NYC Parks is handing out free overnight camping trips in city parks across all five boroughs this summer and fall, and the agency supplies the tents. You bring a sleeping bag. Getting a spot comes down to a free lottery.
The free family camping program, covered by El Diario, lets New Yorkers spend a night outdoors in some of the city’s most recognizable parks without leaving town. Urban Park Rangers stay on site through the night, both to run the programming and to keep it safe. The activities span guided night nature walks, communal campfires, storytelling, s’mores around the fire and educational sessions about each park’s ecosystem.
The pitch is that you do not need to own any camping gear. NYC Parks provides the tents, so you only have to show up with a sleeping bag, bedding and the personal items you need for one night.
Here is the catch worth planning around: because demand is high, spots are not handed out first come, first served. Every applicant enters a free lottery. You create an account on the NYC Parks Xplor Recreation platform, find the registration window for the specific campout you want, submit your application during the four days that window stays open, then wait for an email telling you whether you were randomly selected.
Each session has its own registration period, and they open on a rolling basis. For Brooklyn and Queens residents, the closest options are a night at the Salt Marsh Nature Center in Marine Park, Brooklyn, on September 6 at 6 p.m., with registration open August 24 through August 27, and a night at Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk in Queens on September 18 at 7 p.m., with registration open September 7 through September 10, according to NYC Parks’ events page.
The rest of the fall lineup runs across the other boroughs: Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan on September 6 (registration August 24 to August 27), Orchard Beach in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx on September 12 (registration August 31 to September 3), and the Blue Heron Nature Center on Staten Island on September 18 and again October 11. Earlier campouts at Inwood Hill Park on August 28 and the Van Cortlandt Nature Center in the Bronx on August 30 have already closed to registration.
Even with the tent covered, the organizers recommend coming prepared. Their suggested packing list runs to a sleeping bag, a pillow or bedding, insect repellent, comfortable closed-toe shoes for the walks, a reusable water bottle, extra snacks and clothing warm enough for overnight temperatures. The s’mores, at least, are on the house.
Millions of people pass through the city’s parks every year, but few get to stay past sunset. You can check the full schedule and enter the lottery at nycgovparks.org/events/family-camping.
Featured image: Bushwick Daily image
