Finding family-friendly vacation spots that offer a touch of adventure isn’t always easy. That’s why we jumped at the chance to stay in one of the brand new cabins and explore the newly opened True North Basecamp. The camp opened just last December in Crosby, MN, about 20 minutes northeast of Brainerd. The camp offers 33 tent campsites and 6 cabins for visitors to chose from. The tent campsites range in price from $19-$29 a night while the cabins are pricier at $69-$125 per night (prices are higher on weekends). The campground is comprised of three separate sections. The first offers several sites…
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
We had had a soggy start and departure from our campsites on Madeline Island and by the time the ferry had crossed the 2.6 miles and back to the mainland and the charming town of Bayfield, WI it was already time for lunch so we opted to eat there before beginning our drive. Thankfully, the sun had come out and we had a charming afternoon in the quaint town exploring and eating. Jack generally naps shortly after lunch so we were hopeful that he would follow his normal routine and nap through most of the 123 mile drive that was ahead of us. We…
Big Bay State Park
Big Bay State Park is located on Madeline Island, one of 22 of the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior. The park has 62 campsites (51 are reservable) with 15 being electrical, 38 standard tent sites, 2 group sites, and 7 walk-in sites. Water taps, a shower building, many privies, and garbage cans are sprinkled around the campground. The campsites are beautiful with ample vegetative screening and are generally quite large. The site we ended up with (#25) was a little narrow but very long. The park has a large picnic area, a little over 7 miles of hiking trails, and 3.5…
Merrick Backcountry Adventure
For our Merrick sponsored backcountry adventure we chose to visit the most famous wilderness area in Minnesota, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Bobby and I have never been there and we have been keen to pay this scenic wilderness a visit. The long weekend for Memorial Day gave us an extra day to make the big 5 hour journey north. We left on Friday and spent the night in Duluth before continuing on to the campground early Saturday morning. We chose Sawbill Lake Campground for our base for the weekend. Located in the Superior National Forest it is a stunning…
Jay Cooke and Tettegouche State Parks
The weather was finally looking warm enough for us to head up to the North Shore here in Minnesota. I grew up camping in the beautiful state parks along this scenic section of Minnesota and I was anxious to take Jack to some of my favorite parks sooner rather than later. The tricky thing is that Lake Superior makes for some cooler, more breezy weather so keeping Jack warm at night could be more difficult. But, with highs in the 60s and 70s and lows only in the 40s and 50s we felt confident that we could successfully camp and…
Jack’s First Camping Trip
The weather for the weekend was looking perfect with highs in the 80s and lows in the high 50s. We decided it would be warm enough that we should be able to take our 6 week old baby boy, Jack, camping without too much concern for him staying warm enough. Before we could head out we had to make a few purchases to make camping with an infant as stress-free as possible. We needed a new, family friendly tent, a portable crib, and appropriate warm layers for Jack for sleeping. We went to REI during their Labor Day sale and…
Lower Johnny Creek Campground and Hidden Lake Trail
When Bobby first posed the idea of camping my immediate and emphatic response was a resounding NO! As I continued to reflect upon the idea of camping it soon hit me that no matter where I am or what I’m doing, at 30 weeks pregnant, I am generally uncomfortable. Sleeping has become a chore even in the comfort of my own bed. So, why not go camping? Camping is one of my all time favorite activities, maybe I’d sleep better in a tent then I was in my own bed! We left early Saturday morning with Latigo and Beth, a…
Potholes State Park and White Bluffs
Lots of snowfall in the Cascades made for some pretty high avalanche dangers this weekend. So, we decided to make the longer trek over the mountain pass and into the more arid areas of Eastern Washington. We decided to make a weekend of our adventure seeing as we were looking at a 3+ hour drive for a hike that was free of snow and a bit warmer. Finding a spot that was open and had camping available was a little tricky, but Bobby succeeded in finding the perfect spot. Potholes State Park is a popular destination for boaters, with over 6,000-feet…
Eightmile Campground and 8-Mile Rock
Rain was predicted for the weekend but that doesn’t generally stop us from seeking adventure! We set off Friday night for Icicle Creek Canyon. It’s one of our favorite spots in the State of WA and we haven’t camped here since early spring. We aren’t the only ones who enjoy this area and the campgrounds are generally packed every single weekend. We hoped that because it was the weekend after Labor Day and the gloomy weather report would keep the crowds away and we would be able to secure a site at the popular Eightmile Campground. There are five campgrounds…
Park Creek Campground
Knowing that we wanted to hike in the parklands of Mount Baker’s southwest flank we decided to camp on Baker Lake Road (Forest Road #11). There are 7 campgrounds along this road, not to mention several pullout sites along the road. We knew there were campsites at the trailhead of Park Butte Lookout where we would be hiking, but we also knew that that hiking area is popular and assumed they would be taken. We were right. We began our search for a site at the first campground along Baker Lake Road, Horseshoe Cove. The campground has 38 tent/trailer sites and…