A Day in the Life of the Happy Camper

With a little preparation, camping with young children is a rewarding experience

This is a guest post from Licia at The Happy Campers, a Tumblr blog about family camping. See my information page if you are interested in guest-posting, here on CampingBlogger.

Let’s face it- there is nothing more daunting than going camping with children under the age of five. On first blush you might think: “Total chaos!” However, if you plan your day accordingly and have brainstormed enough activities, a successful outing will ensue. Camping with children under the age of five is different than camping with the six year old plus category. Continue reading →

Resolutions for the New Year via Wheeling It

So this week is full of blog posts about New Year’s resolutions, but these at Wheeling It made me smile.

Polly and the cats have been so fantastically inspiring that I decided the best thing I  could do for myself in 2011 is learn from their lead. So, with life lessons learnt from my furry friends allow me to introduce my 8 dogkittylutions for 2011:

Resolve To Be Bold

I want to do something bold and exciting for our family camping trip this summer

Have you taken your family into the backcountry and camped in the wild, away from any established campsite? How about camping in one of the great national parks? I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, but as we head into another week of sporadic rain, here in NorCal, I’m left with little else to do – other than plan an exciting family adventure for this summer! Continue reading →

November Camping in the Ventana Wilderness

November camping in Central California

It is tough to beat the Central California Coast in the winter, and our Thanksgiving camping excursion into the wild Ventana Wilderness did not disappoint. We had solid days of rain on November 16th, the day before we left, and on Saturday the 27th, as we pulled back into our driveway, but for three glorious days it was pure sunshine with just enough evening chill to remind us that this was still winter camping. Continue reading →

Quick Takes

Traffic Jams in Denali National Park

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For the past quarter-century, millions of visitors have experienced Denali National Park and Preserve largely through the window of a 48-passenger bus.

Under Denali National Park’s current vehicle management plan, the maximum number of vehicles allowed on the park’s 92-mile road during the tourist season is 10,512. Visitors tend to be more diverse today, including families looking for an educational experience and adventurers who want to take hikes or go on birding expeditions. “They don’t want to sit on the bus, and we’ve started making accommodations for that.”
— Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Florida Program Gets Inner City Youth Outdoors

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The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has a program called Get REAL! (Recreational Environmental Adventures in Learning) that marries inner city youth programs and the Florida State Park system together, providing opportunities for kids to experience camping and the great outdoors – very cool!

“She kept saying you should come – it’s going to be fun,” Johnson said. “I was, like, no because of the mosquitoes and sleeping in the tent. But now that I’m here, I really like it.”

This is not only great because of the outdoor experience that it is providing to the kids, but it’s also a great use of state parks resources. More states should look at what Florida is doing, here.

Chimani Offers Free iPhone Apps During National Park Week

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Mobile app developer Chimani announced that their iPhone national park apps will be free during National Park Week, which runs from April 16-24. These apps normally sell for between $4.99-$9.99 each and cover Acadia National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Grand Canyon National Park and Yosemite National Park.

National Parks Could Close March 4

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Next Friday, March 4th, the federal government will shutdown if Congress and the President do not come together on a new budget. One of the fallouts of a government shutdown is that national parks, along with BLM and US Forest Sevice campgrounds, will close. It is still early in the camping season, but if the budget battle drags on, it could impact spring camping plans for a lot of families.