Faux Camping Trip at Jordan Lake

We had planned to go camping for Labor Day Weekend, but the threat of rain changed our minds. We've done that before, and camping in the rain with small kids is a surefire way to have a terrible weekend.

So instead we decided to take a faux camping trip: All of the fun of camping without the actual camping. We spent Labor Day at Jordan Lake, did a little hiking, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, hopped back in the car before the rain started, and slept cozily in our own beds. Perfect...

The temperature was in the low 70s, so we planned to look at the lake but not swim. Try explaining that to a five- and four-year-old. "But other people are swimming!" After maybe five minutes of "wading", all three of them were soaked through.

Right after I snapped this photo, Third Son went charging after his brothers and wound up face first in the lake. A short break on the beach, and he ran right back into the lake. Oh, to have a child's resilience!

The boys exchanged their wet shirts for sweaters and jackets, and we set off in search of a hiking trail. "Is this one?" First Son asks. I know there are hiking trails somewhere around Jordan Lake, but we never found one. Instead we took a short walk along the edge of the wood and then returned to the beach for dinner.

We were hoping there would be fire pits for our faux camping experience, but we only found the typical park grills. No problem. My husband was a Boy Scout and can get a fire going anywhere. And the boys were not picky as long as we got to have S'mores.


Jordan Lake State Recreation Area is located in Apex, NC. At the lake, you can boat, camp, fish, hike, and swim.