Study finds new trends in camping

MARQUETTE–This summer local camp grounds have been booked full and one study is suggesting a specific group of the population is a major cause for the increased interest in camping.

According to the North American Camping Report millennials continue to drive the growth of camping. The study shows millennials take up 31% of the camping population. Campers who have camped once per year now aim to go multiple times. Some say the rise in camping is due to amenities now offered such as WiFi.

“Technology has gotten a little better for camping, obviously the times old of just canvas tents and dealing with being waterproof and warm, which can be a problem here in Marquette sometimes. But we do have a lot of people coming in with lighter, cheaper, camping equipment,” Marquette Parks & Rec. coordinator Andrew MacIver. “The technology allows them to be able to disconnect a little more but still be able to connect into the internet.”

Last summer Tourist Park had a record year and is on par for the same this summer. The study also shows that 43% of millennial campers say having technology while camping allows them to take extra days with access to emails and checking in with work. Some refer to the not-so- off the grind camping as “glamping.” Another popular spot in the U.P. to offer these perks is Paddlers Village in Christmas.

“We decided to expand because we do have a lot of people calling and asking for reservations when we’re fully booked, so we need to have space for those people too,”general manager Greg Scott said. “The yurts have been so popular that’s what everybody wants to stay in. So that’s why we decided we would expand with ten more yurts this year.”

All yurts include a small refrigerator, electricity, lighting, and WiFi not to mention the ideal location on the shores of Lake Superior. Paddlers Village is another camping area that typically sells out during the summer time. Accommodations such as these are brought up in the study as well claiming millennials are more aggressively seeking different types of accommodations.