Taking the Kids: Planning a successful camping trip without all the work

Got good rain gear? And a plan B? Then let’s go camping! We learned how necessary both can be when an all-day downpour derailed our plans in New Hampshire one summer. The budget rain gear we had didn’t keep us dry and the kids were all too happy to decamp to a cozy, dry B&B in the nearest town.

Another time, the kids were understandably disappointed when there weren’t s’mores fixings.

According to the KOA 2024 North American Camping Report, camping now accounts for one out of three leisure trips. Over the past decade, active campers have increased by nearly 70 percent, adding an additional 21.6 camping households

"Our research tells us that families are looking to slow down and have fun together in 2024," shares Toby O'Rourke, president and CEO at Kampgrounds of America, Inc. "In the last decade, we have seen a significant increase in active camping households. This increased interest is supported by a broader expansion of camping options, including traditional tent camping, RV stays, cabins, and the rising popularity of treehouses, yurts, and domes."

According to the KOA report, RV usage is up 96 percent to 9.6 million and cabin/glamping use is up more than 100 percent to 7 million. Tent camping is also up, more than 50 percent, to 9.6 million. At the same time, camping has attracted a more diverse crowd with nearly half of new campers in the U.S. being non-white.

That’s good news if you want to get outdoors with the kids (and away from screens, though most campgrounds now offer some Wi-Fi) and, of course, your favorite four-legged family members. That means there are more options than ever if you decidedly don’t want to rough it. You can opt for an RV, having the owner even set it up for you with all of your essentials (including bathroom, shower, and fridge). You can opt for a glamping experience where your platform tent is ready for you and someone else cooks your meals. We spent a few nights at the ultra-luxe Resort at Paws-Up in Montana a few years ago where there were chefs, butlers to plan activities, electricity and soaking tubs in some of the tents, even room service. You can also opt for a cabin stay with everything you need, with plenty of on-site activities, playgrounds, pools, dog runs, perhaps even someone on staff to help you plan activities nearby.

We’ve met many former backpackers staying in cabins and RVs, as well as on whitewater raft trips, including one last summer with OARS on Idaho’s Salmon River. While whitewater raft trips require everyone to pitch in, loading and unloading the rafts, putting up and taking down tents, you don’t have to schlep your gear and the guides take care of the provisioning, the cooking, entertaining the kids and any problems that may arise.

Families whose kids have allergies or chronic health problems note that a cabin or RV makes getting outdoors that much easier. No worries when it rains either. Cozy up with a jigsaw puzzle or a board game. (When have you had time for that?) KOA, with more than 480 locations in North America, has cabins and RV sites near many national parks.

Check out my Kids Guide to Camping, where I was helped by young KOA campers. It’s no surprise that as the number of campers (and glampers) grows, the places you can go and the amenities you will find have grown exponentially.

Multilevel splash grounds, water slides, floating trampolines, snowless tubing slides, and mini golf courses are among the new attractions that families can enjoy at Jellystone Park locations this year.

TexasGlampingResorts.com highlights campgrounds and resorts that offer unique glamping accommodations, from furnished covered wagons, yurts, teepees and safari tents to fully furnished cabins, cottages, and vintage RVs.

Wildhaven Yosemite is a new glamping property less than an hour from Yosemite National Park and just a mile from downtown Mariposa. The property offers 12 cabins and 30 tents. Wildhaven’s cabins come in studio and one-bedroom models, all with kitchens, electricity, heat, and AC. Some tents have bunk beds and large covered decks.

AutoCamp Joshua Tree has a desert ecologist on staff and sommelier-led wine tastings while you sleep in Airstreams. Check out their eight camps from Asheville, S.C., to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Zion, Utah, all featuring accommodations in modern Airstream suites.

Ranchlands has just opened the 80,000-acre Paintrock Canyon Ranch in the Bighorn Mountains of northern Wyoming. Large, safari-style tents are stylishly furnished with full-sized beds, bedside tables, dressers, and chairs. Meals are prepared by a private chef and incorporate Ranchlands beef, local produce, and dairy whenever possible.

Road trip through the Southwest’s national parks and monuments on the Grand Circle and stop at Under Canvas camps along the way. Where the safari-like tents include bathrooms and showers, as well as programs, including yoga. (Stay at two or more and save 25 percent.) Under Canvas is near the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, and Glacier national parks.

Campspot.com offers deals whether you want to rent an RV, stay in a cabin or glamping tent.

Campgrounds, especially in and around national parks, get booked early. (For reservations in the parks, go to www.recreation.gov. If you can, you will want to reserve campsites either in or near the park you want to visit.

The membership organization Harvest Hosts offers RV camping at more than 5, 000 farms, wineries, breweries and more with no extra fees.

Those who don’t own an RV can take their pick of RVs with a peer-to-peer RV rental company like RVShare or Outdoorsy. Blacksford RV Rentals offers new, premium RV and camper van rentals in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Yellowstone/Bozeman, Montana, with 24/7 support.

Just don’t forget the rain gear – or the s’mores fixings!

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)