Tips for locating a good camping spot in Boreal forest?

[The MAX]

Hi all,
I have been doing a lot of my camping lately out of a canoe. One of the big issues I have, is here in Nova Scotia, and even more so back home in Newfoundland, the forest is very thick. So I've been having trouble finding good placed to bunker down for the night. It could be that I am just not exploring by foot enough. But I was wondering if any of you had good tips of things to look for and signs that might help lead to finding a good spot, as opposed to just wandering around in the woods bushwhacking.

Certain species of tree to look for? Topography? etc.

Thanks!
H

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Well if you see fresh grizz tracks or poo,..... that ain't a good camping spot.

 

[The MAX]

Well if you see fresh grizz tracks or poo,..... that ain't a good camping spot.

luckily no Grizzly's here on the east coast, just black bear which are considerably less dangerous.

 

[santaman2000]

luckily no Grizzly's here on the east coast, just black bear which are considerably less dangerous.

Well, they're less agressive anyway.

 

[mbiraman]

One thing that can increase you camp site availability is to sleep in a hammock.

bill

 

[jiffi]

Hammock!!!!

 

[The MAX]

Yes I have been contemplating getting a hammock recently, and probably will down the road. Most likely a hennessey. In the mean time, I usually camp with others, and we usually share my tent. So hammock wouldn't solve all the issues

Thanks
H

 

[franglais]

Looking at trees that produce a lot of cover might help, very little grows under beech woods in Europe, dense conifer woodland can also provide a decent camp spot, look for large trees, as areas with young trees are usually tightly packed with a lot of undergrowth. What about a hanging tent?

 

[blacktimberwolf]

When camping under trees you must always be careful about falling branches......if you see a lot of large fallen branches lying around......that ain't a good camping spot ! ......some species of trees are notorious for dropping their branches unexpectedly; beech being a good example.

 

[mrcharly]

One thing that can increase you camp site availability is to sleep in a hammock.

bill

This

Having a hammock means you can sleep on steep slopes, no need to hunt for level ground. You can sleep over boggy ground. Heck, you could hang over water.

There is a hammock, can't remember brand and model, that will also pitch as a 'poled' bivvi. It has insect netting in either mode.

 

[Goatboy]

This

Having a hammock means you can sleep on steep slopes, no need to hunt for level ground. You can sleep over boggy ground. Heck, you could hang over water.

But generally speaking blinking useless here.

 

[calgarychef]

As romantic as it seems camping beside most canadian rivers is tough to do. We run into the same problems in the west, the large slow rivers are muddy on the edges, the fast rocky rivers have steep banks to try and get up and over. The vegetation always grows best beside a river so it's always a thick jungle. A hammock might work sometimes but you would have to hike a ways from the river to find proper trees. There's no easy answer really.

 

[dump of the stig]

This

Having a hammock means you can sleep on steep slopes, no need to hunt for level ground. You can sleep over boggy ground. Heck, you could hang over water.

There is a hammock, can't remember brand and model, that will also pitch as a 'poled' bivvi. It has insect netting in either mode.

DD Frontline, awesome bit of kit, I can get mine up in under 2 mins, very nice when your shattered and just want to get your head down.

 

[HHazeldean]

The DD travel hammock though has a waterprrof base so is better suited to being on the ground if its damp. But I agree with above, it sounds like a hammock would be the best bit to me. Awesome to be able to just go into the boreal like that though.

 

[calgarychef]

Come to think about it if y see black spruce, that's a swampy bugger of a place to camp. Tall timber is an obvious good place although tall timber is usually a ways back from the river. If you follow a small creek upstream from the main river it's usually going to be swampy. Sometimes a bend in the river will have a dry spot up on top of it, also a good spot to find moose beds and willows that they feed on.

 

[Papa Tac]

Hey, theMax, how's she goin' bye?
I can attest that our forests are mostly Black Spruce, with Balsam Fir and some Tamarack (locally"juniper") and White Spruce.
Much of the forest in exposed areas is wind blasted and stunted, Tuckamore to Newfies and Krummholz (sp) in the Europe.
Beside that we are barrens, bogs, and rocky coastlines.
To me, part of the great challenge in Newfoundland will always be finding a large enough flat, dry area to set up - hammocks would be useful in some areas, but lack of trees will limit you greatly.
Unless you choose the interior of the island, of course - now that's hammock land (ie more mixed birch and maple forests)
Good to know there's another Newfoundlander on here (blue nose and all)!
Cheers!

 

[The MAX]

Hey, theMax, how's she goin' bye?
I can attest that our forests are mostly Black Spruce, with Balsam Fir and some Tamarack (locally"juniper") and White Spruce.
Much of the forest in exposed areas is wind blasted and stunted, Tuckamore to Newfies and Krummholz (sp) in the Europe.
Beside that we are barrens, bogs, and rocky coastlines.
To me, part of the great challenge in Newfoundland will always be finding a large enough flat, dry area to set up - hammocks would be useful in some areas, but lack of trees will limit you greatly.
Unless you choose the interior of the island, of course - now that's hammock land (ie more mixed birch and maple forests)
Good to know there's another Newfoundlander on here (blue nose and all)!
Cheers!

What are ya at!?
Yeah great to see another Newf here. I'm from Paradise originally, so the other side of the island. I will probably doing a log of my camping on the island west of Terra Nova. Canoeing oppourtunities on the Avalon or the east coast seem few and far between. I actually just bought a hammock, but yeah, a Tent is definitely necessary for a lot of the island.

Thanks for the info!