Home / Camping and trail skills with kids
Choose a tent site with kids
Choose the tent site before unpacking. Look for permitted, level ground outside low spots, with no dead branches overhead. Keep the tent away from the fire and busy walking routes. A pretty view is not enough to make a site suitable.
Grab first
- The campsite rules or reservation details
- Your tent instructions and groundsheet
- A notebook for the kid's site sketch
Before you start
- Check local camping, food-storage and fire rules before arriving.
- Skip sites exposed to falling trees, flooding, cliffs or storm hazards. If the site is unsafe, ask the campground staff for another option.
The steps
Walk the whole site
Dad and kid walk the boundaries before unloading. Find the designated tent area, the cooking area and the path to the car or toilets.
Look up and out
Check for dead branches overhead, dead trees that could fall, and nearby ravines or other flood routes. Choose another site when hazards cannot be avoided.
Read the ground
Choose level ground that is not a low or sunken area. Use the established tent pad where one is provided; do not dig or reshape the site.
Keep routes clear
Place the tent away from the fire ring and cooking area. Keep guy lines out of the path people will use after dark.
Set up in daylight
Follow the tent maker's instructions. Fold any extra groundsheet underneath so it does not catch rain. Let your kid draw the route back to the tent before dark.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a low hollow because it looks flat. Look for a level area that will not collect runoff.
- Treating a reservation as proof that every part of a site is safe. Still inspect the ground and trees.
- Spreading into undisturbed plants instead of using the existing site.
Practice together
At home, draw three pretend sites on paper: a hollow, a spot under a dead limb, and an established flat pad. Let the kid choose, explain the choice, then draw a walking route that avoids the guy lines.
Sources
- NPS, finding and setting up a campsite. Supports hazard checks, tent placement, daylight setup and folding the footprint under. Checked Oct 26, 2026.
- NPS, Leave No Trace. Use existing campsites and leave natural features unchanged. Checked Oct 26, 2026.
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Dad Field Manual · /tent-site/
Choose a tent site with kids
- Read the rules; walk the site before unloading.
- Look up for dead limbs; look down for low spots.
- Use the established pad; keep fire and footpaths clear.
- Pitch in daylight; tuck the groundsheet underneath.
Before you start
- Check local camping, food-storage and fire rules before arriving.
- Skip sites exposed to falling trees, flooding, cliffs or storm hazards. If the site is unsafe, ask the campground staff for another option.
Full steps and sources: dadfieldmanual.com/tent-site/