how old are your children? Ive taken budget road trips withmine since toddler age and was working on a book re adventure travel with kids at one point...in fact there is a kind of fun book called Adventuring with Kids that was published maybe twenty eyars ago my a mom 9married then) with twin boys who w know the ROckieere 9 when the book came out with some great suggestions. campers are more fun for kids than sitting in carseats (duh)but if they are young, you wlls tillporbably want to get out and mess around as much as possible.

I found that a picnic or campsite with a lightweight tent was "instant entertainment" formy child through about age 6 and sometimes beyond...there's something irresistible about creating a temporary "indoors" out of the outdoors where they can come and go and laugh. add a stream in which to splash orplunk rocks or swqim if they are old enough and you have a whoe day's entertainment.

I don't know the ROckies well enough to advise specific locales...I'm a coastal gal. if oucan create other temporary fun zones with a hammockor tire swing to be suspended fromthe trees, you are all set.

sometimes when we satyed near horse camps, someone would come put my tot on the back of a horse.

can you get an inexpensive Polaroid camera and let the kids see pictures of them fooling around on inflatable boats,in tents,etc?

keepa scrapbook or something like it with road maps, photos, postcards(goinginto town for touristy funny postcards is another cheap thrill), brochures from roadside attractions (oldstyle diners,funky shops, breathtaking scenery).

bring plaster of paris and if raccoons or deer visit your campsite...make plaster casts of them!

bring glue and butcher-rollpaper and make nature colalges of leaves, mobiles etc with pine cones.

kids love flashlights, even at home..givingthem their own is another instnat thrillon a trip. those shake-and-recharge ones or the hand-crank batery ones are a great learning ewxperience and instant science projects too...


bring instant munchie food. trailmix was almost customdesigned for kids who need a dose of on-the-goprotein, healthy fat, and vitamins as well as fiber..mix your own or buy one with a unch o things they like.

if youhave room and they like bikes, trikes,or scooters, bring them. also a red(or whatever color)wagon..its useful formoving stuff around,and the kids willlvoe having it toplay with,pull each other, etc.

if the weather is decent,get out of the camper and sleepunder the stars. its a revelation for us city folk!

if there are any ranger nights including introductions to the stars, plants and animals of the airea, even the old corny camp songs..bring the kiddos.

paint your faces with native clay, thenwash afterwards when you feellike it.

I hate marshmallows but kids love to roast them even if they dont eat them much.

visit hot springs,laugh with the kids when they say "pee-you! remind them you changedtheir dfoapers for two or three years and that's way stinkier. heh...

play inthe creek yourself.

bring a few books for bedtime stories,something you too enjoy. if ou can get "indian Tales"by Jaime du Angulo, its a classic about a little stubborn California Indian boy, Fox Boy, traveling with his family.

they wont remember to miss TV,video games etc if ou dontremind them and there is all this wacky wonderful stuff to do.

bring sun hats and light longsleeved clothing.

my daughter (almost 14 years old)suggests good underwater-safe camera that the kids cant destroy. if not,get a couple disposable cameras. there are enoughplaces in town that do 24 hour photo that you can take them in.


(if you are like me and consider these one-use cameras "environmental travesties" there are some made from recycled components. Trader Joe was selling them here.)

daypack with lots of snacks that don't need refrigerators.

bring water sandals and wading boots for creek exploration. alsolightweight digging etc toys for sand play,since swimming beaches are likely to be sandy.

prepare for all kinds of weather! stock some inside books and toys for rainy days, or head to town and check out the library.



try out catnip-oil based bug repellent and tell me what you think? isent my daughter to Costa Rica Outward Bound with some but she left it at base camp.

have a great time.if oulike, 'll send a postal address and you can send a ostcard and say how its going.

have a great time! judith