Camping with Friends - Time.Travel.Trek.

Camping with friends is an incredible adventure filled with laughter and lifelong memories. It also has the potential to go wrong. In this post, we will provide you with a few tips and tricks to make your next group camping trip with friends an unforgettable one.

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Pin image for Time.Travel.Trek. post with four image of canoeists on river, chairs set up around fire-it's, trailers and trucks, and people hiking on grassland below sandstone cliffs. Text reads: Camping Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park Alberta with friends.

Table of Contents

How to plan a camping trip with friends

This past week we headed out to Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park in southern Alberta. We took up an invitation to join a few friends on their annual group camping getaway. The organizer booked a group camp and invited like-minded couples to join them for a 3-night getaway. Our friend did all the initial planning through group email chats.

Two men and two woman with daypacks hiking along green grassy terrace with butf-coloured sandstone cliffs on left. — Hiking the coulees in Writing-on-Stone is a great group activity! (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

Preplanning tips for group camping with friends

Choose location. Look for campsites that are close to the activities you want to do – think hiking, biking, paddling, or fishing. Make sure the campsite has the necessary amenities, such as bathrooms, showers, and fire pits if you need them).
Pick the dates for the camping getaway.
Invite friends and set a date for response (yeah or nay).
Book group camp. Make sure to reserve a campsite that can accommodate everyone. In our case, there are 2 group camps in Writing-on-Stone. However, only one has enough space to comfortably spread out with 5 couples in tents and trailers.
Divide total booking costs by number of people attending and have couple pay up front by e-transfer. It’s never good if the person booking has to pay extra fees when someone opts out last minute.
Sort out any group meals. We chose to just get together only for group appetizers and drinks at the end of the day. Have your group sort out what – if any meals – to share. Know who is bring what to the table.
Sort out any group gear. A few of us had portable gas firepits. It meant we could all gather easily around a fire in the evening. Others had large shelters that they could erect over picnic tables should the weather turn nasty.
Agree on tentative activities and gear required. We made plans to take a day-trip paddle on the Milk River. That meant everyone needs to bring canoe, kayak or stand-up paddleboard plus PFDs.
Review tentative set up times (when is group camp available). This means that there is no confusion about when everyone is arriving.
Mark it on your calendar and start packing your RV!

Miscellaneous group of camping chairs set up around two portable fire-it's in a campsite with truck and trailer. — Setting up for the evening fire! (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

Planning the day’s adventures at camp

Camping with friends is all about having fun and creating memories. Plan some fun activities to do together, like hiking, fishing, playing games, or just making time to sit around the campfire and share stories. Have options, but don’t overschedule.

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What works well with group activities:

Plan a group event each day and set a departure time not too early in the day. We chose our activities and times based on the weather forecast.
It helps immensely if the group is relatively small and are like-minded individuals. In our case, all keen to paddle, go birding, hike, and play cards in the evenings!
Remember that everyone is an adult. There’s no need for coddling or shepherding. Short impromptu walks in early morning and/or evening were left to whomever wanted to join in. We checked out the wildflowers, watched for birds and got a few more steps in.
Bringing a couple of propane fire pits was a great idea. Everyone could sit around the fires – which were set up to provide adequate seating and were turned up or down depending on air temperature. Also, propane fire pits can still be used during fire bans.
We alternated card game nights with campfire nights. Other suggestions might be to bring bocce ball, a corn hole game, or other outdoor group games for those who can’t sit still.
Take time to relax, talk, listen, and laugh – this is the good stuff about camping with friends.

Three hikers and a dog looking at rusty metal remains of farming equipment in green grassy meadow. — Historic ranching equipment dots the hills around Writing-on-Stone (Photo Credit: Megan Kopp)

Enjoy group camping? You might also like this post on family-friendly camping adventures!

RV appetizer ideas

Our evening snacks were so amazing that one night we all agreed to make it dinner – with everything from veggies and dip and salty and sweet snacks to escargot made to perfection on a camp stove and watermelon topped with squeezed lime and chopped mint!

Good friends, good food, good times!

Looking for simple and tasty RV appetizer ideas that are easy to whip up while camping but always impress everyone? Be sure to check out our Etsy Shop for “12 Easy RV Camping Appy Ideas.”

Wrapping up the RV trip

Camping with friends can be an unforgettable experience. With the right campsite, good gear, fun activities, and great food – it quickly becomes “let’s do this again next year!”