Family Camping Traditions to Start This Year

Written by
Jessica Sanders
Family traditions give everyone something to look forward to, and create memories that last a lifetime. Add a few family camping traditions to your list this year and make your outdoor trips more memorable.
Camp on Memorial Day Weekend
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This is the start of the summer camping season for many campgrounds and families. Add it to your calendar, too. If the summer is packed with events, camps for your kids and more, take this opportunity to go camping with the family before the busy schedule begins.
Camp at Threemile Campground
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Make a Scrapbook for the Season
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When the cold weather comes sweeping in, you'll yearn for the warm summer sun. Make it a family tradition to create a scrapbook at the end of your summer camping season so you can reminisce about all the good times you had. Maybe it will even motivate you to plan a winter camping trip.
Camp at Curry Hammock State Park
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Go Winter Camping
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Winter camping gives you a new perspective on nature and being outside. With different activities to try, like ice skating, sledding and ice fishing, and extraordinary views of the night sky, it's impossible not to love camping in the offseason. If you don't want to tent camp in the snow, rent a cabin so you can warm up after a day of exploring outside.
Reserve a Cabin at Twin Mountain KOA
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Plan a Family Sports Event
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If your family is competitive, this is the perfect family tradition. Choose your favorite sport, like soccer or wiffle ball, and hold a tournament at least once a year. Make one trophy and pass it around year after year so the champs can brag until the next camping season.
Camp at Wharton State Forest
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Hold Your Family Reunion at a Campground
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Family reunions are perfect for catching up between holidays and a campground family reunion makes it easy for everyone to bond over a variety of activities. Choose a campground with a large field for family games, a beach for swimming in the summer and group campsites.
Camp at Black Rock Campground
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Have a Storytelling Contest
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Ghost stories make family time around the campfire fun. Make it even better with a storytelling contest. At the end, everyone has to make the winner a s'more or their dessert or treat of choice.
Camp at Rancheria Campground
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Take a Family Hike
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Hiking as a family is one of the best ways to spend time together on a camping trip. But, often people choose to hang back and miss out on the fun. Pick at least one hike, long or short, that you can do as a whole group. This family tradition is an easy way to get active and spend time together while doing something new. Just think, you'll have a few more family photos to stick in your scrapbook at the end of the season.
Camp at Boulder Creek Campground
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Try a Local Activity
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Whether you bike on a popular trail or try surfing at the local beach, make it a family tradition to try an activity that the area is known for. Look outside of the campground, as many of these activities may take place in town or in a surrounding area. Ask the campground manager or a local resident if you're not sure where to start.
Camp at Anacapa Island
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Make Your Favorite Meal
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Cooking new food at the campsite is fun, but if there's one meal you always look forward to, make a point to cook it each trip. Whether it's a fire-roasted breakfast or big dinner on the first night, plan on making it.
Camp at Big Hart Campground
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