 2 Dashes Angousta Bitters
  • 1 Sugar Packet (easier than a cube when you’re roughing it!)
  • 1 TBSP Water (sourced and filtered from that nearby stream?)
  • An Orange

Pre-mix the whiskey and bitters, if you’d like. At the campsite, mix in the sugar and water with the booze, then cut a wedge of fresh orange. Squeeze a few drops in, drop the rest of the slice into the glass (or mug or what-have-you) and enjoy.

HAVE A REST, AMERICA STYLE

If you love kicking back and taking it easy and you love America, then you’ll love taking a snooze or leafing lazily through the pages of a book in the Freedom Flag American Flag Hammock from The Lazy Patriot. This 105″-long, 65″-wide hammock is a double-wide, suitable for use by two proud citizens at the same time.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

It weighs just a little more than a pound, so you can bring it along even if you’re headed rather far afield for a 4th of July camping trip. Or you can hang it up in your backyard or on the front porch to show the neighbors you like to take it easy with pride, dammit. Your patriotic respite awaits.

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT

When camping in the wilderness, a safe, well-monitored campfire is a great way to stay warm, keep things cozy and festive, and cook your food. Fireworks, on the other hand, are a great way to start a wildfire that ruins both your holiday and untold acres of priceless habitat at the same time. So lets avoid using them. Even sparklers have no place in the woods. But glowsticks? Those babies couldn’t hurt a fly! Unless you used one like a little bat and went around hitting flies, but you probably won’t do that. Red, white, and blue glowsticks are safe and patriotic at the same time, so use them as bracelets, necklaces, or hang them around your campsite (clean up later!) to bring some safe American luminescence to the evening.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Steven John
Steven John
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven John is a writer and journalist living just outside New York City, by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, by way of…
Soldier Mountain opens 250 new acres of skiable terrain in Idaho
Be among the first to try Soldier Mountain Bridge's new backcountry ski trails
Skier on Soldier Mountain Bridge

If you're a big fan of skiing in Idaho, you're in for a real treat. Soldier Mountain has just opened up another 250 acres of skiable wilderness in the Bridge Creek area (Soldier Mountain Bridge), and skiers all over the country are bouncing with anticipation to experience these new trails. With the addition of freshly carved cat roads and groomed bootpack trails, guests can enjoy this sprawling mountainside that has been off-limits for decades.
David Alden, the General Manager for Soldier Mountain, stated that it's been something everyone has wanted for a long time. "The Bridge Creek area is so close to our existing terrain and so visually inviting that nearly every guest who visits Soldier has looked at that area and wished it were accessible. Now it is. It is a huge step for Soldier Mountain."
This ambitious undertaking, named the Bridge Creek Sidecountry Project, is just one step in a series of leaps and bounds for the resort, including the opening of their new Snow Training Center.
"The Bridge Creek Sidecountry Project elevates Soldier Mountain to one of the most challenging and terrain-intensive ski areas in Idaho," Alden said. "The newly accessible terrain encompasses mid-angle glades and steep, north-facing trees and ridges, adding technical sidecountry to Soldier Mountain's world-class cat ski operation and our legendary inbounds bowls, glades, and groomers.
This project is just a piece of the puzzle to put Soldier Mountain on the map. There are two other major updates to the resort, one including a brand-new TRAX side-by-side UTV, which will haul guests to the top of the Bridge Creek on select days. This UTV is said to be a faster, nimbler way to move skiers into the backcountry than a traditional snowcat, but when the TRAX is unavailable, skiers can trek up the bootpack trails on foot.

Read more
Why trail runners should consider using a walkie talkie for safety
The GXT67 Pro might just be what you need to stay connected on the trail
Man using GXT67 PRO radio from Midland

Cell service isn't always available when hiking or backpacking in the wilderness, but know there's a better way. And no, I'm not talking about satellite connection. While that tends to be better than regular cell service, there's nothing is more reliable right now than a walkie talkie. Two-way radios are coming back into the mainstream scene, this time, through trail runners! Here's why you should use a walkie talkie while trail running, how to be prepared, and our personal recommendations for the best one to use.
Why use a walkie talkie while trail running?

While out on the trail, it's easy to feel disconnected. Maybe that's the point, but if anything goes wrong, you might be in real trouble. Quick communication can be lifesaving if you or someone in your party happens to fall into a high-stakes situation like getting lost or breaking an ankle. Having a walkie talkie on hand and knowing that you can reach out to someone will increase your peace of mind while you're out on the trail.

Read more
These are the national parks undergoing controlled burns to cut wildfire risks
Going to one of these national parks soon? You might just see some smoke.
Shenandoah National Park in the fall

Prescribed burns are one of the park rangers' most important tools to protect their national parks and ecosystems. By intentionally burning off the excess vegetation like dry grass, shrubs, and dead wood, prescribed burns ultimately reduce the chance of wildfires because there won't be any old vegetation to catch fire later. It's far better for the National Forest Service and local fire teams to do the burns in a controlled setting than to watch it get out of hand later in the year. Here are the national parks across America that are currently in their burning phase:

Shenandoah National Park: Fire managers plan to burn approximately 40 acres of Big Meadows and 20 acres in the park's headquarters. Weather permitting, the burn will start on March 11 and end around April 30th.
Voyageurs National Park: This month, burns will take place in selected wetlands near Black Bay and Cranberry Bay on Rainy Lake to eliminate invasive hybrid cattails and reduce woody plant encroachment.
Cape Cod National Seashore: Prescribed burns will occur at Fort Hill in Eastham during the second week of March. The affected area will be 14 acres along the hillside adjacent to the upper parking lot at Fort Hill.
George Washington Carver National Monument: From March 10th to the 14th, this national monument plans a prescribed burn of about 100 acres to reduce woody species. While the area will be open to visitors, the Carver trail will be closed.

Read more