Tools and Materials

Tools

Materials

Tinder
Kindling
Firewood
Matches
Firestarters (Optional)

Note

Product costs, availability and item numbers may vary online or by market.

Before You Start a Fire Outdoors

Make sure campfires are allowed where you plan to camp. Get a permit if one is required for the area. If you’re camping at a commercial campground, check with the operator. For areas managed by state or national agencies, such as a state park service or the United States Forest Service, check with managing agencies.

Keep in mind that conditions such as dry or windy weather may impact whether campfires are allowed at a particular time. Never build a fire in an area unless you’re sure it’s allowed. There may be rules about whether you need to use a fire pit or build a fire ring and guidelines about collecting and using firewood and extinguishing the fire.

Pay attention to local conditions. If the area is very dry or if conditions are windy, don’t build a campfire.

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How to Build a Campfire

A person feeding small pieces of kindling to a newly lit campfire.

If you’re camping in a commercial campground, there will usually be campsites with fire pits or fire rings already in place. In the wilderness, it’s a good practice to use an existing fire ring. If you must build one, plan to disassemble it before you leave the site.

Your campfire needs to be on level ground and a minimum of 15 feet away from any tents and surrounding trees and bushes. Pay attention to what’s above the site and avoid locations below low-hanging branches. Keep the site away from material that can become fuel, such as fallen leaves or pine straw. The site should have shelter from wind gusts. Note the direction of prevailing winds that could carry sparks or embers away. It’s best to build a campfire on sand, gravel or mineral-type soil to avoid sterilizing organic soil with the heat of the fire.

The instructions below tell you how to build a campfire with a fire pit and a ring of rocks. Some sites may prohibit digging. Always follow any regulations for your campsite.

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Building the Campfire

Collect the firewood. Don’t cut or break wood from whole or standing trees, regardless of whether they’re living or dead. Aside from the damage it would cause, wood from a live tree won’t burn easily, and collecting wood from a tree that’s standing — living or dead — could destroy the habitat of birds and other wildlife. Instead, collect fallen wood from the ground. If you’re camping at an established site or campground, you may be able to purchase firewood from the campground or at a nearby store. Use local firewood. It’s often not a good idea to bring wood with you from home since it could introduce nonnative insects to the area.

You’ll need three types of campfire wood:

Small twigs or pieces of dry bark for tinder to help you start the fire (you can also use dry grass or leaves as tinder)
Small sticks up to 1 inch in diameter to act as kindling
Larger pieces of firewood 3 to 10 inches in diameter as fuel to keep the campfire burning once you get it started

Keep the wood outside of your 10-foot-diameter area, upwind from the fire.

Tip

Avoid using pieces of wood larger than 10 inches in diameter. They may be too big to burn completely, and it’s a good practice to avoid leaving partially burned wood behind.

Make a loose pile of tinder in the middle of your fire pit. Don’t pack it tightly — oxygen needs to get to the fire. There are several ways you can arrange your kindling and firewood, including the examples below, depending on whether you want to cook or just relax around the warmth of the campfire. Cones and lean-to fires are good for cooking, while a log cabin arrangement creates a long-lasting campfire you can enjoy into the night.

Cone: Place the kindling on end in a circle with the ends meeting over the kindling. This allows lots of oxygen to reach the flames, creating a campfire that heats up quickly for cooking and warmth. Add larger pieces of wood once the fire catches. When the wood falls into a bed of coals, it creates a good fire for cooking.
Lean-To: Select one of the longer pieces of kindling and drive an end into the ground so the stick slants over the tinder. Line smaller kindling on end along this longer piece. Like the cone arrangement, the lean-to allows plenty of oxygen to reach the fire.
Log Cabin: Starting with the larger pieces, place two pieces of firewood parallel to each other on either side of the tinder. Stack two more pieces on top of and perpendicular to the first two. Continue to alternate the sides, using smaller pieces of wood to make the rectangle a bit smaller as you build. Lay the smallest pieces of kindling inside the structure and over the top. As an alternative, you can start building the shape with kindling and add firewood as the fire gets established.

Light the tinder with a lighter or match. If you use a match, once it’s extinguished and cold, add it to the fire. Allow the flames to grow and feed more tinder onto the fire. Lightly blow on the base of the flames. Don’t get too close to the fire.

Tip

A firestarter can help you get a fire going. Just make sure you’re using it according to the manufacturer’s instructions and that it’s designed for campfire use.

Your camping location or the agency that manages the land may have specific requirements for extinguishing campfires. Follow any instructions for your site. As a general practice, when the fire has burned down, extinguish it by pouring plenty of water over the area. Douse the embers whether they’re red and glowing or not. Keep adding water until you no longer hear the hiss of water contacting hot material.

Use a shovel to scrape embers from any unconsumed wood. Don’t stop until you’ve removed all the embers. Add more water and stir until all of the material is cool. Hold your hand just above — but not touching — all areas of the campfire site, including the edges of the area, to feel for warmth. Don’t leave the site if any heat remains. If there’s still heat, stir in more water. Don’t completely submerge the fire pit; you want it to be ready for the next use. Once everything is completely cool, collect any remnants that didn’t burn completely. Dispose of them properly or pack them to carry out for disposal. If you built a fire ring with rocks, remove them from around the campfire site and scatter them. If you dug a fire pit, use wet dirt to top it off.

Tip

If you want to enjoy the warmth and ambiance of an outdoor fire but want to stay close to the comforts of home, you can add a fire pit or fire ring to your backyard. We can show you fire pit ideas, whether you want to use a fire pit kit, create a custom design or build an in-ground fire pit.

Outdoor Fire and Campfire Safety Tips

Campfires provide warmth, a place to cook and a great place to just relax. To make sure everyone enjoys the fire and the outdoor experience, make safety a priority and act responsibly when lighting and maintaining any fire. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Light a campfire only if you’ve confirmed it’s allowed and follow all the requirements for lighting, maintaining and extinguishing the fire.
Don’t light a campfire in windy conditions.
Make sure an adult is present at all times when lighting a fire and while it’s burning.
Avoid using lighter fluid or any other type of flammable liquid on the fire.
Keep flammable items away from the fire.
Don’t throw trash such as cans, foil or plastic onto the fire.
Extinguish your campfire with water rather than just dirt or sand. Don’t bury warm ashes or embers.

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Learn How to Make a Campfire: Techniques, Tips and Safety