camping with kids (close to DC)

[Anonymous]

Little Bennett is nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We camped with our kids to at Harpers Ferry when they were Little, which was great. Went on a hike one day and explored Harpers Ferry the next. Great trip, beautiful scenery, and heaven if you have a kid who likes trains (you can walk on a bridge next to the train tresses over the river and onto the C&O canal trail.

Last year we took our 5&6 year olds backpacking at Catoctin which was a good starter backpacking trip. You can reserve an adirondack shelter which is only a couple miles in if you park in the right spot, so we didn't need to carry a tent (freeing DH and I up to carry everything else).

We've also been to Jellystone by Lurray Cabins, which they loved, but is a very different experience than backcountry camping!

This is a great idea to keep in mind for a couple years from now!

I (OP), also wanted to mention for others looking for similar trips, that we had a great experience at Bull Run this past weekend. Very good for 3-6 year olds (probably not a good choice is the goal was great nature and long hikes).

[Anonymous]

We went to cunningham falls state part last year for one night of camping. it worked out well and there's a lake there for swimming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went to cunningham falls state part last year for one night of camping. it worked out well and there's a lake there for swimming.

park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
We camped with our kids to at Harpers Ferry when they were Little, which was great. Went on a hike one day and explored Harpers Ferry the next. Great trip, beautiful scenery, and heaven if you have a kid who likes trains (you can walk on a bridge next to the train tresses over the river and onto the C&O canal trail.

Last year we took our 5&6 year olds backpacking at Catoctin which was a good starter backpacking trip. You can reserve an adirondack shelter which is only a couple miles in if you park in the right spot, so we didn't need to carry a tent (freeing DH and I up to carry everything else).

We've also been to Jellystone by Lurray Cabins, which they loved, but is a very different experience than backcountry camping!


This is a great idea to keep in mind for a couple years from now!

I (OP), also wanted to mention for others looking for similar trips, that we had a great experience at Bull Run this past weekend. Very good for 3-6 year olds (probably not a good choice is the goal was great nature and long hikes).

I'm the Catoctin poster. Don't let the rangers dissuade you - they seemed a little surprised we were going in there with kids but it was totally fine. I think the usual hike to get to the shelters is longer (and probably a bit more scenic), but we drove up to another trail access that left us with a very short hike (it was a little unclear if we could park at that access overnight, but it ended up being fine). The only downside is you need to carry in all your water which gets heavy - next time we're making the kids carry more of their own weight! The shelter itself is in a nice secluded spot with some fun rocks for the kids to climb around on.

[Anonymous]

Burke Lake Park is also a good introductory option.

[Anonymous]

Lake zanna State Park is beautiful and great with kids. Some easy hiking trails and a small beach.

[Anonymous]

Be really vigilant about bug spray. Ticks and mosquitoes are causing new illnesses around here.