Camping: What to do When it Rains

Camping is a wonderful way to get closer to nature and enjoy the great outdoors. Unfortunately, part of enjoying the outdoors can feel like it's been ruined if your entire vacation is rained out. What can you do if it rains for your entire camping trip? Enjoy it!

First of all, if you are roughing it in a tent, you're going to want to make a trench around your tent to help keep the water from pooling up around and under your tent and causing you uncomfortable sleeping arrangements. Nothing worse than finding out your sleeping bag is a water bed!

If you are camping with children, you're probably dreading the idea of trying to entertain them inside a tent or camper day after day. So, don't! As long as it's not overly cold, who says you can't go out in the rain? Remember that you are camping in order to enjoy the outdoors, don't let a little rain stop you from having a good time. If there is no thunder and lightening storms, you can still go swimming, boating or fishing in the rain- after all, these are all activities that get you wet anyway, why should the rain matter? You can enjoy most of the same camping activities that you would do on a sunny day, when it's raining. Go out for a nice long walk- yes, you'll get wet, but you can dry off later on and sit down with a cup of hot cocoa and a book. Children love playing in the rain, they feel like they're getting away with something! So put them in their rain boots and ponchos, and set them free to puddle jump, splash, and even ride their bikes. Rain makes mud, and mud is great fun to push around with toy trucks and helps pack sand at the beach for making sand castles.

Depending on where you are camping, some state parks and private campgrounds have entertainment facilities in cabins that you could make use of. Before selecting a campground, you might want to take into consideration finding one that has an indoor arcade or game room to help keep you busy in the event it rains for long periods of time during your vacation. If your camping location doesn't have any indoor activities, take a drive into town and explore the local shops and businesses. There will probably be souvenir shops and other tourist destinations that you could enjoy on rainy days.

When packing for a camping trip, you should always pack a variety of activities that you can do inside the camper or under a tarp, for rainy days. A deck of cards can provide hours of entertainment, from solitaire to poker to rummy. If the people you're camping with enjoy board games, pack several of your favorites. Puzzles can also help pass the time, if you've got the table space to leave one set up for a few days. Don't forget a couple good books, magazines you have been meaning to read, and maybe pick up the newspaper in town and find out what's going on in the community.

Since you're on vacation, don't forget that rainy days make the best days to curl up in bed and take a nap. If it's warm enough outside, you could put a lounge chair under a tarp or the awning of your camper and enjoy an outdoor snooze.

Don't let rain keep you from enjoying your camping trip- there are many things you can do when it rains!

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