My family loves to camp, and favorite thing to do at Yellowstone is (when you drive in on the north side) swim in the hot springs. And as an alternative to graham crackers in our s’mores since I don’t like graham crakcers, we use bananas.

We’re having a family reunion at Bear Lake this summer. Beautiful place!

Jaime – I could spend a whole week just in Yellowstone! We are doing Bear Lake, Tetons and Yellowstone in one week and Mesa Verde, Arches in another week.

Jaleta – Oh yes. I need warm weather like nothing else! We are heading south first week of May.

Sheila – I have wondered recently what in the world that cooking tool does! I see it when I look at camping stuff but I had no idea. I think I need to buy one because that sounds delicious!

Maggi – You take the kids by yourself?! Although I did yellowstone with the kids without the husband last year. Glad he’s coming this year!

Callista – Oh thanks! I am definitely going to look at your recommendations!

Heidenkind – Hmm . . . good to know. I wasn’t planning on doing the guided tour because they said my littlest probably wouldn’t be able to climb the ladders. But I bet he probably could.

Tiffany – Thanks for the recommendations. That recipe sounds nice and easy. Pizza while camping?! My boys would love that.

Lisa – We did exacty that last year when we took the boys camping for the first time and slept in the backyard. So glad that we did. When it was time to go camping they were so excited.

Kristen – Ha, ha! The marshmallows are a favorite for the kids.

Sarah – My kids would LOVE that book. Nothing like poop to get their excitement.

Suey – Thanks for the tips! I’ve never done Arches or Mesa Verde with kids so I hope all the hiking goes okay. I remember that there was a ledge up to Delicate Arch and my husband wants to skip it with the kids. I’d like to manage it though.

I Heart Monster – You are a WEALTH of information. Thank you, thank you! I had looked up Dinosaur National Monument and was worried that there wouldn’t be anything to see with the visitor center closed. Maybe it’s worth it? And yes! We do have a National Park Pass! We bought it last year and we’re trying to get our money’s worth before it expires in July.

Amused – Thanks! We will have fun!

Shelley – My kids are probably a bit too young but my oldest does know not to “trash the earth.” So it’s always a good reminder on how to treat nature.

Julie – I bought a larger memory card for my camera and I am ready for photos!

They have bear containers, but if you plan on camping for more than one day, I’d highly suggest a BearVault.

Also, the Moose Pond Loop is a great trail that you should be able to take your boys on without any trouble. We saw oodles of moose tracks, and trails, but no moose. The trail is relatively unknown, and we didn’t see another person on it the entire time. (It was peak season too)

In Yellowstone, I’d recommend the Mystic Falls trail, it’s rewarding and a way to get really close to a waterfall if you want to. Shouldn’t be too hard for the kiddos either.

In Arches, don’t miss Delicate Arch or Landscape Arch. Delicate is definitely the best, but I don’t know if you’ll want to take your kids on the narrow-ledged trail. Landscape is huge and an easy trail. I’d also look into Natural Bridges National Monument if I were you. We did it on a whim and have been back a couple of times. It’s similar to Arches and only like thirty miles away.

Don’t miss Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde either. It’s ah.mazing. I don’t remember the hike much, ’cause we haven’t been back for seven years, but I do remember it was definitely worth it.

Bear Lake I have not visited, but the Utah side of Dinosaur National Monument is really cool (even with the visitor center closed).

As for other travel stuff, make sure to buy your National Parks Pass – if you’re going to all of those places, it’ll save you money, and get you into places you might stumble upon along the way, even if it’s just to drive through.

As for recipes, my favorite camping recipe book is LipSmackin’ Backpackin’ by Tim & Christine Conners. It’s all fairly simple, and everything I’ve tried has been totally yummy.