For my birthday this year, Brian took me (and Canyon!) to the New River Gorge in West Virginia. Usually Brian and I are ready for any and every epic adventure, but this trip might have been a bit more about just figuring out the mechanics of how to camp with a baby!

That might have been enough adventure in and of itself, haha!!

The New River Gorge is a fantastic way to experience wilderness within close driving range of the Cleveland, Ohio area. I think it was only about 4.5 hours from our house to the campsites. There is the New River itself, with whitewater kayaking, a lot of rock climbing, tons of hiking, and various other adventures in the Gorge.

For a National River, the area is pretty quiet and chill, which was super nice for us. The camping is primitive, which suits our style for a simpler camp and smaller impact.

We found these delightful campsites right along the New River and nearly had the place to ourselves. Walking our camping equipment in, even a couple of hundred feet, makes a tremendous difference for me. I get to step away from vehicles and civilization for a couple of precious days. It was something super special to be able to go to sleep at night listening to the gurgle of the river and the nighttime insects.

I think one of my favorite parts of camping is being able to slow down the pace a bit and just ease into the restfulness of nature. I breathe deeper and can feel my shoulders and mind relax a bit when I am able to spend a couple of days outdoors. It is really something that I seek out in order to have a bit of a reset and it is definitely something that I want to be able to do consistently with Canyon. I want him to grow up loving nature and outdoor adventures as much as I do. There is so much joy in seeing him explore his world.

One of my other favorite parts of camping is getting coffee ready in the morning. Something about being in the woods and waking up after a night in a tent makes coffee taste about a hundred times better. It really is the simple joys sometimes!

One of our days at the New, we went on a ten mile hike along Glade River. Brian and I switched on and off carrying Canyon in his soft harness and he happily kicked his legs and watched the world around him. He was particularly fascinated by the butterflies that were flitting all over the place. Canyon is usually pretty quiet when he is in the outdoors. He looks around, taking in all the surroundings. I think he particularly likes watching light flicker through the tree branches and on the ground.

This was my first big hike post pregnancy and it felt so great to be able to stretch out my legs again and get some miles on the trail! It was a smidge different carrying weight on my front instead of on a backpack, but it wasn’t that difficult to add the extra pounds of the baby. We took the pace fairly easy, taking breaks and letting Canyon explore the rocks and plants.

Nighttime with a baby in a tent was a little interesting, haha! Canyon is used to sleeping in his own room, so when we tried to sleep with him beside us, he thought that it was playtime. I had a full case of new mom syndrome, and was worried that he would be warm enough (it was plenty warm!). I found it super funny the next day, when Brian and I were out of the tent making breakfast, that Canyon finally fell into a super deep sleep. I think he said to himself, “finally these people are leaving me alone so I can get some rest!!”

The New River Gorge might be our new favorite place to go out and adventure if we don’t want a big multi-day road trip. The Rocky Mountains are absolutely fantastic, but it is a more of an endeavor to get out there and sometimes I need a quicker option closer to home.

Brian and I have our camping equipment set up in a couple of bins, ready to grab and head out the door. It is usually just a matter of prepping some food (although I am working on streamlining that process!!) and grabbing the right equipment. If we want to get out on the water, we can bring our whitewater kayaks. If we want to be on the rocks for a bit, we can grab our climbing gear. If we want to hit the bike trails, we can throw in the bikes.

Adventuring with a baby takes some extra planning and packing, but is so worth it. It is that much more important to plan adventure into our routine and into our lives!

If you have favorite adventuring spots, we are always looking for new ideas! Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments below!