Normally, we don’t have a lot of trouble getting-in our family outdoor time, here in northern California. As I write this, however, the second of multiple rain storms is moving through the area and the overnight temperatures are heading into the mid-30’s over the next few days. Maintaining at least some outdoor time for your family can be challenging in the winter, but it’s during these dark and cold days that getting outside is the most important.
A November hike in Henry Coe SP
Sure, we have a lot of advantages, living here in the San Francisco Bay Area. The weather is relatively mild, allowing us to take advantage of family camping well into December. In fact, one of our family traditions, since moving to northern California in 2005, is to go camping over the Thanksgiving holiday. The kids are out of school and neither Lisa or myself have family in the area, so it’s a great time to get away and spend some quality outdoor time, together. Hopefully, this year will be a dry one, although it looks like it will be a bit chilly!
We are also fortunate to live right next door to the largest state park in northern California, which allows us to make the most of any breaks in the weather and get-in some great weekend hikes. Taking advantage of these impromptu opportunities is one of our key strategies for getting everybody some outdoor time, over the winter.
We really like camping in the winter, though. There is something special about the crisp mornings and, when the skies are clear at night, one of the kid’s favorite activities is star gazing – with hot chocolate and marshmallows, of course. We will be camping in the Carmel Valley, this week, which is almost twenty miles from the nearest small town (and source of light pollution), so I’m looking forward to some great star gazing opportunities.
I know we have it pretty easy, here in California, when it comes to getting outdoors in the winter, so I’d love to hear how you do it, in your area!
See also…
Looking forward to cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and camping in Acadia National Park this winter! So much to do, so little time in the weekends… Winters are a little different here in New England!
Roy, I have to ask: have you been to Point Lobos Natural Reserve just outside Carmel? One of the most beautiful “secrets” I came across on my cross country road trip.
Our winters are cold, gray, wet/snowy, ill-tempered and mean-spirited and generally miserable, Roy. Oh wait, maybe those last three were just me… Seriously, you’ve got me thinking that we (my family and I) really need to break out of our summers-only camping routine. We usually spend the fall months hiking, rather than camping. Time to break the mold, and be bold, and “just do it”. Thanks for the inspiration! ~Jim
Good luck, Jim! I know it seems a bit counter-intuitive to venture out when the weather is nasty, but hopefully you can take advantage of some breaks and get everybody outside 🙂
Our winters are cold, gray, wet/snowy, ill-tempered and mean-spirited and generally miserable, Roy. Oh wait, maybe those last three were just me…
Seriously, you’ve got me thinking that we (my family and I) really need to break out of our summers-only camping routine. We usually spend the fall months hiking, rather than camping.
Time to break the mold, and be bold, and “just do it”. Thanks for the inspiration!
~Jim
We get pretty cold winters here in Ontario, so extra precautions are in order. See my article from last year:
http://www.momanddadcamping.com/camping/general-discussions/winter-checklist-driving-and-camping.html
Beata
Nice, Beata! I have been to Toronto in February – brrrr! I have also walked around Ottawa in the summer, though, and that was absolutely fabulous – what a gorgeous city.
Sleep in my car! I have a hatchback car so when we get to camp I fold down the back seats and line it with blankets. I also pull my dog into my sleeping bag. We stay very warm.
Hah! Great idea, Christine – I bet the dog helps out a lot.
Have a fun Thanksgiving holiday. Can’t think of a better way to spend it then outside! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of your climate…however here in Utah we get out as a family during the winter by cross-country skiing. It’s a downer when it is windy though. At the beginning of the winter season it’s difficult getting everyone dressed and ready to go out in the cold but after a couple times of this it seems everyone gets into the groove and it’s an easy system after a while, habit I guess. We have a blizzard warning for tomorrow! we’ll be sipping hot chocolate too but it may be from inside the house 🙂
Have a great Thanksgiving, Shawna! The kids are already bugging us to take them to the snow – I can’t wait!
Our winter strategy is to get good gear for the kids and keep it near the front door. Since it gets cold ( 3 degrees today!) and snowy we have to be able to keep the munchkins warm and dry while trying to instill a love (and NEED) for the outdoors. Then we make plans to get out at least one day every weekend and stick to it (although the destination and activity may change.) I have to admit, that snow is easier than rain, though.
I bet it is, Mel! We have to drive about 3 hours to the south entrance of Yosemite for sledding. Until this weekend, I doubt there was any snow, yet – but we have been getting a lot (for us) of rain, so I bet the snow is there now!
I’ve long believed that inclement weather is never as bad in person as it is when contemplated from a warm, dry place. My advice to parents: Just do it! (Then again that’s all simple to say considering I’ve got it pretty easy in Georgia, too.)
Anyway, I thought I’d share a winter camping-with-kids post I wrote a while back:
http://clarkbeast.wordpress.com/2008/11/26/trying-to-make-kidsicles/
Thanks, Clark – that’s a really great article! I grew up on a river in Oregon and I can remember swimming with friends in all kinds of crazy weather 🙂