First-Time Family Camping? Here’s How to Do It Right (Without Being Those Campers)
- Kern River's Edge Team
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Planning your first family camping trip? Get ready for starry skies, cozy campfires, and unforgettable memories. But before you load up the car and head for the great outdoors, it’s important to know that being a good camper means more than just showing up with s’mores ingredients and bug spray.
Camping is all about enjoying nature—but also about respecting it and your fellow campers. So, here’s how to plan and prepare for your adventure the right way—with sustainable practices, common courtesy, and a Leave No Trace mindset that keeps the outdoors awesome for everyone.
1. Plan Ahead—Seriously
Before you even pack a marshmallow:
Reserve your site early if you're headed to a popular campground.
Check local regulations, especially things like no-glass zones, fire restrictions, and quiet hours. Each campground has its quirks, and knowing them helps you blend in, not stick out.
Know the weather and terrain—pack layers, rain gear, shade canopies and the right shoes for trail hiking or navigating over slippery rocks. A prepared camper is a happy camper.
Bring reusable water bottles and food containers to cut down on waste. A cooler full of single-use plastic bottles? Don’t be those campers.
Use refillable propane canisters or camp stoves with reusable fuel options instead of disposable ones.
Leave the disposables at home—pack real plates and utensils. They’re not as heavy as you think, and the planet will thank you. Look for convenient dish wash stations.
If your campground or the Forest you are visiting has a "no glass" rule, swap in stainless steel or BPA-free plastic.
Locals Tip: Don't get a fine! Sequoia National Forest has a glass ban in effect.
3. Be a Good Campsite Neighbor
No one wants to camp next to the loud, messy, light-up-like-a-Christmas-tree site. Here’s how not to be those campers:
Respect quiet hours. Even if you're up playing cards or telling ghost stories, keep your voices and the volume down after dark.
Use soft, warm lighting. Ditch the blinding floodlights and go for lanterns or string lights that won’t ruin the vibe.
Stay on marked trails. Shortcuts damage plant life and contribute to erosion.
Give your neighbors space. Don’t cut through occupied campsites or park too close unless space is limited. Cutting through someone else's campsite is bad outdoor manners.
4. Leave No Trace—and Leave It Better
Camping isn’t just a vacation—it’s a chance to teach kids (and ourselves) to be better stewards of this planet. Follow the 7 Leave No Trace principles, with a little extra love:
Pack it in, pack it out. Every. Single. Thing. Don’t leave wrappers, bottle caps, cigarette butts, juice box straws, or that one stray flip-flop. Use provided trash bins and be sure to close the lid securely so critters cannot get to the trash. If trash bins are overflowing, you guessed it, pack it out all the way home. This is the responsible thing to do.
Leave what you find. Rocks, wildflowers, and feathers belong where they are. Leave a precious gift where you found it, and allow others to enjoy it as well.
Minimize campfire impact. Use established fire rings, keep fires small, and fully extinguish before bed or leaving.
Pick up extra trash. If you find it, pack it out—even if it’s not yours. #LeaveItBetter
5. Teach Your Kids the Right Way
Camping is an awesome opportunity to show your family how to enjoy and respect the outdoors. Make it a game:
Who can find the best trash to pick up?
Can they remember the Leave No Trace principles?
Challenge them to go the whole trip without using any single-use plastics.
Be The Campers that Others Strive to be
You know the ones—that quietly move through camp ensuring their noise levels are respectful to others, who scour their campsite daily to pick up trash so it doesn't blow into someone else's campsite, who use headlamps or downcast camping lanterns and dim them @ quiet time.
Pro-Tip: Camping is a shared experience, and a little thoughtfulness goes a long way.
Whether you're in the woods, at a riverside campground, or perched on a mountain, treat the place—and the people around you—with care. Respect nature, pack smart, and leave it better than you found it. Your fellow campers (and Mother Nature) will thank you.
Ready to roll? Grab your gear, trash bags, glass-free kitchen , pack your good manners, and get ready for an unforgettable (and eco-friendly) family camping trip.
Explore the area: See our ancient Sequoia Grove, near Kern River
Thank you for being a Camper-Who-Cares
Planning for success in the outdoors includes little changes like packing trash bags so that your group can leave our wild spaces cleaner than you found them. Get everyone to participate in leaving the space better than you found it. This teaches and mentors campers of all ages to respect and treat the outdoors with the care that it deserves.
Comments