First Ever Family Camping Trip

Sunday night we went on our first ever family camping trip.  We headed to Hurkey Creek Campground up in Mountain Center near Idyllwild.  We went on a Sunday night because the campground was full for the weekend by the time I tried to make reservations.  There were maybe 4 other spots filled that night so we basically had the place to ourselves.  It was nice and peaceful although camping when its busy would also be a good experience. 

The temperatures were really cold, dropping to 37 degrees in the wee hours of the morning but we came prepared with lots of layers and extra blankets to cover our sleeping bags.  I didn't take a single picture of our campsite.  I could kick myself for that.  But we were busy setting up the tent and cooking, lighting fires, playing cards, roasting marshmallows and other busy things.  So no pictures just means we were having fun. 

The campground is family friendly with a nice playground and multiple, well-lit bathrooms. 

The playground is for older kids though.  The twins at four are at a good starting age for it. 

Toddler M couldn't do much on it and I had to be there with her the whole time to make sure she didn't get stuck anywhere.



There are a few hiking trials and a creek through the campground.

None of which we got to see because our one attempt to explore resulted in none stop complaining, a trip to the bathroom and us giving up and heading back to the playground. 

We managed to explore a stone house and fireplace about 4 spots down from ours before the complaining started. Maybe when they are older, we'll get to see more.

Camping with the girls went more smoothly than I was expecting. We definitely did have some problems and meltdowns on the way.  Both of our air mattresses had leaks, so between that and the cold we didn't sleep that well.  It was so cold in the morning that we didn't want to get up.  But one "Mommy, I need to go potty!" got me out of bed pretty quickly. 

The girls had fun and it was a good introduction for them to the great outdoors.  They got to roast marshmallows, see how to build a fire, see their breath when they exhaled and listen to owls hooting during the night.  We all got a lot of exercise and fresh air.

Since we have never been up in that area before, we drove up to Idyllwild from Mountain Center.  We had planned to go to the nature center there but it is closed on Mondays.  So instead we just stopped by the Ranger Station Welcome Center.  I picked up some info for next time.  The girls looked at stuffed animals, skulls and nests.  Plus the ranger gave them a coloring book and the Smokey the Bear comic book warning of fire danger from the 60s that I remember reading as a kid in school.  I'm sure others of you will recognize it too.

We headed across the street to have some brunch at the Mexican restaurant's fast food café.  Yummy, fluffy pancakes.  I look forward to camping as a family again.  Maybe next time we'll camp at a beach.  As the girls get older, we will definitely come back to camp at Hurkey Creek.