Today I’m joining a a group of outdoor bloggers in listing our favorite campgrounds in the US and Canada (be sure to scroll to the bottom to see more lists of great campsites).

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not really a campground kind of girl, but every now-and-then I’ve found myself in a low key backwoods campground where I actually didn’t mind having a few neighbors and sometimes even a bathroom.  Here, in no particular order, are my favorites (in the West, where I’ve most often found myself pitching a tent).

1)  Kodachrome Basin State Park. Cannonville, Utah.

Kodachrome Basin is just outside of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and just down the road from Bryce Canyon National Park. This campground tends to be relatively quiet (as in not a lot of people). They have toilets, showers and picnic tables and quite a few trails (many of which are good for kids). It’s a small park, but very picturesque and it’s close to all sorts of amazing exploring opportunities.

2)  A Campsite near Lassen Volcanic National Park, California.

I have no clue what this the name of this campground is, but I can tell you that it’s between the Cinder Cone trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park and Highway 44. It’s a little Forest Service campground tucked away and apparently not advertised. It’s such a great little spot with big trees, a little stream running by and just a few miles outside of the park. I posted about this trip here.

3)  Coast Camp. Point Reyes National Seashore, California.

I really like all the campgrounds in Point Reyes,  mostly because you can’t drive to them, you have to hike in. Coast Camp is my favorite because it’s an easy hike in for kids, 2 miles along an old dirt road, or you can bike there, or push a stroller. It accessible but provides that added element of adventures to anyone willing to give it an effort. The campsites themselves are nothing to write home about, but whole experience is what’s worth it. It’s really close to the beach, and some tide pools, and it’s got the best rope swing I’ve ever had the privilege of swinging on.

4)  Anza-Borrego State Park, Arroyo Salado Campground, California.

You have to hit Anza-Borrego State Park in the spring, during wildflower season. It’s warm and colorful when most of the rest of the country is still cold and drab. There are quite a few different campgrounds in the park, but we always migrate towards Arroyo Salado because it’s never crowded, probably because it lacks a few amenities. It’s got a pit toilet, but that’s about it. Still, we get down there every spring we can.

5)  Buckhorn Draw. San Rafael Swell, Utah.

This place is pretty darned awesome. The place we camp doesn’t have toilets and tables, but there is a campground at San Rafael Bridge Recreation Site that does have some amenities (toilets, tables, flat spots but no water). It’s a long dirt road in, so you have to be dedicated to finding beautiful scenery well off the beaten path. The campground is right in the heart of petrogluphs, climbing, hiking and off trail exploring.

6)  Gold Bluffs Campground. Orick, California.

This campsite is amazing, especially in the winter when it’s totally empty. There are not many campsites left on the West coast that let you set up camp so close to the beach. They have showers, restrooms, fire pits, water and picnic tables. They don’t have RV hook ups, in fact large RV’s are not allowed in. It’s a sandy campsite well off the main highway (off a dirt road) with golden bluffs on one side of the campground and the ocean on the other. Sometimes you get Elk wandering through your camp and the campground is by one of the most beautiful places in all of Northern California, Fern Canyon (which also just so happens to be the perfect hike for kids).

7)  Loma Linda Campground, Summerhaven, Arizona.

This place isn’t too far outside of Tucson, and the drive from the valley floor all the way up to 9,000 feet on Mount Lemmon is incredible.  The campsite features all the amenities (i.e. tables, bathrooms, etc.)  It is a little pricey, but worth it for one night, just to watch the sunset from so high up.  It can be crowded in the summer, but the off season isn’t bad at all.  There are a number of other campgrounds on the way up to Loma Linda as well that may be just as nice, and numerous hiking trails.  And if you’re the extra adventurous sort, I highly recommend the dirt road off the back side (north side) of the Santa Catalinas and winds its way down to Oracle.

8)  Gibson Reservoir Campsite, near Augusta, Montana.

I stayed here before starting a backpacking trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness to see the infamous Chinese Wall.  I had the whole place to myself… and between the incredible views, the little reservoir, and the crisp air in August, I was in heaven.  The drive up the Sun River to get here isn’t too shabby either.  Facilities are minimal, but (when I went) it was also free!

9)  Desert Pass Campground, near Las Vegas, NV

While the night sky isn’t the best you’ve ever seen from here, this little oasis in the desert is pretty cool, and pretty isolated considering the giant city not too far away!  We’ve enjoyed combining the contrast of a night in Vegas with the serenity of camping in the desert, and this little place provides the perfect contrast.  The Desert National Wildlife Refuge is not well-traveled so you can expect lots of peace and quiet, and this little place features Ponderosas and a nice breeze–quite a change from the Mojave desert surrounding it!  In the spring, the flowers can be stunning, and there are Big Horn Sheep and lots of birds that migrate through.  The road in here is bumpy, but exciting.  Make sure your spare tire is in the care, and inflated, and that you bring extra water!   There are several trails up into the mountains… a nice summary can be found at this website.

10)  Aguirre Springs Campground, near Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The best thing about this campground is it’s proximity to so many fun and unique things.  Aguirre Springs is in the Organ Mountains, which rise from the desert floor suddenly, and spectacularly.  There are trails to the tops of their jagged peaks (we recommend hiking up there very early for sunrise or sunset), and this place is open year round (we recommend visiting between September and May because that is when it is least visited, and when the desert is coolest–and we mean both kinds of coolest).  The view is phenomenal, and a half an hour away is White Sands National Monument which is good for several days of fun!  The campground is cheap, with clean but simple facilities and plenty of picnic tables and tent sites.  As an added bonus, the giant boulders scattered around camp make for fun exploring for kids.

• The Best Provincial Park Campgrounds in Southern Alberta (Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies)
• Alaskans Share Their Favorite Campgrounds (AKontheGO)
• Sandflats Recreational Area, Moab, UT (Kid Project)
• Best Campgrounds in North America: Western Colorado Edition (Brave Ski Mom)
• Camping at the City of Rocks (Climb Run Lift Mom)
• Top 5 Backcountry Campgrounds in Banff National Park (The Campsite)
• Yellowstone National Park Campground Review (TravelingMel)
• West Coast Campground Review – Sweet Summer Spots to Relax & Recharge! (Mommy Hiker)
• North America’s Best Campgrounds: Elkmont (Val in Real Life)
• North America’s Best Campgrounds: Cloudland Canyon, Georgia (GA Family Camping)
• The Best of West Coast Camping (OurBoler)
• Top 5 Campgrounds near Moab (Adventure Tykes)
• North America’s Best Campgrounds: Dolly Copp Campground in Gorham, NH (Adventurous Moms)
• Classic Campsites: Murphy Hogback Campground, Canyonlands National Park (Adventure Parents)
• Camping and Climbing in Maple Canyon UT (The Kid Project)
• The Best of West Coast Camping (Family Outdoor Adventures)

I recently moved down the street from a lake. A bonafide honset-to-goodness lake. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting into stand up paddleboarding (SUP). Preferable with my kids. So I knew just just the person to go to for advise. Danielle and her husband own Sweetwater Paddle Sports in Southwest Florida and run a SupMommys group, a class where Moms AND their kids come to learn the ways of the paddleboard.

Thanks for sharing your wisdom Danielle. Can’t wait to try this out.

How did you get into Stand Up Paddleboarding?  

I grew up in Naples, Fl (on the beach), then lived in the Virgin Islands with my husband for a few years. Being on the water has always been a part of who I am.

Three years ago my husband and I got the urge to try stand up paddleboarding since surfing is rare on the southwest coast of Fl. After a few times out on a board my husband and I decided we wanted to open our own stand up paddleboard shop, Sweetwater Paddle Sports. We’ve been open for 2 years, have been crazy busy and are now expanding!

What made you decide to start your SupMommys group?  (more…)

It is so close to springtime here.  The grass is mostly green.  The Fox Sparrows are back in front of the house.  Robins are perusing the lawn for tasty grubs.  The Red-tailed Hawks that live in the Cottonwood just down the road are searching the fields for voles again.  Mud Season has just about passed and I don’t have to wipe the dogs’ feet every time they come in the house.  Flowers will be unfurling their splendid banners any day now!

They may already be blooming where you are… and if you aren’t sure, there are a number of excellent websites that can keep you up to date on the blooms occurring in your neck of the woods.  Here are my favorites, arranged by region (this list is hardly comprehensive, but is a start). (more…)

We always advocated that being outside is its own reward; that kids can be entertained with a minimum of ‘toys’ while in Nature’s Playground.  And while we still stand by that, it’s also true that a few simple props can greatly enhance any camping trip–especially ones that last a few days.

Here’s a list of our favorite camping gadgets.  If your kids are especially short on attentiveness, space these out over a few days for even greater enjoyment.

• Binoculars  Whether it’s to view the night sky or the moon, magnify a spider (turn your binoculars upside down), or check out the birds in the trees above camp, binoculars are a great addition to any bag of camping goodies.  With adult supervision, any pair will work or you can buy your kids their own pair fairly inexpensively.  Look for ones with low magnification, wide field of view, not too heavy or consider a pair specific to kids.  I’ve been drooling over these made by Bresser.  They ship from Germany.  For older kids, invest in a pair that is durable and will last awhile (but still not too expensive).  I like these Pentax binoculars.  We wrote a post a few years back on teaching a kid how to use binoculars.
• Whittling tools  Hours of fun, and with the added danger of a trip to the emergency room!  Just kidding… sort of.  Buy a thumb guard, or put a leather glove on the hand holding the carving wood to reduce the chance of injury.  If you want to splurge, get a beginner’s set of wood-carving tools.  Otherwise set them free with a pocket knife (there are many good pocket knives for young outdoorsmen, but I will forever be partial to Old Timer’s because it was my first).  A good beginner project is a marshmallow roasting stick.  Also fun are flutes.  You can also buy blocks of wood for beginners, or give your novice a bar of ivory soap and see what emerges. (more…)

As I mentioned last week, it sorta felt like we were short on adults for our camping trip last week. I had a feeling this would be the case so I tried to think up really easy meals.

As I walked past a boboli crust display in the grocery store I got an idea… Turned out it was actually a pretty good idea.  Pizza while camping is totally a lazy man sort of meal.   Also turns out Olivia had a few more lazy-man pizza ideas to add.

All these recipes are similar in that they involve your basic pizza toppings. They differ in that there are 4 different ways you can make the crust depending on how much time you want to put into it.

First some thoughts on a few key toppings. (more…)

We’ve talked before on the blog about feeding children while backpacking. But today we have a new perspective from someone who’s dealt a lot with feeding a wide range of appetites in the backcountry. This is a guest post from Lauren Caselli, a Manhattan desk-jockey-turned-wilderness-junkie and former guide for Alpengirl Camp. 

Backpacking with kids and teens can be a rewarding experience. They think that every sweeping mountain vista is super rad, they have good energy, and they are surprisingly strong enough to carry most of their own weight.

But at the end of the day, when they’ve hiked miles with heavy packs in all kinds of weather, they’re still kids. They still get tired and cranky. And they definitely still hate spinach.

So what’s an outdoor mom to do when she’s got picky eaters in her tent?

Here are a few tips that I’ve learned as a guide for an all-girls adventure summer camp to keep even the pickiest of pack-carriers happy, and gives enough variety for everyone to go home and still appreciate pasta. (more…)

Thaleia wrote to us the other week with the following excellent question:

Do you know of any sane pregnant women who tent camp with 3 children ages 3/9/10? Just wanting to find out :). What gear is a must have for comfort?

While we can’t relate directly to this situation, not yet having nine or ten year olds, we can definitely relate to camping, camping with kids, and camping while pregnant!  Between the two of us, these are our suggestions:

1)  Do not sacrifice comfort.  Pack heavy.  Now is not the time for lightweight backpacking or extreme camping.  Pregnant women have a hard enough time being comfortable at home, let alone in the boonies, or in a campground where the only place to sit is a picnic bench or the ground.

• An extra thick sleeping pad is essential.  If you’ve just won the lottery, or have a rich uncle to help, get a Paco Pad–the luxurious sleeping pads used by river runners who seldom worry about bulk and weight.  Slightly cheaper but also nice is a Big Agnes pad–also bulky, but they combine air chambers with insulation for extra padding… they may even have ones now with padding especially for women with hips.  And if you don’t want to spend that kind of dough either, consider a plain old air mattress.  You may even find  that an air mattress is more comfortable than your bed, depending on the relative squishiness of both!  Three notes:  it will never ever ever fold up as small as when you bought it, and don’t let the dog even sniff at it or it will develop a hole, and finally read the note below about mummy bags–air mattresses can suck the heat out of you!.  Also nice is one of those egg-carton foam pads if you can get your hands on one… or put all three together and sleep like a Princess. (more…)

We’ve talked on this site before about making the perfect granola bar.  (We are still looking for good recipes, by the way!)  While these aren’t technically granola bars, they are pretty darned good!  My mom has been making these ‘bread sticks’ for years.  They’re wonderfully filling and so easy to make, but (even better), they’re also incredibly versatile.

What you’ll need:

1)  5 cups of various flours:  white flour, whole-wheat flour, oats, flax seed, millet, whatever suits your fancy.  The whole wheat makes them denser, the flax seed gave it a slightly nutty taste (which I liked).  Try your own combination and see what you like best!  This weekend we made them with 2 cups each of white and whole-wheat flour, 1 cup of oats, and a few tablespoons of flax seed. (more…)

I didn’t’ grow up in a place where it snowed, but luckily my Grandparents lived in an icy wonderland. Every winter we’d make the trek to their house at least once, tie plastic bags around our feet and head out into the snow. Every trip was accompanied by a cup of hot chocolate and a ‘snow cone’. I remember the snow cones being this amazing delicacy that only my Grandma could make.

A few years ago I asked her for her secret recipe. Her reply: 1 heap of snow and a handfull of sugar. That’s it? I tried it one year. It wasn’t as delectable as it had been to my childhood self.

So I came up with a few of my own recipes. I make these à la carte style. I have a big bowl of snow and all the toppings lined up and let my kids pick out whatever they want me to mix in. (more…)

We’re pretty cheap, or rather, ‘thrifty’. So when winter came around a few years ago and we wanted to pull our chariot around in the snow, we opted not to buy the official conversion kit, but rather build our own.

First, we rented the official version, skied around for a day, then came up with our own plan. To be honest, we actually like our version better than the real deal. Why? Allow me illustrate.

1. If you leave the wheels on you have a bigger range of motion and can go over stuff like this (photo below). 2. If you make your own you can use fatter skis, that means better performance in powder (photo below).

Or maybe we’re just trying to make ourselves feel better about being ‘thrifty’?

At any rate, here is a step by step guide on how we converted our chariot into a skiing machine. Note: Hold your mouse over the photos for explanations. (more…)