Camping Kiddos

08/06/2026

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It’s never too late to become what you want to be! After more than ...

08/03/2026

Today’s entry in my Monday series takes us to my hometown! As a born and raised Charlestonian, I know that this city doesn’t immediately feel like the best place for an outdoor-centric family vacation, but I want to convince you otherwise.

Past the fancy shops on King Street and upscale dining options are a wealth of outdoor opportunities (including so many great parks, kayaking, and hiking), kid-friendly activities like the Aquarium, and historical sites like Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter.

I know that a lot of people visit during the peak of the summer and are immediately disillusioned by the heat and humidity here, so plan your family’s visit during your kids’ fall or winter breaks instead. You’ll be able to enjoy the hikes, it might be warm enough to wade in the ocean, and the main touristy areas like downtown Charleston will be much less busy.

Have you visited Charleston with your kids? If so, what was your family’s favorite thing to see or do?

08/01/2026

Normally, we don’t have as much to do as I show in this video, but my sister and her family had just borrowed the camper and taken a lot of our stuff out for her trip. So, I had to start from scratch by making the beds and taking inventory of what she’d used.

Up next is meal prepping, packing the bathroom and closets, and doing a final count of everything we might need while we’re at our campsite.

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Hey! I’m Natalie, a mom of 2 who loves to adventure. Since 2023, we’ve visited 29 national parks and 34 states, driving our camper over 25,000 miles in the process. Give Camping Kiddos a follow for more national parks content, kid-friendly hiking and camping tips, and road trip itineraries.

07/28/2026

Acadia National Park’s carriage roads are an incredible way to experience the park! Thanks to the efforts of philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., you can hike or bike along 45 miles of gravel trails throughout the Mt. Desert Island portion of the park. The roads connect Bar Harbor to Jordan Pond and beyond, and allow visitors to see areas of Acadia that aren’t accessible by car.

If you’ve got kids in tow or aren’t up for a long hike, consider renting an e-bike to explore the carriage roads. There are multiple outfitters in Bar Harbor that rent e-bikes, and you can easily jump on one of the carriage roads on the outskirts of town.

If you’re traveling with kids, there is one shop in town (Maine Kayaks, who work with Acadia Fat Tire E-Bikes) that provides e-bikes for kids as young as 5 and the fantastic Rad Wagons. We used Acadia Outfitters on Cottage Street to rent adult e-bikes and a pull behind trailer for my 7-year-old who wasn’t comfortable with his own e-bike yet.

Regardless of how you tackle the carriage roads, they are well worth a few hours of our Acadia itinerary (or more if you have the time to spare!).

07/27/2026

If you’re planning a Wyoming trip, don’t skip Grand Teton National Park! I feel like it gets overlooked because it’s so close to Yellowstone, but Grand Teton NP is well worth a visit on its own.

There’s so much to do here with kids, too. From cozy nights in a cabin at Colter Bay to hiking along Jackson Lake to rafting on the Snake River, you’ll have more options on what to do than you could pack into one vacation.

The boat ride across Jenny Lake is fun on its own, or to add variety to a hike to Hidden Falls or Inspiration Point. The Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve is great for families, as you can check out a free adventure backpack with guides, a compass, and other kid-friendly activities. The visitors center in the preserve focuses on the 5 senses, which helps immerse your child in learning about this area of the park.

For kids interested in history, stop by Menor’s Ferry to see how people used to get across the Snake River and see the hilariously placed outhouse. Mormon Row is another historic settlement within the park’s boundaries that was once home to dozens of pioneers.

My kids especially loved eating pizza at Leek’s Pizzeria, which has views of Jackson Lake, and they loved the retro lunch counter at the Pioneer Grill at Jackson Lake Lodge.

07/27/2026

We’ve done all of the things so you don’t have to! My kids and I have visited 29 national parks so far, and there are the 5 experience we’ve paid for that are absolutely worth the money:
1. An NPS annual pass. There are $80 and let you (and anyone else in your car) into any of the over 400 NPS sites for free for a year. We’ve saved so much money with these!
2. Cowboy cookout and trail ride in Yellowstone. It was kid-friendly with great food and gorgeous views. You can opt for a ride on a historic stagecoach if you don’t want to ride a horse!

3. Renting e-bikes in Zion National Park. Skip the free shuttle which can be hot, crowded and slow, and get an e-bike instead. This will allow you to get around Zion Canyon on your own time. You won’t have to fight cars on the roads since they are closed to vehicle traffic when the shuttles are running. We used Greater Zion E-Bikes and had a great experience (not an affiliate, just a happy customer!).
4. The boat ride and hike to Grinnell Lake in Glacier National Park. You take 2 boats from Many Glacier Hotel with a short hike between, and then a longer hike to the lake at the end. You can also choose to do the longer hike to Grinnell Glacier from the boat dock, too. Our captains were fun and shared lots of interesting facts about the park as we were cruising.
5. The ferry from Key West to Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park. This is pricey, but so worth it. You’ll sail for about 2 hours in a high speed catamaran, then get dropped off at Fort Jefferson for several hours. You can snorkel, take a ranger tour, or do a self-guided tour of the fort. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience!

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Hey! I’m Natalie, a mom of 2 who loves to adventure. Since 2023, we’ve visited 29 national parks and 34 states, driving our camper over 25,000 miles in the process. Give us a follow for more national parks content, kid-friendly hiking and camping tips, and road trip itineraries.

06/26/2026

If you’re looking for an easier trail in Yellowstone that still packs plenty of interest, add the Artists Paintpots Trail to your itinerary. You’ll see milky blue hot springs, iron red steam vents, vats of mud pots, and long range views of Mount Holmes in the distance.

There are boardwalks and stairs to the mud pots and upper viewing areas, which add a sense of adventure to the trail.

This trail is located off on the Grand Loop Road just north of Grand Prismatic Spring. It’s an easy drive from West Yellowstone, the Old Faithful area, or Canyon Village.

06/23/2026

Yellowstone National Park is one of the most incredibly dynamic places in the entire United States, geologically speaking!

06/22/2026

You only get 18 summers with your kids, and it can be hard to determine what places are good, kid-friendly, and worth the money. That's where my new series comes in!

Each week, I'm breaking down incredible places that will have your entire family talking about them for years to come.

And to kick us off: Sequoia National Park!

12/27/2025

The perfect hikes in Acadia National Park when you want something more challenging than Jordan Pond Trail but aren't ready for the Beehive Trail yet!