Camping With Kids

This past weekend we took Sam & Emma camping with some close family friends at Birch Bay State Park just outside of Bellingham, Washington. When I mentioned my weekend plans to an office colleague, her response was “You are going camping? In a tent? I took you as more of a five star resort sort of gal.” Truth be told, yes, given the choice of vacations, I would rather be lounging poolside, cocktail-in-hand than camping in a state park with mosquitoes and no running water. Sam and Emma, however, absolutely love to camp and we do our absolute best to make our meals campfire gourmet. So with the tips below camping is indeed something I look forward to each summer even with the mosquito bites I will be itching for the next week!

This was our family’s 2nd trip to Birch Bay State Park and we would highly recommend the location for amateur family campers. There is no wildlife to be concerned about (outside of some raccoons, black squirrels and loud crows); the public beach is just a minute’s walk away and provides hours of beach combing entertainment with shells to gather and miniature crabs to chase; a large big toy for younger children (closed right now due to COVID-19 but highly utilized during our first visit); ample space to fly kites or throw the ball around; and a local ice cream truck (Sugar Shack) that winds itself frequently through the campground. We also brought our kids’ scooters and they rode lap after lap around the campsite loop.

You can make campsite reservations at each of the Washington State Parks beginning at midnight on November 1st each year for the following summer. Reserve early to get the best campsites! In Birch Bay State Park, we would recommend campsites #67, 68 and 71.

And while not five-star dining, our campfire meals for the adults are absolutely not hot dogs or crackers with cheese. Our dinners this camping trip were foil pack french dip sandwiches with warm au jus and one-pot beef stroganoff. Lunch on Saturday was brie warmed in a cast iron pot with sauted baby tomatoes marinated in garlic and olive oil with fresh basil and crusty bread and apple slices for dipping. And breakfasts included breakfast burritos (we swapped out the ham for sausage) and camp stove chilaquiles – both recipes were amazing! The key to gourmet campfire cooking is to do all the prep work at home before you leave and to bring really good bottles of wine with you to accompany the meals (and don’t forget a corkscrew!). And do not forget marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate for the s’mores!

Below are some of the camping items that help make our camping trips a success with kids:

• REI Kingdom 6 Tent (this tent works well for adults and kids because there is a partition in the middle that essentially creates two “rooms” – kids on one side and parents on the other)
• Portable Toilet with waste bags (made this purchase when my kids were still getting up to use the bathroom during the night and I did not want to trudge across the campground to a public restroom in the pitch black but obviously I was thinking ahead to 2020, global pandemics, and COVID-19 as well!)
• Artificial Grass Mats for wiping feet and keeping shoes outside your tent entrances. Helps keep the woods and dirt outside the tent (purchased mine from a large roll of a carpet at Home Depot that they will cut for you to your desired size in-store while you wait).
• Battery-powered sound machine (because nature sounds are only relaxing until they wake-up the kids…)

Yes, its a lot of work. Yes, I have already done three loads of laundry since getting home. Yes, my whole house smells like a campfire. But, when asked if there was anything they would change, Sam & Emma both responded “We wouldn’t leave so soon!” See you again next year Birch Bay (and mosquitoes).

Do you like to take your children camping? Any good campsite recommendations? We would love to hear about your camping adventures and suggestions!