Family camping trips are known for creating so many unforgettable memories. It’s a regular tradition for some families, but others are less fortunate. I remember the one and only camping trip I had with my family growing up. I was around 5 years old and so excited. After all, we were heading to Ross Barnett Reservoir! It was my favorite place at the time, and it was much safer then than it is now. Momma kept me out of trouble while Daddy pitched the tent. Once camp was all set up, Momma and I played some of the best camping games! Then, Daddy and I ran trot lines.
I’ll never forget the most exciting part of that trip! While Daddy and I were out on the water, a large boat flew by us at a high rate of speed. The boat was so close to us! We almost capsized, and Daddy almost caught himself on the trot line. He was cussing, and I was laughing. Perhaps he should have just played games with Momma and me?!
In any case, while you’re planning your trip consider taking along some fun games! I recommend at least one inside game just in case it rains. To give you some ideas, I have put together a list of my favorite go to camping games. Check it out! Some are multiplayer and great for family camping trips! Others are for solo camping trips when you just want to be alone.
Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click on one of the product or service links and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. I only recommend products and services that I personally believe in. For more information, click here.
Best camping games for exercise ~ sports games
These sports games transport well in a storage compartment under your camper or in the back of your vehicle. Additionally, they are easy to set up and playable in almost any location. They’re perfect for camping as well as simple family gatherings. Furthermore, they make for great gifts!
Ladder Ball (aka Ladder Toss) is by far my family’s favorite game to take camping! I can’t remember a family camping trip without us playing at least one game. You play it by tossing bolas at rungs on a ladder. Each rung is worth a different number of points, and it’ll take 21 to win. You can play one on one or team against team. Check out this Ladder Toss game if you don’t already have one!
Cornhole
Badminton and Volleyball! 2 games in one allows you to pack well. Badminton is an excellent game if you have little ones. It’s fun for adults too but only 4 can play. If you want to play a game with a lot of people, you can simply air up the volleyball! It’s a blast while camping especially if there’s a sandy beach nearby to play it on. Check out this portable badminton volleyball combo!
Washer Toss is one of the best camping games. It doesn’t take much room at all making it a perfect game to play right at your campsite. So, stretch out your throwing arm and see if you can get to 21 before your opponent! I recommend this washer toss game because it is waterproof and very durable!
Yard Pong
Frisbee? NAH! How about super cool frisbee in the dark?!! If you don’t have a whole lot of space at your campsite to throw a frisbee, you can always walk to the common areas. There is usually a large grassy area, a playground, or a beach nearby where you can play. This frisbee with led lights is sure to impress!
Croquet is so much fun! It’s a game where you set up a course using metal hoops called wickets and knock balls through each one using a mallet. You’ll score points along the way, but the game isn’t over until you hit the winning peg. You can buy a croquet set here if you want to try it.
Best card games for camping
When it comes to being thrifty a deck of playing cards is about as good as it gets. You get a huge bang for your buck because you can play so many different games with just a regular deck of playing cards! Additionally, a deck or two of cards doesn’t take up much space at all and you can play when it’s raining. There are also many card games you can play that require specialty decks. Don’t worry, those are quite thrifty too and make for some of the best camping games. I am sharing some of my favorites with you below along with links to instructions on how to play!
Traditional deck of cards
13-Point Pitch is a card game where you bid on the hand of cards you are dealt based on the number of points you think you can catch by taking tricks. While there are many variations of pitch, 13-point pitch is my favorite! It is really fun with 4 people divided into 2 teams. Here’s a link to the instructions for various different versions of pitch you can play! Try them all and see which version you like best.
Spades is another game where you take tricks from your opponents to meet your initial bid. Spades are the most powerful of all cards hence the name of the game. All you need is a single deck of traditional playing cards and a few people willing to play. Here’s a link to instructions for Spades in case you want to start playing something quite addictive.
Golf is a really fun card game that you can sit around the table with the whole family and play. It’s a strategy game in which you strive for the lowest points possible by exchanging your cards for ones of lower value when it’s your turn. Here’s a link to the instructions for golf. Try it once, if you haven’t already. I am willing to bet you’ll enjoy it!
Concentration is a card game that I grew up playing. It is a great game for solo play but can also be played with others. As its name suggests, it requires concentration and memory function to complete the game. Here’s a link to the instructions for concentration.
Solitaire has many, many different variations! Do some research and try different games until you find ones you like. Here’s a link to the instructions for Klondike Solitaire which is quite popular.
Need some cards so you can play? Here’s a couple decks of traditional playing cards with regular print you can buy! If you have trouble playing cards because your eyesight isn’t great, try these traditional playing cards with JUMBO print!
Specialty decks
Cards Against Humanity is an insanely popular game right now because it has the potential to be quite inappropriate! It is great for those “adult only” parties or camping trips when you have a few friends to play it with. Add a glass or two of wine and the possibilities are endless. Buy Cards Against Humanity right here!
Rook is a trick taking game in which you bid on the hand you’re dealt. You hope you and your teammate catch enough tricks with point cards to make your bid. If not, you go set! YIKES! It’s so much fun you have to try it! If you don’t have it, buy ROOK here!
Phase 10 is a really fun card game where you try to complete 10 phases before your opponents. My boys really love this game. We always toss it in our camper before we head out. If you would like to give it a try, you can buy Phase 10 here!
UNO is a game that most everyone has played at one time or another. It’s where you shed as many cards as you can as fast as you can. Your ultimate goal is to discard all your cards while your opponent’s still have cards in their hands so you can bank those points! You can buy Uno here if you don’t have a deck or if yours is just completely wore out.
Dice games
10,000 is one of the best camping games! It’s been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. The game requires 6 dice which don’t take up much space at all. You’ll also need something to take score on. You roll the dice hoping to score points by rolling certain numbers or patterns. The ultimate goal is to be the first player to reach 10,000. You saw that coming, didn’t ya? Here’s the detailed instructions for 10,000.
Yahtzee is a game my Momma got me addicted to years ago. You roll the dice filling up the necessary combinations on the score card. Depending on how long you want to play, you can play just one column at a time or fill out the entire score card. It’s totally up to you. Want to try playing? You can buy Yahtzee here!
Board games
Clue is a super fun murder mystery game that my entire family loves. This game requires a lot of thinking and a lot of strategy! You’ll eliminate suspects, weapons, and locations until you can answer three complicated questions? Who? Where? & With what? It’s race to see who solves the murder. Want to play? You can buy Clue here!
Scrabble has always been a personal favorite. I was given a travel set years ago, and it often accompanies me on my adventures. I absolutely love it! Scrabble is a game where you form words using letter tiles each worth a certain number of points. You strategically place words on the game board in ways that maximize letter tile points using various multipliers. Highest score wins. Wanna play? Buy Scrabble to Go here!
Portable chess makes playing while traveling so easy! It’s great for my husband and me when we are traveling as a couple. The first game we played while dating was chess. He’s really good at it and asked if I would play. Sure, why not? It didn’t last very long because I beat him in like 7 moves. In any case, we still play and almost always take our travel set with us when we go camping. It’s worth the investment if you truly like chess! You can buy travel chess here!
I hope these ideas will help you find the best camping games for you and your family! Perhaps you’ll even try something fun and new! If you would like to share your favorite camping games with me, please do so in the comments!! Wishing you many blessings and as always, Safe Travels!
Growing up in Boy Scouts I learned several card games with friends while camping and I have very fond memories of those trips. Hiking, swimming, climbing, rappelling, and fishing by day. Euchre, spades, multi-handed solitaire and Magic: the Gathering until lights out. Still enjoy them to this day and can definitely vouch for them being great games to learn and play while camping! Great write-up with some new ones to try on our next trip with my own kids.
Thanx for sharing that with me Bryan! I have never played Euchre before. After a quick look at the instructions, it definitely went on the play list for our next game night! Enjoy your next camping trip, and I hope the kids have fun learning some new games.
My husband and I love camping! We like to play Uno and Farkle (dice game) in the evenings and on rainy days during our camping trips!
Those are both so much fun!
I love having games when camping, you have listed some good ones I haven’t thought of, next time we camp I’m bringing the badminton set!! We love cards for camping so easy to pack
Badminton when it’s pretty out and cards when it’s rainy! Sounds perfect…I hope your next camping trip is filled with fun and unforgettable memories.
These are all great suggestions, especially the card games! There’s nothing like a good game of Uno or Rummy. I have yet to play “Cards Against Humanity”, but it’s on my list of games I’ve wanted to order. Badmiton and Volleyball also kept us kids fairly busy on camping trips 🙂
I really appreciate you taking the time to comment! You can’t go wrong with cards or dice when you’re trying to pack light. So many game options without taking up much space.
Cards Against Humanity = a LOT of laughter! Also, “Herd Mentality”! We recently played it for the first time and had so much fun.
I like the card game suggestions for an ordinary deck of cards. I have a tiny camper so can’t bring a lot of stuff with me. Cards are perfect.
So many games you can play with a simple deck of cards. Also, dice! They’re small, lightweight, and offer a ton of gaming options.