Taking your family on a camping trip is widely considered one of the best vacation options, as camping offers a wide variety of ways for everyone to spend time with each other. It also helps introduce kids to lifelong hobbies and passions — did you know that an amazing 74% of people who go camping report that they tried a new activity during their trip?
So if you are hoping to spend your upcoming family vacation at a campsite, you’ve chosen wisely. But your next choice might be a little more difficult to make — which camp sites are the best places to bring your family? With more than 20,000 public campgrounds scattered across the U.S., it’s easy to be intimidated by the number of options you have.
Want to make sure you spend your upcoming family camping trip at one of the best camp sites in the country? Keep these three things in mind as you look at your potential campgrounds:
Location, location, location
Before booking a spot at any campground, be sure you know how far of a drive this site is from your house, and whether or not your kids are patient enough for a drive that lasts several hours. Another important factor to consider is the presence of water; camping close to a lake can be fun, but these bodies of water are hotspots for mosquitoes and other bugs and wildlife!
Size always matters
To make sure your entire family can camp comfortably, choose a camp site that’s big enough for all your tents and other gear — otherwise you might as well have gone camping in your garage! The best campgrounds will often list the average dimensions of their individual sites on their websites so you can book your spot accordingly. If you’d rather camp in a cabin than in a tent, be sure the cabin is large enough for your needs, as well.
Amenities and activities
Does the camp site have bathrooms? Does it provide a source of drinking water? These are both highly important things to consider. Most campgrounds have a few sources of water at central locations, so if you don’t want to take a hike just to get a drink, consider choosing a site close to one of these water sources. Also, get an idea of what activities are possible at this campground, such as hiking, biking and swimming.
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