Choose your own balance between camping comfort and wild adventure.

What comes to mind when you think about camping? Do you picture a large campground or state park with numbered campsites and shower buildings, or do you see yourself hiking deep into the woods with a backpack-sized tent and nobody else around for miles? There's a style of camping to fit every camper, and when you're planning a camping trip, it's important to consider the balance between creature comforts and deep woods adventure.

Emily Hache is a writer and avid backcountry camper. She explains the wide range of camping styles by breaking them down into three basic categories:

• Resort camping: convenient. Hache defines a resort camp as one with lots of facilities, such as showers and toilets. It's a bit like a hotel, only you sleep outside. The advantages are the comfort and convenience, but the drawbacks can include overcrowding. You'll probably be very close to lots of other campers, and if you're looking for privacy and serenity at a remote campsite by a lake, you're not going to get it.

• Car camping: some facilities. The next level of camping is backcountry car camping, where you hike into the woods to camp but remain within walking distance of your car. You'll give up amenities like running water, but there will be probably be well-marked sites and fire rings for you to use. You'll also find more privacy than at a resort camp.

• Backcountry: solitude. The third level is backcountry camping. This is where you hike into the wilderness and stay for a few days. This requires some commitment and sacrifice, as you have to pack everything that you'll need and hike with up to 40 pounds on your back. But the payoffs—complete solitude and the wonders of unspoiled nature—can be well worth it. According to Hache, when you set off into the backcountry with your food, water and tent, you're pretty much guaranteed not to see another human until you come back out.

For more information on camping, check out the following organizations and websites:

The US National Park Service
1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240
202-208-6843
www.nps.gov

GORP
A comprehensive outdoor site
www.gorp.com

Eparka.com
The interactive outdoor guide
www.eparka.com

Outdoor Places.com
www.outdoorplaces.com