We got back from Maine on Sunday night. Wynn & Judy returned home from their camping trip on Thursday night and we were off on our first family adventure in the new camper on Saturday morning.

This trip was originally supposed to be for Chris, Carter, and Judy to go on, but since Judy just got back from a trip and we were all eager to use the new camper, we made it a family trip instead. Originally, they were scheduled to camp at Wilmington Notch Campground, but the new camper was too long to stay there, so we booked a site at Cranberry Lake Campground in Clifton, New York instead.

Cranberry Lake Campground is located on Cranberry Lake in the northwestern region of the Adirondacks. Cranberry Lake is one of the largest remote lakes in the Adirondacks. We arrived at the campground a little before 4pm and got the new camper all set up for the first time.

After we were all set up, we rode our bikes around a bit and took a walk down to a boat launch area.

When we got back to the campsite, we started making dinner and the boys played in their room (so nice! I love that they have their own space!) and then they played some cards at the table with Chris while I cleaned up.

After dinner, we drove down to check out Cranberry Lake’s beach area and the boys played in the sand for a little bit. We ended the night out favorite way — with a campfire!

On Sunday, we headed to The Wild Center, a natural history museum in Tupper Lake, NY. The Wild Center is a fairly new place, it opened in 2015. It is an outdoor and indoor experience that encourages visitors to get closer to the natural world.

First up, we did the Wild Walk, which is a trail of bridges across the treetops of the Adirondacks. The boys loved it! Their favorite parts of the Wild Walk were the giant spider web and the tree houses.

After a lunch break, we went inside to check out the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks. The boys favorite parts were the river otter and the kinetic sand exhibit that showed how water flows.

After dinner, we went for a bike ride around the campground and ended the evening with a campfire and s’mores.

The next morning, we hiked the Bear Mountain trail, a 3.6 mile loop in Cranberry Lake Campground. It is one of the most popular hikes in the Cranberry Lake area because of the spectacular view of the lake at the Bear Mountain Lookout.

After our hike, we had some lunch and packed up the camper to head back home. It was a bit of a far trip (about a 4.5 hour drive) for a short weekend trip, but we had so much fun in our new camper and we had a great time at the Wild Center.