Oh, the places you'll go....at camp this summer! We're sharing our favorite local outdoor recreation areas in the Bay Area for the whole family so you can get outdoors and get active at the places we travel to at camp during the summer! These California outdoor recreation areas for the whole family are just a start of an active lifestyle.

5 Key Health Benefits of Spending Time Outdoors for Kids

According to the Child Mind Institute, children in the United States “spend 4 to 7 minutes a day in unstructured play outdoors, and over 7 hours a day in front of a screen.” Experts agree that outdoor time is incredibly beneficial for children (and their parents). Playing outside means kids are, “smarter, happier, more attentive, and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors.” The health benefits of outdoor time are not just luxuries but as important as eating balanced meals, getting a good night's sleep and social, community ties.

Hikes don’t have to mean “YIKES”! I’ll admit it. It wasn’t my finest mommy moment. During a hike, our 6-year old sat down in the middle of the trail and refused to budge. He said he was done. He went on strike. A hike strike. He was too big to carry and too young to understand reason. He meant business. What finally uprooted my child? A bribe. We’ve all done it, right?? I’m not proud we promised him a trip to Dairy Queen if he got up and finished, but I swear he would still be on that trail today, sprouting roots in that very spot, if it were not for the lure of the Blizzard. While I have no doubt my child is stubborn, I learned with a few tips and tricks the hike strike didn’t have to happen. Hopefully, our suggestions help your family have a meltdown-free, fun-filled day outdoors.  A little planning goes a long way so here are some tips & tricks for hiking with kids. Because hiking requires almost no special equipment, it’s easy to wake up one beautiful morning and decide that today is the day you’re going on a family hike. Let me be honest with you. Today is not that day unless you’ve already done some planning.

Biking with kids CAN be fun, but we know it can also be an emotional roller coaster before the fun ever kicks in. If your child does not know how to ride a bike, read our article about Avid4 Adventure's "Never have I ever" biking progression for tips on how to get your kid pedaling. If you’ve made it past teaching your kiddos how to ride a bike, congratulations! You got beyond running awkwardly beside them. They wobbled; you wobbled. They fell; you fell. They cried . . . well, you cried, but for different reasons. Now what?  Bike riding is a great excuse (as if you even needed another one) to get outside with your family. We’ve put together some tips & tricks to make the experience even more fun when biking with kids. 

Parents often ask us where we take kids hiking, biking, paddling and climbing at our adventure camps. Below are a few of our top spots for outdoor family adventures close to your home.

These 27 California outdoor recreation areas are perfect for the whole family. So, grab the kids, bikes, paddles, backpacks or whatever and head out to these special spots for a day of fun. What are you waiting for?