Tips and Safety Instructions for Campfire Cooking
Redwood Creek encourages outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy campfire cookery, but to always take heed of safety precautions.
Before heading to the campground, always check with the ranger station for any special fire regulations or bans, and be sure the cooking method you plan to use meets local restrictions in your area.
Step 2: Select the location
A campfire should not be built when the wind is strong enough to cause sparks to be carried to other combustible matter. Build fires in designated campfire rings. If there are no designated rings, but fires are permitted, select your campsite carefully with full regard for safety. Select an open and clear area that is at least 8-10 feet from any brush, logs, tents, standing trees or wooden structures. Make sure the campfire is built on level, steady ground, and that water is easily accessible nearby.
Step 3: Build the campfire ring
The best place to build a fire is within an existing fire ring in a well-placed campsite. This will help contain the fire within the perimeter of the fire ring, as well as heat the rocks to keep the fire warm. If there are no designated pits, use rocky or sandy sites only. Avoid organic soils and duff, and places where the fire could damage plants or other natural features. Remove and scatter the ashes before filling in and camouflaging the pit.
Step 4: Lay the kindling
Standing trees, dead or alive, are home to birds and insects, so leave them intact. Instead, select dead and down wood, which burns easily and leaves less impact. Fill the fire area with tinder or small twigs, wood shavings, dry leaves or grass, dry needles or bark. Then, from the ground up, layer kindling or small twigs 1” around or less on top of the tinder. The entire fire area should be covered evenly with the kindling stack. Light the bottom layer of tinder to start the fire, but be sure the match you use is extinguished. Keep a bucket of water and a shovel near the fire area for emergencies.
Step 5: Build the fire
Never leave your campfire unattended, and always keep small children away from the campfire area. Once the kindling is lit and the fire is in full blaze, slowly add larger pieces of wood. If possible, firewood should be hardwood and relatively the same size. Do not remove branches or bark from any dead or living standing tree. Remember to keep your stack of wood upwind and away from the fire. Distribute the wood evenly in the campfire ring, not just in the center.
Step 6: Grade the coals
The size of the fire should not exceed 3 feet in height or in diameter. The best cooking fire is small and hot. Once the flames subside and you’re left with mostly white coals-which give off a steady, even heat-use a stick to push the coals to the center, then fan the coals towards the outside of the campfire ring to create a sloping mound. This will generate the 'High,' 'Medium' and 'Low' settings.
Step 7: Cooking
To cook, you can place a grill over the fire and rest it on the rocks/campfire ring, or with some recipes, the cookware can be placed directly on the coals. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions closely when using cookware, and never put your food directly in the flames because it will be burned on the outside and raw on the inside. As the fire diminishes, use a tool to turn the rocks inward to get the most heat.
Step 8: Putting out the fire
After you're finished cooking, be sure the fire is completely extinguished, and the coals or wood are cold before you leave. If you feel any warmth with your bare hand in the ashes, the fire is not out. Remember to always keep the campsite beautiful. Pack out any campfire litter. Trash and leftover food should never be burned in a campfire. A conscientious camper leaves a site looking like they were never there. For more information on how to minimize campfire impact while enjoying the great outdoors, please visit Leave No Trace.
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Redwood Creek encourages outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy campfire cookery, but to always take heed of safety precautions.
Step 1: Before you go
Step 2: Select the location
Step 3: Build the campfire ring
Step 4: Lay the kindling
Step 5: Build the fire
Step 6: Grade the coals
Step 7: Cooking
Step 8: Putting out the fire
Before heading to the campground, always check with the ranger station for any special fire regulations or bans, and be sure the cooking method you plan to use meets local restrictions in your area.
Step 2: Select the location
A campfire should not be built when the wind is strong enough to cause sparks to be carried to other combustible matter. Build fires in designated campfire rings. If there are no designated rings, but fires are permitted, select your campsite carefully with full regard for safety. Select an open and clear area that is at least 8-10 feet from any brush, logs, tents, standing trees or wooden structures. Make sure the campfire is built on level, steady ground, and that water is easily accessible nearby.
Step 3: Build the campfire ring
The best place to build a fire is within an existing fire ring in a well-placed campsite. This will help contain the fire within the perimeter of the fire ring, as well as heat the rocks to keep the fire warm. If there are no designated pits, use rocky or sandy sites only. Avoid organic soils and duff, and places where the fire could damage plants or other natural features. Remove and scatter the ashes before filling in and camouflaging the pit.
Step 4: Lay the kindling
Standing trees, dead or alive, are home to birds and insects, so leave them intact. Instead, select dead and down wood, which burns easily and leaves less impact. Fill the fire area with tinder or small twigs, wood shavings, dry leaves or grass, dry needles or bark. Then, from the ground up, layer kindling or small twigs 1” around or less on top of the tinder. The entire fire area should be covered evenly with the kindling stack. Light the bottom layer of tinder to start the fire, but be sure the match you use is extinguished. Keep a bucket of water and a shovel near the fire area for emergencies.
Step 5: Build the fire
Never leave your campfire unattended, and always keep small children away from the campfire area. Once the kindling is lit and the fire is in full blaze, slowly add larger pieces of wood. If possible, firewood should be hardwood and relatively the same size. Do not remove branches or bark from any dead or living standing tree. Remember to keep your stack of wood upwind and away from the fire. Distribute the wood evenly in the campfire ring, not just in the center.
Step 6: Grade the coals
The size of the fire should not exceed 3 feet in height or in diameter. The best cooking fire is small and hot. Once the flames subside and you’re left with mostly white coals-which give off a steady, even heat-use a stick to push the coals to the center, then fan the coals towards the outside of the campfire ring to create a sloping mound. This will generate the 'High,' 'Medium' and 'Low' settings.
Step 7: Cooking
To cook, you can place a grill over the fire and rest it on the rocks/campfire ring, or with some recipes, the cookware can be placed directly on the coals. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions closely when using cookware, and never put your food directly in the flames because it will be burned on the outside and raw on the inside. As the fire diminishes, use a tool to turn the rocks inward to get the most heat.
Step 8: Putting out the fire
After you're finished cooking, be sure the fire is completely extinguished, and the coals or wood are cold before you leave. If you feel any warmth with your bare hand in the ashes, the fire is not out. Remember to always keep the campsite beautiful. Pack out any campfire litter. Trash and leftover food should never be burned in a campfire. A conscientious camper leaves a site looking like they were never there. For more information on how to minimize campfire impact while enjoying the great outdoors, please visit Leave No Trace.
Download PDF
