Camping

Come on! Let's go camping!

Happy Summer, everyone!

Did you know that this Saturday is the Great American Backyard Campout? I actually wrote an article encouraging people to try a little backyard camping, and you can read it at Kids Out and About here.

Meanwhile, if you want to venture beyond your backyard, here are a few suggested campgrounds that are close (or, you know, close-ish) to the Capital District. Some of them have extra comments that I stole from a discussion from my moms’ group:

• Luzerne Campground at Fourth Lake  is wonderfully piney and cool…camping there is wonderful. The lake is small and quiet (only non-motorized boats allowed). There are horseback rides nearby.
• Thompson’s Lake is right near Thacher Nature Center. The lake is nice and has a good beach (great sand for making sand castles). They have a small play area for kids, and a canopy over picnic tables for shade. This is a busy camping spot, but it’s a good one for first-timers.
• Pine Hollow Campground in Vermont is about an hour’s drive. The kids will love the spring fed pond with a sandy beach.  There are paddle boats, shuffle board, horseshoes and fishing. [Update: I just checked this again, and it’s in New Hampshire. I swear it wasn’t there before–maybe there are two of them? Katie]
• Glimmerglass State Park near Cooperstown has swimming and fishing, and you’re allowed to use canoes and kayaks. Plenty of nature trails to explore.
• Lake Durant in the Adirondacks
• North-South Lake in the Catskills
• Rollins Pond near Saranac Lake

Do you and your family ever camp in the backyard? Do you have a favorite camping spot that I didn’t mention?