Recreation While Camping

Very few people go camping because they have to.

For most people who make camping part of their family life, you develop camping skills for fun and to have a family activity that is healthy, wholesome and educational.
 
So in a sense, camping itself is a great recreational outing all by itself.

From finding a camp spot to laying out the camp grounds, to gathering fire wood to having that first night’s camp fire with hot dogs or marshmallows over the fire with scary stories and seeing more stars in the sky than you thought existed, just the camp site itself is a source of endless fun for everyone in the family.

But the fun is only starting in the camp grounds. State and national parks are full of exciting things to do most of which are free or quite inexpensive and all of which are great family activities that the kids will remember for the rest of their lives. Hiking, when you think about it, doesn’t seem like it would be an exciting family recreation. But when you take the whole family out on a hiking adventure up the sides of hills or mountains, past scenic lakes and through some of the greatest views of nature possible, don’t be surprised if you have trouble getting the kids to ever want to go home. They will fall in love with nature, want to go on the same hikes over and over again and get terrific exercise along the way.

Most camp grounds are built on or near some well maintained and stocked lake. So that one opportunity offers recreational activities of swimming, boating and fishing. If the weather permits, swimming in a natural setting like a lake will make any swimming pool seem tame and boring. When the kids can jump off docks into lakes that may be brimming with living things, their imaginations alone will keep them full of fun for hours.

You don’t have to own a boat to enjoy getting out on the water and enjoying seeing lots of natural spots along the lake shore. A boat can usually be rented for reasonable rates and with a small amount of knowledge or training in how to use an outboard motor, you can be cruising along like an old pro in no time. And boating is a great sport to combine with fishing. The fun thing about fishing is even if you never get a bite, everybody has fun getting out there and trying. And when your young son or daughter catches their first fish on your camping trip, that squeal of delight will be one of those memories that you will be thinking about during your retirement years.

Most state or national parks are well staffed with park rangers who jobs are to protect the park as well as its visitors and to assure that your visit is safe and fun. A visit to the Visitor’s Information Center can be a real education as they are almost always well decorated with maps, pictures and visuals of local wild life and videos of the history of the park. You can turn that visit into a recreational outing that will rival going to a Harry Potter movie for fun and excitement and it is educational as well.

But don’t forget the park rangers when you leave the Visitor’s Information Center. Very often rangers conduct nature walks, lectures, tours of local wild life locations and lots of other programs that are helpful in learning more about the geology and history of the area and lots of fun for the kids. You may have to finally rein your children in when they can’t stop coming up with questions for the park rangers. But don’t bother, the rangers love it because they live to teach excited young minds about enjoying and caring for the natural wonders of their national parks.

These are just the beginning of activities that are commonly available nearby some of the camping spots you will find in the parks in your area or around the country. Some other exciting recreational opportunities that are often available for family fun while camping are…

• Horse back riding.
• Wild life spotting tours.
• White water rafting.
• Petting zoos.
• Visits to ghost towns.
• Mining for gold at a historic mine.
• Hunting.
• Trips through huge historic caves.
• Aquariums
• Hot air balloon rides.
• Repelling.
• Train rides through the mountains.

And the variety goes on and on depending on the geography and the unique features of the local history.   Once you have begun to rediscover America through your camping family hobby, you will be amazed at the diversity of recreational activities that are available within a short drive from the camp spot where you are saying. 

You will be further amazed at how economical most of these recreational opportunities are and how the kids will chatter for days if not months about their experiences they had discovering the environment, enjoying nature and becoming closer as a family. There are few recreational offerings that can compete with camp out activities like these and you will be glad you didn’t miss out on the fun and adventure you and your family can have together in camp grounds around the country.