Ditch the dinner table for the great outdoors? The case for Campsgiving

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Set us as preferred That fateful Thursday is approaching — the day when millions of American families gather in their homes for a traditional fall harvest meal, sometimes with a side dish of awkwardness and argument.But many individuals, couples and families will be sidestepping that dining-room exercise and instead heading to the hills, forests, deserts and beaches.

For them, this holiday is Campsgiving.“I love camping on Thanksgiving,” said Kevin Long, CEO of camping website the Dyrt.“You don’t have crazy heat to deal with and you have less competition to get awesome campsites.” Travel & Experiences Sure, call it ‘glamping.’ These campsites in Joshua Tree, Ventura, Catalina and Big Bear do all (or most) of the work for you, allowing you to spend your time enjoying nature.Long and his wife, who mostly live in a van with their dog, camped last Thanksgiving on a site at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

While their extended family marked the holiday in wintry Minnesota, they sat down to Atlantic ocean views and a main course of Tofurky.Among footloose families like theirs, the terms Campsgiving, Vansgiving and Glampsgiving have been circulating for years.But with the growth of glamping resorts and campground-finding sites like the Dyrt, Hipcamp and Campspot, the options have widened for newbies.

Aiming to cook a Thanksgiving meal over a campfire? REI has recipes for applewood smoked turkey, smashed sweet potatoes and upside-down apple pie made in a cast-iron pan.“A firepit covered with a strong grate is your best option for cooking,” its guide suggests.

Want to sleep in a safari tent that will already be up when you arrive? The Mendocino Grove glamping resort in Northern California offers a Campsgiving week of family movies, games, crafts, yoga, sound baths and a Friday night buffet in a big tent, feat...