Camping in the fall can be great. Crowds are gone. Bugs are gone. Fall colors are glorious. Why not try a family backpacking trip? It’s not as hard as you might think. With a little planning and these tips, you can have a great family adventure and inspire a life-long love of backpacking in your kids.⁠

Here are some ideas for fun, easy activities your kids can do outside, with or without you. Use these as a break from school screen time or after classes are over. Your kids will feel better and so will you!

Keeping kids comfortable outdoors in all weather helps them appreciate nature and stay active. We put together a handy video and infographic on how to layer to stay warm and dry in cold weather.

Silence is an essential survival skill. But silence is not necessarily serene calm. In the wilderness, silence could be a deer listening for a cougar. It may be waiting quietly for a fish to bite. Or stillness when you feel sad.

Animal tracking is an incredible way to explore Nature with kids. While glimpsing a coyote or deer might be rare, their tracks are not. You just have to learn how and where to look.

Using all these tips can hopefully help you stay healthy and happy even in the most challenging of times when outdoors.