Wren Holloway
Naturalist + history writer
Based in Asheville, NC
Wren writes about campgrounds the way her grandmother wrote about gardens — slowly, with footnotes (the footnotes are her favourite part). She is professionally bothered by phrases like "hidden gem" and personally bothered by anyone who leaves microtrash. Carries a copy of Peterson's in the side pocket of her pack. Has thoughts about geology.
40 published articles · most recent September 21, 2026
Articles by Wren Holloway
Arkansas Camping Permits & Reservations: How They Actually WorkHow Arkansas camping reservations actually work across state parks, Corps of Engineers lakes, national forests, and the Buffalo — three systems, no shared rules.
Alabama Camping Permits & Reservations: How They Actually WorkHow Alabama's three parallel camping systems — state parks, federal lands, and WMAs — actually work, from a former ranger who's used all of them.
When Is Camping Season in Michigan? Month-by-Month RealityMichigan's camping season runs longer than the brochures suggest — a month-by-month reality check on bugs, water temps, and when to actually go.
When Is Camping Season in Louisiana? Month-by-Month RealityLouisiana's real camping season runs backwards from most of the country — November through March is the sweet spot. A month-by-month field read.
When Is Camping Season in Idaho? Month-by-Month RealityIdaho camping season, month by month — from the panhandle lakes to the Sawtooths — with honest advice on when to actually go.
When Is Camping Season in Iowa? Month-by-Month RealityAn Iowa camping season breakdown, month by month, from mud in March to the actual best weeks in October — with specific parks worth the drive.
When Is Camping Season in Washington D.C.? Month-by-Month RealityA month-by-month look at camping season around Washington D.C., from Greenbelt Park to Prince William Forest, with honest picks for the best times to go.
When Is Camping Season in California? Month-by-Month RealityCalifornia's camping season isn't one season — it's a vertical stack. A month-by-month look at when to go where, from Joshua Tree to Tuolumne.
When Is Camping Season in Arkansas? Month-by-Month RealityArkansas has a twelve-month camping season with two clear peaks — here's the honest month-by-month, by watershed and elevation, not by the calendar.
When Is Camping Season in Alabama? Month-by-Month RealityAn Alabama camping season guide with real month-by-month expectations — humidity, bugs, fall color timing, and the shoulder weeks worth planning around.
Pet-Friendly Camping in Maine: Where Dogs Are Genuinely WelcomeAn Asheville essayist's honest roundup of Maine campgrounds where dogs are actually welcome — Acadia, the state parks, and where not to bother trying.
Beach Camping in Michigan: What You Actually GetThe phrase "oceanfront campsite" gets used, in listicles about Michigan, more often than any inland-lake state should tolerate. I have seen it in three…
Camping Near the Biggest City in Maine — Under 90 MinutesCoast, lakes and CCC-era state parks within 90 minutes of Portland, Maine — with honest notes on which ones are worth the drive and when to go.
Mountain Camping in Maine: Elevation Picks for Cool NightsWhere to actually pitch a tent for cool Maine nights — from Baxter's Roaring Brook to Evans Notch, with honest labels and shoulder-season picks.
RV Campgrounds in Maryland: Hookups, Sites, Honest ReviewsAn honest, regional look at Maryland RV campgrounds — state parks, full-hookup resorts, and which ones actually fit a modern rig.
Lake Camping in Maine: 10 Sites With Real Water AccessThe word "lakeside" does a lot of work in Maine campground brochures. In a state with roughly six thousand lakes and ponds, most of them left behind when the…
RV Campgrounds in Massachusetts: Hookups, Sites, Honest ReviewsHonest roundup of RV campgrounds in Massachusetts: which state parks have hookups, which private parks are worth it, and where the CCC-era loops still fit a modern rig.
Camping Near the Biggest City in Kentucky — Under 90 MinutesActually, the falls came first Louisville exists because the Ohio River drops about 26 feet over a two-mile stretch of Devonian limestone — the Falls of the…
Camping Near the Biggest City in Kansas — Under 90 MinutesEight campgrounds within 90 minutes of Wichita, ranked by drive time and honest usefulness — from Cheney and El Dorado to the Flint Hills and Kanopolis.
Camping Near the Biggest City in Illinois — Under 90 MinutesA historically grounded, mildly opinionated roundup of real campgrounds within 90 minutes of Chicago — canyons, dunes, kettle lakes, and forest preserves.
Camping Near the Biggest City in Florida — Under 90 MinutesJacksonville is the largest city in Florida by population, and — by land area within its consolidated city-county limits — one of the largest municipalities…
Camping Near the Biggest City in Delaware — Under 90 MinutesA historian's roundup of real campgrounds within 90 minutes of Wilmington, DE — Piedmont woods, coastal-plain ponds, cypress swamp, and honest drive times.
Camping Near the Biggest City in Colorado — Under 90 MinutesAn honest inventory of campgrounds within 90 minutes of Denver — Front Range state parks and Forest Service sites, minus the Rocky Mountain NP wishful thinking.
Camping Near the Biggest City in Arizona — Under 90 MinutesSeven campgrounds within 90 minutes of Phoenix — regional parks, Lost Dutchman, Tonto NF, and the SRP lakes — from a former ranger who prefers shoulder season.
Mountain Camping in Kentucky: Elevation Picks for Cool NightsWhere to find genuinely cool nights in Kentucky — from Kingdom Come and Pine Mountain to the Red River Gorge — with historical context and shoulder-season honesty.
Mountain Camping in Kansas: Elevation Picks for Cool NightsKansas has no mountains, but the western high plains and a few sandstone-bluff parks deliver genuinely cool nights. Where to camp and when to go.
Mountain Camping in Illinois: Elevation Picks for Cool NightsIllinois has no mountains, but the Shawnee Hills and Driftless Area offer real relief and cool nights — here's where to camp and when.
Mountain Camping in Florida: Elevation Picks for Cool NightsFlorida's highest point is 345 feet, but the state still has bluffs, ridges, and sandhills worth camping on — here's where to sleep cold.
Mountain Camping in Delaware: Elevation Picks for Cool NightsDelaware has no mountains — its high point is 447 feet. Here's what "cool-night" camping actually looks like, from the Piedmont fringe to Cape Henlopen.
Mountain Camping in Colorado: Elevation Picks for Cool NightsA Colorado mountain camping roundup organized by elevation — from CCC-era Forest Service loops to state parks — with honest notes on cold, crowds, and shoulder season.
Mountain Camping in Arizona: Elevation Picks for Cool NightsArizona has more forested high country than most visitors realize. Nine cool-night, high-elevation campsites from the Peaks to the Chiricahuas.
Louisiana State Parks for Camping: The Ones Worth the DriveAn honest sort of Louisiana's state parks for camping — CCC-era Chicot, cypress-lake Fausse Pointe, the piney north, and what to skip.
Beach Camping in Louisiana: What You Actually GetLouisiana beach camping isn't the Gulf Coast of postcards — it's barrier islands, chenier ridges, and a few honest state parks. Here's what you actually get.
Beach Camping in Idaho: What You Actually GetIdaho is landlocked — no oceanfront campsites exist. Here's what beach camping in Idaho actually looks like, from Priest Lake to Bear Lake.
Beach Camping in Iowa: What You Actually GetAn Iowa native's honest roundup of lakefront state park campgrounds with beaches — which ones deliver, which don't, and when to actually go.
Beach Camping in Washington D.C.: What You Actually GetThere is no beach camping in D.C. proper. Here's what you actually get within a drivable radius — Assateague, Cape Henlopen, and the honest tradeoffs.
Beach Camping in California: What You Actually GetThe Coast Highway is a lie of scale. On the map it looks like a ribbon of pullouts and pocket beaches you could drift down over a long weekend; in practice it…
Beach Camping in Arkansas: What You Actually GetArkansas has no ocean, but its Corps lakes, CCC-era state parks, and Buffalo River gravel bars offer a real freshwater "beach camping" season worth knowing.
Beach Camping in Alabama: What You Actually GetAn honest look at beach camping in Alabama — Gulf State Park, Dauphin Island, Meaher, and what "oceanfront campsite" actually means here.
Pet-Friendly Camping in Kentucky: Where Dogs Are Genuinely WelcomeAn interpretive ranger's honest guide to where dogs are actually welcome camping in Kentucky — from Daniel Boone NF to LBL to the CCC-era state parks.