Trail activities at a campout include hiking, walking, horseback riding, mountain biking, ATVing, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. Depending on where you go camping, these activities can be enjoyed on trails, backcountry roads or open country. Bicyclists often ride on regular roads or paved bike paths. Aside from riding horses, some places have pack animals such as llamas and mules that you can ride. Other trail activities include going on wildflower walks. Activities on trails are either guided or self-guided.
Camping is often done along or near a river, lake, creek or ocean. This means you have access to different kinds of water activities such as kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing, swimming, fishing, windsurfing, scuba diving and surfing. Depending on where you go camping, you can charter a boat, rent a boat or bring personal boats. Fishing is usually allowed in lakes, streams, rivers, ponds and reservoirs. Some campgrounds that are not close to a body of water have pools where you can go swimming or ponds for fishing.
Campers can spot hundreds of different species while wildlife viewing, whether camping in grasslands, woodlands, forests, meadows or mountains. Camping areas may have migrating, wintering and breeding birds such as woodpeckers, blackbirds, cuckoos, songbirds, storks, turkeys and ducks. Other animals you might see are black bears, deer, turtles, wild turkeys, armadillos, vultures, lizards and mountain lions. Some camping areas have activities such as whale or dolphin watching. Wildlife viewing is an opportunity for artists and photographers to capture images through drawings and photographs.
Campgrounds usually have picnic areas where you can share a meal with family and friends. Oftentimes, picnic areas are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Other times, you can reserve picnic tables, a shelter or a pavilion that can accommodate large groups. Picnic areas usually have grills and garbage and recycling receptacles, and some even have kitchens, heat or air conditioning, and electrical outlets.
Of course, a campout wouldn't be complete without campfire activities. Cook your food over a campfire -- such as any fish you catch -- or roast some marshmallows and make s'mores. Create memories by singing songs around a campfire or telling scary or funny stories or legends. Play games around a campfire including Truth or Dare, Telephone, Twenty Questions or Name that Tune. Be sure to only start a fire in campsites where fires are allowed and to never leave a campfire unattended.
