Easier Than You Thought
Camp With Your Kids (Painlessly)
We asked camping experts for age-appropriate activities likely to grab your kids' attention and get them outdoors.
7- TO 10-YEAR-OLDS
Many state and national parks offer ranger-led experiences geared toward grade-schoolers. For example, Junior Ranger programs allow youngsters to complete a set of activities during their park visit under the direction of an adult ranger. Participants receive an official Junior Ranger badge or patch and a certificate. Call your park to find out if it runs this program. If it doesn't, the National Wildlife Federation suggests some do-it-yourself activities, such as planning a nature scavenger hunt, telling campfire ghost stories, and asking your kids to identify the night sounds as you all fall asleep. Find more ideas at greenhour.org.
Suggested activities and parks:
- Tidepooling, or searching for crustaceans (such as crabs and starfish). This activity can be fun anywhere that there's a substantial body of water. Some fantastic national parks for tidepooling are Acadia National Park, Me.; Cabrillo National Monument, Calif.; and Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Hawaii.
- Fishing. This is available at many state parks. Within the national park system, try: North Cascades National Park Service Complex, Wash.; Everglades National Park, Fla.; and Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Mo. Be sure to call ahead for the latest rules and regulations. Otherwise you may get fined for fishing out of season or without a state license.
- Riding horses and mules. Outings can be booked at Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz.; Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Ky. (same-day reservations only); Palo Duro Canyon State Park, in the Texas panhandle; and Glacier National Park, Mont., among other parks.
11- TO 14-YEAR-OLDS
With this age group, you can take it up a notch. Appeal to your tween's innate competitiveness and curiosity by seeing if they'd like to try caving, rock climbing, or cross-country skiing.
Suggested activities and parks:
- Caving. A guide leads you through narrow, pre-explored passages, where lamplight reveals unusual insects and rock formations. Available in Mammoth Cave National Park, Ky.; Sequoia National Park, Calif.; and Wind Cave National Park, S.D.
- Rock climbing. Teen-scalable rock faces can be found in such national parks as Joshua Tree National Park, Calif., and Custer State Park, S.D.—plus at state and national parks throughout New England. But only a handful of parks have experts who offer guidance, control the ropes, and insist on safe practices. For example, the final 400 feet of the Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, Calif., is scalable by inexperienced but fit climbers using steel cables. Call ahead to see if help is available or if you'll need to book a guided excursion with a private outfitter.
- Cross-country skiing. Try Catoctin Mountain Park, Md.; Rocky Mountain National Park, Colo.; and Yellowstone National Park. (Note: While Yellowstone spans three states, most of its cross-country skiing trails are in Wyoming.)
15- TO 18-YEAR-OLDS
They're probably more capable physically than you are, and more eager to take on challenges. Let them test their mettle in the wilderness. Ask them to prepare a few meals by themselves. You might even consider booking teens a separate, adjoining tent site, to give them some privacy and independence.
Suggested activities and parks:
- Mountain climbing. Aim high, at peaks like Mount Katahdin at Baxter State Park, Maine, and the Chimney Tops in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tenn.
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