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New here! Trying to decide on next year camp trips:)

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  • #1

    New here! Trying to decide on next year camp trips:)

    Hi all! The family and I just wrapped up our last camping trip of the season. I'm from Ohio and we just aren't brave enough to camp in cold temps yet. The hubby and I have three kids. Age 7, 5, and 1. Camping with our infant this year was enjoyable, but I'm looking forward to him being older next year lol. We didn't take the older kids camping until they were 3ish. We ventured to Hocking Hills over the summer and really loved the caves. I'm planning next years trips... We like to stay local and do one destination trip.

    Please help me decide between Mammoth Cave's National Park and Sleeping Bear Dunes. They are both the same distance for us (about 6 hours). We enjoy hiking but will still be carrying our toddler on our back. The big kids keep up well so that's not really an issue. This was the first summer to do a destination trip with our kids so we really want these trips to be all about them. Is one of the above listed more kid friendly than the other? Thanks in advance!
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  • #2
    Re: New here! Trying to decide on next year camp trips

    Have your kids been in caves before? Caverns can be scary for some kids. If they've never been in any, you will want to be prepared that one of you might need to quit mid-tour to take a scared kid back out (been there, done that).

    You might pull up the websites, show the kids photos of both, read the activities, and then ask them where they want to go.
    “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

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    • #3
      Re: New here! Trying to decide on next year camp trips

      Im in Arizona so the most help I can be will be to ask; why not do both?
      “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
      – E. B. White

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      • #4
        Re: New here! Trying to decide on next year camp trips

        Hi QuinLynSey! Welcome to the Forum! It is great to hear that your family likes getting outside and having adventures.

        To your question: I would recommend Sleeping Bear (or some other Nat'l/State park with great natural features, etc.) over Mammoth Cave NP. At least at this time.....

        My family has been visiting showcaves all over the US (NP, SP, Comm'l) for 14 years. That's our gig-we've been to 85 or so. We pick a state w caves and plan the trip from there. We started when my daughter was 4ish...but had to really lighten our visits for a few years when baby brother was born.

        Most walking showcave tours (like those at Mammoth) are guided. Most, if not all, won't allow a backpack infant carrier. It is too dangerous in many of the passages due to low ceiling. You can carry a 1 year old via front carrier, but, from experience....it's not a pleasant experience for the kid or the adult. And there is typically no "easy" out of most commerical/park showcaves. Keep that in mind. Most of these tours are guided, but don't have someone else there to quickly get you out separately from the tour group...whether someone is scared or squirmy/noisy.

        My family has been to Hocking (love it!) and have been through Ash Cave, Old Man's Cave, RockHouse, etc. Great waterfalls and hiking. Beautiful! But those cave experiences are not what you will experience at Mammoth Cave, which is a true walking guided underground experience for anywhere from 45 minutes to 4+ hrs. There are a couple of shorter guided tours for young children/elderly, but you will still have to front carry. However, the tour is shorter so you wouldn't have to carry for as long a time (you can get details on Mammoth's website).

        There are also some caves around that would be easier for a family with young children....esp if you have to carry one (Twin Caves and BlueSpring Caverns here in IN are boat rides as is Lost River Cave in Bowling Green KY-just south of Mammoth). One cave, Fantastic Caverns - near Springfield MO is a ride tour on a wagon pulled by a propane powered jeep! Many others are in State Parks - which lend themselves to camping at the same time.

        You have a beautiful cavern with a fairly easy walking tour at Ohio Caverns. Open year round, it might make for a good day trip (?) and a test before you plan a trip to Mammoth. Just a thought.

        Some research links for various caves around the US: visit the National Cave Association website for a partial listing of caves that belong to the NCA: http://www.cavern.com/Directory/

        or this one: http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/showcave/menu.html


        Still...I would really recommend against going on most commercial cave tours with a 1 year old. Like I said, we only visited a few easy ones during that 1-4 age time with my son. After they hit 3 or 4 yrs old? YES!!! It is a great learning experience...every cave is a little different and they all have a souvenir shop (but of course!). It also got us to go to some really interesting places here in the US of A that we probably wouldn't have visited. My kids just ate up the science of caves, bats, etc. We still go and are planning a summer 2015 camping trip to Missouri to visit the remaining caves we haven't seen in that state.
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        • #5
          Re: New here! Trying to decide on next year camp trips

          Thanks for all the helpful input everyone! I never thought that maybe the kids would be scared. Very good point! Also, the thought of going to both absolutely crossed my mind I would really like to go back to Hocking Hills in the fall of next year though. Time off work for my hubs is hard to come by in the summer season (He's a construction manager for a stone quarry they mine).

          a65hoosier-I will look into the links you posted. I honestly had no idea there were so many caves and caverns nearby. We have a nice carrier for our little one, however he would be 2 by the time we go to the caves. So, he'll be heavier and to carry him on the front for a length of time would probably be a huge mistake. You made a very good point. Perhaps I'll do some more research on Sleeping Bear Dunes and plan some day trips to caves near us. That would be good preparation for the following summer when our little man is 3.

          Thanks again for the helpful input!

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          • #6
            Re: New here! Trying to decide on next year camp trips

            You probably already made up your mind, but I thought I would already chime in. I remember when I was a kid and my parents took us to Mammoth Cave's National Park, and the tours that they have are amazing. I have slight claustrophobia, but I did just fine, and they are pretty well family friendly. Just a fruitful thought.
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            • #7
              Re: New here! Trying to decide on next year camp trips

              I would have to say that Mammoth Cave is worth a trip, but only if your whole party can walk it. There are some places that are difficult for a person carrying extra weight of their own, to say nothing of carrying a child.

              Mike
              Mike Hampton
              If it's "it is," it's "it's" otherwise it's "its."

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