If you’d asked me on the first evening of our 3-night camping trip at Scenic Beach State Park if I’d go camping with my children again, I would have answered with a definitive, NO.  A couple of quick (and vulnerable) excerpts from my journal:

“I’m not that enthusiastic about camping.  The kids drive me crazy.  The absence of routine things makes me realize what I take for granted.”

“Everything makes me anxious—Georgia humming as I wait for her to fall asleep.  Slaed breaking apart boxes and throwing pieces into the fire.  He’s making noise and I fear it’ll keep the kids up.

Other families may have camp set-up down to a well oiled machine.  However, for us, it takes a while to pitch tents, get our “kitchen” organized, and generally feel at home in the site. Once things are in order though, we can relax, which is precisely why we recommend more than just 2 nights of camping.  We like to give ourselves some time to appreciate and experience camp life without all that hard work of set-up and breakdown!

Thankfully the gloom and doom did not stick around.  As we settled into camp life, the mood shifted into fun, enjoyment, and lots of wild adventure. And journal excerpts were sounding much more positive:

“The kids slept in until 7:20, which actually had us scrambling to get to our planned breakfast spot!”

“Georgia hiked all the way to the top of Green Mountain!” 

To give you an idea of our time at Scenic Beach State Park (and the surrounding area) as well as our camping style, I put together a basic trip report from our 3-night stay.

Camping at Washington’s Scenic Beach State Park

Scenic Beach State Park is located in Seabeck, Washington on the Kitsap Peninsula.  Since Scenic Beach is just an 1.5 hour drive from Seattle (ferry or interstate options available), it makes for an easy getaway.  The drive isn’t too hard on the kids, and the rural setting makes us feel far away from city life.

Day 1:

• Drive to Scenic Beach State Park (1.5 hours) via I-5 and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Bainbridge Island or Southworth-Fauntleroy Ferries are also options.
• Check-in to campsite (#9).  Check-in time for all Washington State Park camping starts at 2:30 pm
• Camp set-up, fun with bubble guns, campground exploration, chili & hot dogs for dinner.
• Beach time

Day 2:

• Cheesy scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach + cinnamon rolls and fruit for breakfast
• Guillemot Cove Nature Reserve Hike 2.5 miles+ roundtrip with picnic lunch on the beach
• Back to camp:
  • Nap for Georgia
  • Run/bike ride for Bergen and me.
• Dinner with friends who live in town (what a treat!)

Day 3:

• Breakfast in Silverdale at the Oak Table.  You can read about one of their “sister” restaurants in our Walla Walla Guide. 
• Hike: Green Mountain’s Gold Creek Trail.  Harder than we expected, but great rewards in berries, views, and accomplishment.
• Back at camp:
  • More running for me while the Georgia napped and Bergen played.
  • Tons of imaginative play with this adorable fairy door.
• Dinner: Pizza from Seabeck Pizza followed by marshmallow roasting.

Day 4:

Of course just after breakfast as we were ready to pack-up, the rain started.  We tried waiting it out in our tents treating the kids to a rare tent session.  Since we’re always on one adventure or another, we usually don’t spend time in our tents other than sleeping.

To escape the rain and pass the time, we played a rousing game of Spot-it (camping version, of course), and to the kid’s delight, Slaed indulged them in a good ol’fashioned wrestling match.

Unfortunately, the rain continued, and we had to pack up and break camp in a drizzly, muddy mess.  Knowing the work ahead of us back home was a little disheartening and frustrating, but we made the most of it.  Grabbing coffee in Seabeck and a tasty lunch in Silverdale allowed us to linger a bit more, and pretend that we didn’t have hours of work ahead of us back home!

As you can see, we like to make things a little easier on ourselves in terms of camp responsibilities.  Sometimes that means ordering take-out or going out to eat so that we can get a break from cooking and washing dishes. It also allows us to experience the nearby towns and get to know the local culture a bit, which is a huge part of travel for us regardless of where we lay our heads!

Are you camping this summer? Tell us where! We’d also love to know some of your favorite camping activities.

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