Plan B Summer Travel – Camping in National Parks

Meet BBV Ambassador Ashley Daley who lives with her husband and three children in Olympia, WA.  Luckily for them, they didn’t have to come up with a Plan B! They are hoping to pursue their original summer plans of camping out in the American West in National Parks.  Find out how she is planning her family summer adventures, including multigenerational reunions, while being mindful of Covid-19 safety precautions. 

Please tell us about your family.

We’re the Daley family! There’s me, Ashley, my husband Aaron, and our three kids. We have two daughters, ages five and seven, and a 15-month-old baby boy. We’ve lived in Olympia, WA, in the Pacific Northwest for three years now and have really enjoyed exploring the region. We previously lived right outside of Paris for a couple of years–we loved exploring Europe! Before that, we were in Southern California where I’m from originally. 

Did you have plans for this summer that you had to cancel or reschedule because of Covid-19?

Luckily, our two big trips this summer both consist of camping at National Parks. Things were a bit up in the air for a while, obviously, but it looks like now we might be able to do both. We’re tentatively planning on camping at Yellowstone National Park (mainly located in Wyoming) and Kalaloch Beach, our favorite camp spot here in Washington state which is on the Pacfic northwest coast, part of Olympic National Park. We’re planning on road tripping in our car to see family in southeast Idaho and stopping to camp beforehand.

How has your locality dealt with Covid-19 and what restrictions are you currently facing?

I feel like our state did a pretty good job handling Covid so far. We’ve had schools closed since mid-March and have been in “shelter in place” since about that time as well. All non-essential business and parks had been closed and my husband has been working from home since early March. Our city just entered Phase 2 the last week of May, which means that some restaurants and businesses can begin to open again with limitations. Everyone is encouraged to wear masks in public, with young children being the exception.

What are  you doing to make this summer special for your kids given the circumstances?

We’re going to do a couple “theme” days here at home as the school year comes to an end. We’re planning on doing a big Harry Potter end-of-year feast on the last day of school. We’ve previously done Hawaii-  and Disneyland-themed days with the kids as well over their spring break. 

For the summer, we’re still hoping to go on our two big camping trips in National Parks including Kalaloch Beach, and to explore all the nature Washington state has to offer.  While we visit my family, including my mom and stepdad, in Idaho Falls, ID,  we hope to do a few day trips with them, such as Grand Teton National Park, and our camping trip in Yellowstone.  We’re also potentially meeting up with my in-laws while camping. We always love when we have grandparents join us for trips! 

We’re planning on driving our car to each campsite. We’ll  bring masks for any stops we make and will be washing ours and our children’s hands before and after eating anywhere. We’re hoping to make minimal stops during each trip. We’ll be tent-camping and bringing all of our own camping gear. 

We’ll all sleep together in our tent. Both of our girls have their own sleeping bags and our baby will sleep in a sleep sack in his travel crib. For the long drive, we’ll have the girls bring books and dolls to play with and we’ll also allow them moments playing games or watching a movie on our tablet. I’m hoping our youngest will mostly sleep, but we’ll see. This will be his first big road trip so fingers crossed it goes well! 

We reserved both campsites through the National Park services websites (https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232464 for Kalaloch Beach and https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/stay/camping/ for Yellowstone). 

Covid-19 restrictions permitting, are there any sights, itineraries, etc. in your locality that you can recommend to fellow BBV members who are in your area (or who have access to it)?

We’re lucky to live in such a beautiful state that has multiple National Parks. Some of our favorite more local-ish places that we plan on exploring are the coast of the Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier, Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Mount St. Helens, and Tolmie State Park, and our local lavender farm Evergreen Valley Lavender Farm. 

This is the third in a series of Bébé Voyage articles on Summer 2020 Plan B. The BBV team wants to hear about your summer plans–whether it’s a staycation, a summer house rental, a road trip, or even  chartering your own boat.  Have you been thinking of a multigenerational vacation? What about farming your kids out to your parents?

Let your plans be an inspiration for our community. Please contact alixperrachon@gmail.com.

You may also like these articles from the Bébé Voyage blog!

Plan B Summer Travel-Family Staycation In North Carolina

Bébé Voyage Ambassador Spotlight: Carrie Davis Shares Her Favorite Things About Denver

Armchair Adventures: 5 Creative Activities That Will Inspire Kids To Travel The World