Winter Break Camping With Kids

Why winter break is worth it, and the catch

Winter break is the longest stretch of days off school all year. That makes it the one time a family can drive somewhere warm, camp for four or five nights, and still come home with a few days to recover before school starts again. Outside the warm states, campgrounds are nearly empty, and the ones in the warm states are at their most pleasant temperatures of the year.

The catch is daylight. The winter solstice falls on December 21, so the entire break sits in the darkest few weeks of the year. A late-December camping day has about 9 to 10 hours of light. Every other piece of planning on this page follows from that.

Where to camp in late December

Assume your favorite summer campground is closed. By late December, a large share of seasonal campgrounds in the northern states have been shut since October or November, and some that stay open turn off the water and close the bathhouses. Check the specific campground page for its season dates and which loops stay open. The options that work for a family fall into three groups:

• Warm-weather parks. Florida, the Gulf Coast, south Texas, southern Arizona, and the southern California deserts are at their best. Start with camping in Florida, camping in Texas, or camping in Arizona.
• State park cabins and yurts. Many state park systems keep cabins or yurts open all year, including in snowy states. For kids who have never slept through a cold night, a heated cabin with a fire ring outside is the right first winter trip. State park cabin camping with kids covers what those cabins include and what to pack.
• A winterized loop for experienced families. Some state parks keep one loop open with vault toilets. If your family already camps in the cold, read winter camping for beginners before committing to a tent in snow country.

Book now, not in December

The warm-weather parks fill fast over the holidays because every family with two weeks off is aiming for the same short list of places. Booking windows open early:

• Recreation.gov: most federal campgrounds release sites on a rolling six-month window, so late-December dates went on sale in late June.
• Florida State Parks: reservations open up to 11 months ahead, and popular coastal parks are often full for the holidays well before fall.
• Texas State Parks: about five months ahead, which puts late-December dates in late July.

If you are planning now, the open dates are usually weeknights between Christmas and New Year, cabins, smaller parks a little inland from the famous ones, and cancellations. Set alerts and check the morning sites release. The details of how booking windows and cancellation alerts work are in recreation.gov reservation strategy.

Plan the day around 15 hours of dark

Sunset lands around 4:30pm across much of the northern half of the country in late December and closer to 5:30pm in Florida and south Texas. Sunrise is after 7am almost everywhere. A day that works with kids looks like this:

• Arrive by early afternoon. Pitching a tent and finding the bathrooms in daylight saves the first evening. If you will arrive late anyway, setting up camp in the dark covers the order to do it in.
• Hike between 10am and 2pm. That is the warmest, brightest part of the day. Plan to be back at camp an hour before sunset.
• Eat dinner by 5:30pm. Cook while there is still a little light, then move to the fire.
• Light everyone. Every kid gets a headlamp, and a lantern on the picnic table keeps the long evening from feeling gloomy. A EverBrite LED Headlamp, 5-Pack covers a whole family.
• Bring evening activities. Card games, a book read aloud, and a clear night of stargazing fill the hours between dinner and bed. See camping after dark with kids for more ideas.

Pack for a freezing night, even in warm states

Warm-state parks fool people. A desert campground that hits 65 degrees at 2pm commonly drops into the 30s overnight, and a frost on the tent is normal. Southern coastal parks are milder but damp, which feels colder than the number suggests.

• A 20-degree bag for every kid. A kid-sized bag like the TETON Junior 20°F Kids Sleeping Bag has less empty space to heat than an adult bag.
• Insulation under them. The ground pulls more heat from a sleeping child than the air does. Stack a closed-cell foam pad under an inflatable one, and see sleeping pad R-value explained for what number to look for.
• Dry clothes for bed. Change into a dry base layer, wool socks, and a warm hat right before bed. The clothes kids played in all day hold moisture.
• Something warm before sleep. Fill a THERMOS Stainless King Vacuum-Insulated Beverage Bottle, 40 oz with hot water at dinner and you have cocoa at bedtime and warm water for washing up in the morning.

Never bring a fuel-burning heater into a tent, even for a few minutes to take the chill off. Tent heater safety explains why and what to do instead, and the full cold-night routine, including what to do when a kid wakes up cold at 3am, is in how to keep kids warm camping.

Christmas at camp

A campground Christmas does not need much to feel like the holiday. Keep the traditions small and portable:

• Battery string lights, not candles. A strand of battery lights on the tent or the picnic table looks festive and is safe around kids and fabric.
• A stocking per kid. Fill it with things that get used on the trip: a new headlamp, hand warmers, a deck of cards, a trail snack.
• A cocoa bar. Hot cocoa, marshmallows, and candy canes to stir with is an easy Christmas morning ritual on a cold picnic table.
• Reassure the little ones. Young kids sometimes worry that Santa will not find them at a campground. A plan you talk about ahead of time, whatever fits your family, saves a tearful night.

Plan supplies around the holiday. Grocery stores, camp stores, and firewood sellers near many parks close or cut hours on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and some park offices close too. Buy ice, food, and firewood near the park by December 23, and buy firewood locally rather than hauling it from home, since moving firewood spreads tree pests.

New Year's Eve at a campground

Leave the fireworks at home. Consumer fireworks are prohibited in national parks and national forests, and most state park systems ban them too, no matter what the nearby town allows. Quiet hours still apply on New Year's Eve, usually from 10pm.

Midnight is also a lot to ask of a cold, tired kid after a day outside. Many families count down at an earlier hour, such as 9pm, or celebrate when the clock strikes midnight on the East Coast. Glow stick necklaces, a hot cocoa toast, and a last log on the fire make it feel like a party without keeping the loop awake.

Have a bail-out plan

Winter storms move faster than holiday plans. Check the forecast every day of the trip, not just the week before. If a hard freeze, heavy rain, or high wind shows up, a cabin night, a motel night, or an early drive home is the right call, and kids remember a shortened trip far more fondly than a miserable night. The signs to watch for are in camping when the weather turns.

If your family camped over Thanksgiving, winter break is the natural next trip: the same cold-night system, more days to spend, and a better shot at a warm-weather park if you booked early.

Frequently asked

Where can you go camping with kids over Christmas break?

Mostly the southern edge of the country: Florida, the Gulf Coast, south Texas, southern Arizona, and the southern California deserts. Closer to home, look for state park cabins, yurts, or a winterized loop that stays open all year.

How far ahead should you book a campsite for winter break?

About six months ahead for most federal campgrounds on Recreation.gov, up to 11 months for Florida State Parks, and about five months for Texas State Parks. Planning later, use cancellation alerts and look at weeknights and cabins.

How cold does it get camping in late December?

Desert and southern parks often drop into the 30s overnight even after a warm afternoon, and nights last 14 to 15 hours. Pack a 20-degree bag, an insulated pad, and dry bedtime layers for every child.

Can you set off fireworks at a campground on New Year's Eve?

Almost never. Fireworks are banned in national parks, national forests, and most state parks, and quiet hours still apply. Count down early with glow sticks and cocoa instead.