Camping Adventures in Fiction

The other day my colleagues and I were reminiscing about memorable camping trips. We talked about the good, and not-so-good experiences we'd had whether it was encountering a mama bear and her cub, remembering the breathtaking scenery or recalling all the hard work that went into preparing for a trip. Everyone has a great camping story!

Here are some novels about some not very typical, unforgettable, and sometimes chilling camping trips:


The Bear by Claire Cameron
While camping with her family on a remote island, five-year-old Anna awakes in the night to the sound of her mother screaming. A rogue black bear, 300 pounds of fury, is attacking the family's campsite, pouncing on her parents as prey. Anna manages to get her brother into the family's canoe and paddle away. But when the canoe dumps the two children on the edge of the woods, they must battle hunger, the elements, and a dangerous wilderness.

The Troop by Nick Cutter
During a camping trip, on an uninhabited island off the coast of Prince Edward Island, Tim and his boy scout troop encounter an unexpected intruder who's bioengineered body spreads horror faster than fear.

A Small Target by Christine AndreaeWhile filling in as a cook on a llama pack trek in the mountains of Montana, Lee Squires is forced to discover who is killing off the members of the backwoods trip.

August by Gerard Woodward
Ever since Aldous Jones careened over the handlebars of his bicycle in 1955 and landed next to farmer Evan's field, it has become a tradition for him to take his family camping in Wales, believing that a certain symbiosis exists between their lives in their North London home and the Welsh village that they only ever see in August.

All Quiet on the Orient Express by Magnus Mills
In preparation for a trip to India, a young man in Britain goes camping. Offered free board at a camping ground in exchange for odd jobs, he becomes involved in local life and never makes it to India.

Goat Mountain by David Vann
In the fall of 1978, an 11-year-old boy joins his grandfather, his father and his father's best friend on the family's annual deer hunt during which a simple act leads to tragedy, transforming them all and forcing them to question themselves and everything they thought they knew.

Letters from Yellowstone by Diane Smith
In 1898, a young Cornell medical student joins a field study in Yellowstone National Park and describes in a series of letters her relationships with fellow naturalists who had expected a male colleague, her experiences, and her encounters with a colorful assortment of characters.

The Wilding by Benjamin Percy
Returning to Echo Canyon for one last time before it is turned into a golf resort, Justin Caves and his father Paul must battle the physical demands of the terrain and the presence of bears along with each other, as Justin tries to come to terms with his rocky relationship with his father.