Who said Halloween is just about dressing up in costumes and trick or treating? There’s a lot of other stuff you can do to celebrate the holiday. For one, you can go on a Halloween camping trip with family or friends.
Halloween camping is the perfect outdoor activity for people who like to have a spooky kind of an adventure. Camping and hiking can be fun and a little bit scary if that’s your thing.
With Halloween fast approaching, it’s a good idea to start your preparations early to fully enjoy the holiday.
Halloween Camping Destination
Start off by making plans on where you’re spending your Halloween camping trip. There are campgrounds that cater to trick or treaters. But instead of simply giving out sweets, these sites turn the campground into one spooky Halloween extravaganza.
Come to think of it, the outdoors is a great place to spend Halloween. You can walk through the frightful forest, share ghost stories around the campfire, and scare your friends while doing other spooky yet fun activities.
The Kentucky Horse Park, for example, holds the yearly Halloween Campout for two weekends in October. In Delaware, the Lums Pond State park is a popular Halloween camping destination while Yogi Bear’s Hill County Camp Resort in Canyon Lake, Texas, holds Halloween-themed events every weekend of October.
Check with your preferred campground if they celebrate Halloween along with everybody else. As always, book well in advance so you don’t have to worry when Halloween comes.
Halloween Camping Gear
Shelter and Sleeping Gear
When you’re listing down the gear you’ll be taking with you on your Halloween camping trip, you must start with the essentials. You need a tent big enough to fit the whole family plus a little legroom. Make sure everyone will be warm and comfy by bringing sleeping bags, sleeping pads, blankets, and small pillows (inflatable ones will do).
A Halloween-themed kiddie tent is a good thing to have. Your small children get their own tent to play in during the day.
Warm Clothes
It’s almost winter so it may get really cold, especially at night. You better pack some warm clothes such as jackets, beanies, and wool socks. You may want to have thermal underwear if it gets REALLY cold where you’re going.
Costume
You can’t go on a Halloween camping adventure without a costume, especially if you’re taking your kids with you. Most campgrounds welcome trick or treaters and you will be glad you brought a costume. Be creative when choosing a Halloween attire. A white sheet with holes for your eyes won’t cut it.
You or your children can basically wear anything. Since you’re far from home and have limited space in your pack for a bulky costume and props, go for something simpler and serve another purpose.
For example, you can dress up as a lumberjack by wearing a red plaid shirt. Put on a beanie and grab your hatchet to complete the look. You can also be a go as a hunter. Just wear a camo suit, a vest, a hat or beanie, and a pair of binoculars. if you noticed, the items mentioned are not only part of your costume, you can also use or wear them for other purposes.
Halloween Camping Games and Activities
Decorating Your Campsite
It’s Halloween so you have the go-signal to turn your campsite into something straight out of a George Romero or Ed Wood film. Try not to overdo it, however. You’ll only be at the grounds for a few days and it’s not advised to carry so much to camp. So you better ditch any plans of bringing an Anabelle doll or even a mannequin dressed as a zombie.
Go for something simple like a spooky old lantern, the classic jack-o’-lantern, or some child friendly shadow puppets. If you prefer to scare the bejesus out of everyone, you can hang those strange stick figures seen in The Blair Witch Project.
Trick or Treating
Halloween without trick or treating is like Christmas without the gift-giving. Make sure you bring the trick or treating essentials such as pumpkin pails and candies, lots of them.
You’ll be walking around the campground to get your share of sweets. Don’t forget your flashlight or headlamp. Make sure you have new batteries in your lights or at least bring extra ones. You can also put some reflective tape on the costume and pail so you can still be seen in the dark.
Bring your phones or walkie talkies to camp. When your children go trick or treating, you can check upon them over the phone or radio.
Glow-in-the-Dark Ring Toss
It’s Halloween so you’re likely to be doing stuff in the dark. Aside from trick or treating around the campsite, you can play games such as Ring Toss. Use the glow-in-the-dark kind so you can play it during the day or at night.
Night Hike
It’s nice to take a stroll while basking in the moonlight. There’s something relaxing about how the moonlight gently touches the skin. Take full moon strolling to a whole new horrifying level by going on a hike in the dark. If you’re up for some ghost hunting in the woods, you can try the Yosemite National Park where a number of hikers have supposedly heard the cries of the ghost of a little boy.
Even if you’re not scared of ghosts or the Blair Witch, you should still be wary of the dark. Bring the proper gear for your hike. Wear a god pair of shoes or boots. You’ll be travelling in the dark so you can’t entirely see what you’re stepping on. You’ll need a good source of light. A head torch is ideal as it frees both of your hands. You also need to pack extra food, water, a weapon for self-defense and other survival gear. It’s easy to get lost at night so the more supplies and gear you pack for your hike, the better chances of you surviving in case something goes wrong.
Campfire Ghost Stories
This may sound corny to some but telling scary campfire stories is one of the best ways to spend the nights on your Halloween camping adventure. Be prepared with a couple of ghost stories of your own and don’t be afraid to share them.
Remember the campfire safety rules. You’ll be sitting near open fire so there’s always a risk of someone getting hurt if not careful. Before you build your campfire, make sure you’re not on dry grass or near trees or bushes that may catch fire. Also, you and your stuff should be at least eight feet away from the fire.
Keep water and a fire extinguisher nearby. You can also shovel dirt over the fire if it gets too high. Also, never leave your campfire unattended. The same goes for your children and pets, if you brought them along. Make sure they don’t get too close to the fire. If you have to leave or it’s bedtime, make sure to extinguish the fire completely.
Halloween camping is a fun activity for the whole family. Despite the prospect of fun and spook, you still need to think about everyone’s safety. Make sure you’re equipped to face the dark with the TC1200 Tactical Flashlight from 1tac. You should also read up on the different articles on The Gentleman Pirate about camping and such.
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