I know everyone says "family camping is chaos" but we just got back from 4 days in Shenandoah and it genuinely went well. The kids (7, 9, 12) hiked without complaining, we cooked decent food, nobody got bitten by anything. My oldest even put his phone down. Ngl I'm already planning the next trip.
Everyone saying family camping is chaos are usually the ones who go unprepared and expect their kids to entertain themselves. You clearly did actual prep work. Also the fact that your kids hiked without complaining is... rare.
This gives me hope because we've been scared to try camping with our crew. What was your food game? I feel like that's where it falls apart for us.
Did you do something different to make it actually work or did you just get lucky with the kids' moods? Because every time I try camping someone's tired and cranky by day 2.
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Shenandoah is perfect for the 7-12 age range too. The trails aren't brutal and the payoff is actually visible. Sounds like you nailed the trip planning part instead of just winging it.