Summer is just around the corner, which means it's time for home-cooked meals and backyard parties. One of the most important parts of outdoor gatherings is roasting hot dogs in the fire pit and making marshmallow sandwich cookies for the delicious marshmallows. Whether you're shopping for your first fire pit or looking for an alternative that took too long in the sun and rain, you're sure to find a perfect and practical addition to your yard on our list of favorites.
Whether you want to heat your outdoor space with wood or propane, there are plenty of "fire feature" options, from stone fire pits to chimneys. I've narrowed my recommendations down to real wood-burning fire pits, so you won't find any gas or propane fire pits here. After all, wood fire pits are superior in ease of use and versatility - you can use them to build fires or cook food, including grilling. Best of all, building a fire with firewood is a great way to roast marshmallows to make sticky and delicious marshmallow sandwiches.
If you don't want to go to the trouble of remodeling your yard, don't worry. Some of the best fire pits are portable, so you don't need to build a permanent one in your yard. Large retailers like Amazon, Home Depot and Rao's carry them, or you can buy them directly from the fire pit manufacturer.
Removable outdoor fireplaces vary widely in size, weight and price. You can find inexpensive $50 models or high-performance ones that cost $350. You can even spend $1,500 or more for a chic propane fire pit. Many stoves also come with extra grates, so if you like the outdoors, you can take your cast iron stove and cook over the embers in your backyard fire pit instead of in the kitchen.
The models on the list are from well-known outdoor brands that are either best sellers, ranked highly, or are strong challengers for best fire pits. We tested many backyard fire pits to determine their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the quality of the tools that came with them, whether they were cookware or poker sticks. Ready to gather around the campfire? Let us help you choose the best wood fire pit for your backyard or patio. We'll be updating this list regularly.