Camping and Campground Sites

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Part 1: Listen and Read: Listen to the recording on camping tips, answer the questions, and then read along with the audio recording.

During the summer, I spend a lot of time camping in the mountains near my house. It’s a great way to spend time with family. I usually reserve a campsite at a campground in the canyon, but you can try your luck without a campsite reservation and hope you can find a non-reservable site that is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. In most cases, we look for a campsite that has a lot of shade from the sun, is near a water source, has a good fire pit, and has a good spot to pitch a tent. Once we select a site, we unload our gear from the car, set up our tent, and start a fire to prepare dinner. Building a fire isn’t difficult if you have the right tinder and wood to get it going. After dinner, we sometimes sit around the fire and tell stories or sing songs. Before we go to bed, we make sure to put out the fire and put away any food and garbage left out. Otherwise, animals including bear might stop and visit our campsite during the night.

Part 2: Discussion

What camping opportunities are available in and around your hometown? How do you go about making campsite reservations? What are some commonsense rules for keeping safe while camping?

Part 3: Role Play

You and your friends are trying to plan a vacation to the Grand Canyon or Arches National Park (see an example of one hike HERE) in the United States. Some of your friends want to stay in a motel nearby, but you would rather stay in a campground. Discuss with a partner the advantages and disadvantages of staying at these different places in terms of cost, convenience, and excitement.

Part 4: Online Investigation

Imagine that you are making plans to visit Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. You are traveling with a group of three people, and you need to find out options for camping in the area near and in the park. Use the Internet to locate information on reservations, cost, campsite amenities, and other useful information.

Online Listening Practice (from www.esl-lab.com):