I grew up camping with my family. But being in California, we went camping at the state beaches.
So camping to me = the beach.
My husband was raised in Utah. There are no beaches in Utah. And no, lakes don’t count. So camping to him means = the mountains.
Since we live in Utah, if we wanted to go camping it was going to be in the mountains. This is a new adjustment to me, but I’ve liked it. There are some great things about camping in the mountains and some fun things to do with little kids.
For our first camping trip this summer we decided to just stay one night. I think it’s good to start small when you have small children. We got there in the afternoon and set up our tent – which by the way, setting up tents has become way easier since I was a kid. No more huge metal poles. Now they bend and pop up easily!
Then we had hot dogs for dinner and s’mores for dessert over a fire pit. Make sure you talk about safety with your children about being around a fire pit. We make sure our kids stay away from them and don’t throw things in them.
The nice thing about camping in the mountains is you can go on walks and hikes. We took the kids for a fun walk and pointed out the flowers, trees, bushes, water, birds, and even found a caterpillar! They loved looking at nature and noticing all the little details. Make sure you pack sunscreen, hats, water bottles, and bug repellent! Because you’ll need them all!
We also just let the kids play in the dirt around the campsite. There’s something about rocks and dirt that just seem to pull at kids and they have to play in it! So bring lots of baby wipes and hand sanitizer. Because you’ll need those too.
The kids had a blast! Even little Nate enjoyed it. And since the mountains are a bit cooler at night, we made sure we bundled the kids up extra well with sleeping bags, blankets, and sweaters.
Have fun camping!
Just A Touch Of Crazy says
How fun! The mountains are something my husband and I have really missed since moving away from Utah. In a few weeks I'll get to go camping with my kids and my parents in the the mountains of Idaho and I can't wait to be back up there!
ATanner110 says
Oh how fun! They will love that! My husband's family has a cabin in Idaho and my kids love going there.