The 3 Ps of tackling your first camping trip

water bottles, backpack, plastic containers, and park tabloid on picnic table

Today’s blog was written by Jessica Stillman, our Discovery program project coordinator.

Are you in the middle of planning your first camping trip?

From buying equipment to packing, meal planning to setting up your campsite (and don’t even get us started on picking a park — there are just too many amazing ones to choose from!), there are so many things to figure out.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but we are here to help.

With a little preparation, practice, and perseverance, you too can become a lifelong Ontario Parks camper!

Let us help you unlock the 3 Ps of camping so you can start experiencing the magic of the provincial parks system.

Preparation

Being prepared will make any camping trip smoother, which leads to more time for fun, relaxing, and exploring.

Something that overwhelms a lot of campers (first timers and experienced alike) is packing.

Yes, weather and activities will affect some of your choices, but there are some basic items that all camping trips require.

We’ve got you covered with check-lists and tips to make packing easier.

Back to weather and activities, you should take both into consideration when packing.

When it comes to weather, consider:

Checking the weather closer to your trip date. Pack appropriate clothing including footwear or warmer layers; you want to be comfortable no matter what.
Thinking about alternative activities for bad weather days. Play cards, read a book, or go out on an adventure to local sites like museums, to beat the heat or stay dry from the rain.
Packing sunscreen, water bottles, sun hats, or toques. These things make a world of difference to your comfort and safety on a trip.

Group of campers in rain ponchos with park staff

When it comes to activities, explore a park’s specific page on the Ontario Parks website to:

Get excited about Discovery programs through their events calendar. Enhance your camping skills or experience what makes each park unique.
Understand some of the ways people explore the park by foot (hiking trails), boat (many parks have rentals), or by bike (yes, biking trails exist in parks too).
Plan out your day. Which beaches are the best? What time is the Visitor Centre open? Where are the showers? Where is the leash-free pet area?

A family paddling in a canoe across a lake

A little preparation can help you get excited for your trip while ensuring it runs smoother.

Practice

It may seem silly, but setting up your tent, dining shelter, and other equipment at home before your trip will help build your confidence.

Hear us out: no one is watching you. Watch a YouTube how-to video if the paper instructions are confusing. If you do it indoors, bad weather or bugs can’t get in your way. Do we really need to say more?

We all know the saying “practice makes perfect,” but when it comes to camping, we’d rather you go with “practice makes pitching a tent easier.”

Nothing is ever perfect when you’re camping — that’s part of the adventure! But practice will make your trip easier, smoother, and more fun from start to finish.

Discovery staff teaching family how to start campfire

Arrived at the park and want to practice more? We’ve got Discovery programs designed to help first-time or new-to-a-park campers improve their skills.

Make sure you check each park’s events calendar on the Ontario Parks website, visit their social media pages, or ask a staff member when you arrive at the park for more information about scheduled programs.

Take a Park Essentials Tour to orient yourself with valuable park facilities.

Drop in on a skills workshop where you can improve your campfire building, campsite setup, or knot-tying skills.

Maybe you’ve got kids in your group and you want them to learn how to camp too. We have Discovery camping skills programs for our youngest campers too!

Perseverance

We’d be lying to you if we told you every camping trip is going to be amazing — some just aren’t.

Sometimes the weather isn’t in your favour. The bugs can be out of control, or there could be a fire ban. But even on these less-than-perfect trips, you gain so much from spending time outdoors.

Maybe it felt like the bugs were eating you alive, so you snuggled up in your tent with that book you hadn’t had time to finish yet.

That time a fire ban meant no campfires, so instead you lay out on the beach stargazing all night.

When a rainstorm flooded your campsite, so you and the kids danced in the rain and counted worms.

Don’t let the “bad” parts of a trip turn you off of camping. They are the parts that helped you grow the most as a camper, and might end up being what you cherish the most.

Every camping trip, from your first to your hundredth, is going to be different — that’s part of the fun!

So push through the bugs, bad weather, and unexpected changes to your plans. That way, you can enjoy all the best parts of camping.

3 Ps unlocked

Now that you’ve unlocked the 3 Ps of camping, there is only one thing left to do: book a trip and get outside!

There’s a whole new world waiting for you when you go camping. Setting up your campsite lets you fall into the rhythms of the new place, its early morning bird sounds, smells of late-night campfires, and the array of colours dazzling you from sunrise to sunset.

You start to notice you’re on camper time, eating when you’re hungry, staying at the beach longer than you anticipated, and wandering around with no real direction in mind, just seeing where the park takes you.

Don’t let the fear of planning your first camping trip stop you from experiencing a world of wonder. We’ve got the tools, tips, and staff to help make camping easier and you’ve got the 3 Ps to know exactly where to start.