30 Ideas For Your Next Outdoor Camping Adventure

There’s literally hundreds of outdoor camping ideas to use for your next camping trip, yet we still forget how to really have fun in the outdoors.

Apart from the usual exploring/hiking, fishing, relaxing, swimming, or toasting scrumptious marshmallows, here’s a list of camping activity ideas to stop you from feeling bored or lost when you and your family are having your outdoor adventure.

Read first: I’m a big fan of camping, and getting the most out of a camping trip. In this article you won’t find me talking about playing board games or card games. You can do all those things at home, there’s a lot of better activities to do while on a camping trip so maximize your opportunities while you can.

 

1. Exploring/Hiking/Fishing

I’m going to include the main ones within the same list, just in case you’ve forgotten the whole reason to go camping in the first place, which is for:

• Exploring – Look for caves, treasure. Try to find lakes, waterfalls, unnatural-looking streams. And remember to take photos 🙂

• Hiking – Test yourself with some physical activity, see how far you can hike while breathing in the lovely fresh air of the great outdoors

• Fishing – A great way to enjoy the outdoors without too much physical activity is to go fishing, catch the nights dinner and your family will thank you for it

• Tree climbing – Go as high as you can and see how good the view is, what can you see in the distance?

• Biking – Test your mountain biking skills by cycling through the rough terrain and having fun in the process

• Relaxing – You went camping to get away from life (work, stress, business). Make the most of it by getting some relaxing time

 

2. Boating/Kayaking

There’s not just one activity to do in the water (the usual swimming). Go the extra mile and do some kayaking or boating if you have one. Kayaking is actually a lot of fun, so try it if you haven’t yet.

Boating is something you will like if you enjoy the great outdoors. If you think about it, put 2 and 2 together:

Camping = Land and Water. Get the most out of your trip by exploring the sea/lakes/streams. You’ll be amazed what you can find.

More ways to enjoy the water:

• Tubing

• Free diving

• Snorkeling

• Water volleyball

• Water skiing

Go out there and create some unforgettable memories for yourself.

 

3. Hide-and-Seek

What was your best game to play as a child? If you’re like me it will be hide-and-seek. That doesn’t mean you can’t play it now that you’re a lot older and probably less fit, lol.

Well now there is just a bigger and better version, with a larger playing field things are going to get intense.

Remember to stay safe and watch where you’re walking.

 

4. Appreciate Nature

You don’t see pure nature that often, so appreciate what’s around you while your temporarily staying in the presence of Mother Nature!

• Watch and study the wildlife, and record it

• Collect different types of leaves

• Photograph different types of plants/flowers and trees

• Continue your journey, and contribute to the world by looking for Bigfoot

 

5. Nighttime Activities

We often forget what it’s like to be in complete darkness outside, with all the streetlights and city buildings lighting up your life. Be glad to get away from it all and make the most out of being in the darkness by doing these fun activities below:

• Nighttime walking – Grab a torch and a buddy or two and go do some nighttime exploring. Listen to the sweet noises, what can you hear? What can you see? Are there bright eyes looking at you in the distance. Don’t worry you will be fine as long as you have a group with you.

• Spotlight – Want to push the boundaries and test your limits? Play some spotlight if you and your friends are up for it (not for the faint hearted).

• Nighttime swim – Another activity to test your limits, have a swim in the dark and let us know in the comment section what it was like!

 

6. Role Play

This is something I like to do, and I recommend you try it out.

Act like this is your life and you don’t know anything else.

What I mean is to change your mind-set to a caveman’s mind. Feel natural while you’re adventuring and hiking, whistle or sing like this is your permanent lifestyle.

Live in the moment. Forget the city, forget the problems at your workplace, don’t let these things slip into your mind. You went out there to get away from it all, so do just that and you’ll have a much better experience.

 

7. Test Your Survival Skills

You will have to check the campgrounds rules first.

• Create a shelter out of nature – Use leaves, sticks, logs and forest duff to build a temporary shelter to sleep in for the night (Just remember to disassemble this when you leave)

• Your bed – Make a bed that’s comfortable enough to sleep in. Logs for the base, leaves and forest duff for comfort

• Hunt for your food – Hunt or fish for your camping trips food

• Make a fire – Create a fire out of natural materials like the cavemen use to do, without using matches or a lighter

• Create tools/weapons out of sticks and rocks – Axe, wooden spear, knife etc

 

8. Campfire Activities

Of course no camping activity list is complete without mentioning everything you can do around a campfire. Here is a list of things you can do while sitting by the campfire, maximizing your fun while having your outdoor vacation.

• Drinking alcohol – You can start drinking during the day, making your camping trip a lot more fun. However please set up your tent and bed before you start, otherwise there’s a high chance you will get too drunk to complete it haha. Be extra safe while consuming alcohol!

• Ghost stories – Great campfire fun starts with a good ghost story, or even better, a forest murder story (not for the faint hearted though).

• Singing – Finish your campfire ghost stories with a few songs to forget about the scary things you just talked about.

• Play an instrument – I hope you brought your guitar because this is the best time to use it. Of course, any other instrument is just as fun.

• Dancing – There’s nothing better than sitting around the campfire listening to music, drinking alcohol and dancing. So make sure you get your dance on (I hope you brought some women with you for added fun!).

 

Conclusion

There’s hundreds and hundreds of outdoor activities to do while you’re on your camping vacation, so make sure you maximize all the time you have with pure outdoor fun, and less time thinking about home, wondering when you’ll complete your next assignment or stressing over next months rent.

Because at the end of the day, it comes down to this:

You went camping for some fun and adventure, so have as much fun as you can, and explore the entire day away! There are no limits.

I hope you enjoyed this article, let me know below what you like to do while camping.