Last Spring I made a post excited to start hiking with my boys, who are now 3 and 4 years old, and was planning on working them up to overnight backpacking trips. We've been hiking/camping several times this year and this most recent trip will most likely be our last. Not only was this our first time at the Game Lands, it was also the most remote place the boys had camped yet.
We stayed at the designated hunter camping area off Old CC rd on the south side of the South Mountian Game Lands. The boys shared our 2 person tent and I slept in my hammock to test out a wool blanket as a simple sleep system. It was the first time the boys selpt "on their own" and they did great. The only other campers were a couple blackpowder hunters who shared all the info they had on the game lands.
The Game Lands themselves are just as beautiful as the State Park but more remote. There were a few hunters that came and went and we talked to as many as possible if for no other reason just to make sure we gave each other plenty of space. The last thing we wanted was to ruin someone's hunt or unknowingly become targets. I brought all 3 of us hi-vis apparel but at no point did we actually encounter hunters while hiking.
Trails on the Game Lands are not marked but some are listed on topo maps of the area. The trails seemed to mostly be 2 tracks and they lend themselves well to family/group hikes if that's your thing. Although we didn't hike much this time, I can see that area becoming our new go-to spot for day hikes.
In short, the boys are ready for the next step and I wouldn't be suprised if they're backpacking before the end of next season. The South Mountian Game Lands are everything I'd hoped they would be and more. If you're looking for a remote area with little to no enforced regulations this is your kind of place.
We stayed at the designated hunter camping area off Old CC rd on the south side of the South Mountian Game Lands. The boys shared our 2 person tent and I slept in my hammock to test out a wool blanket as a simple sleep system. It was the first time the boys selpt "on their own" and they did great. The only other campers were a couple blackpowder hunters who shared all the info they had on the game lands.
The Game Lands themselves are just as beautiful as the State Park but more remote. There were a few hunters that came and went and we talked to as many as possible if for no other reason just to make sure we gave each other plenty of space. The last thing we wanted was to ruin someone's hunt or unknowingly become targets. I brought all 3 of us hi-vis apparel but at no point did we actually encounter hunters while hiking.
Trails on the Game Lands are not marked but some are listed on topo maps of the area. The trails seemed to mostly be 2 tracks and they lend themselves well to family/group hikes if that's your thing. Although we didn't hike much this time, I can see that area becoming our new go-to spot for day hikes.
In short, the boys are ready for the next step and I wouldn't be suprised if they're backpacking before the end of next season. The South Mountian Game Lands are everything I'd hoped they would be and more. If you're looking for a remote area with little to no enforced regulations this is your kind of place.
