I was cuddled down in my sleeping bag, all warm and cozy.

The boys were peacefully sleeping next to me, while John was still hanging by the fire.

The sound of waves crashing on the beach and the occasional crackling of the fire were lulling me to sleep.

Just as I was about to drift off into a peaceful slumber….

CRRRUUUNNNCCCHHH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, Crunch, Crunch, crunch

What. In. The. World.

There it was again.

CRRRUUUNNNCCCHHH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, Crunch, Crunch, crunch

You’ve got to be kidding me.

It was utterly silent, other than the waves and the fire. Whatever this noise was, it was incredibly loud.

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CRRRUUUNNNCCCHHH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, Crunch, Crunch, crunch

We were on the last night of our recent camping trip to Long Beach, Washington, where we had an absolutely fantastic time. I was tired after the day’s activities and was so ready to drift off into dreamland.

Apparently, that wasn’t going to be so easy.

But, before I go on, let’s talk a little about trip planning.

Long Beach Camping in Washington

Have you ever been planning a camping trip or vacation and thought about how it’s not that easy? Or, about how much work goes into it?! All the time spent planning food and activities, grocery lists, and figuring out what to bring…it’s often a barrier to actually getting out there and enjoying an adventure.

On your next camping trip to Long Beach, you won’t have to spend nearly as much time with all the details. We’ve put together all the info you need to have a fabulous time. So, sit back, relax, and read on…we’ve already done all the work for you!

Long Beach 5
Pathway leading to the beach from the Lamp Camp.

Campground: The Lamp Camp

A couple of months ago, we came across what looked to be an adorable campground in Long Beach, WA, on Instagram. We started following them and then said, “We want to go there!!”

So, we reached out to Aaron & Mallory of The Lamp Camp and were stoked to partner with them for a spectacular home base for our camping weekend at the beach. They gave us a free night in exchange for sharing about their campground. However, all opinions (as always!) remain our own.

The Lamp Camp is an adorable campground with amazingly hot (and clean!) shower and bathroom facilities. They’ve done an excellent job of setting up a friendly, laid-back vibe. Spend your morning chatting with other campers while using the community kitchen or share S’moreos (more on those later ) at the shared fire pit at night. And, if you happen to get hit with cold or rainy weather, they’ve got you covered with an indoor community center equipped with a fireplace and plenty of games.

We got lucky and ended up with one of the two end sites (site 11). We loved this, not because we didn’t want to be around everyone, but because we were as close to the beach as possible. It doesn’t get much better than falling asleep listening to the sounds of the crashing waves.

Lamp Camp Clubhouse
Inside the cozy clubhouse.

Long Beach Weekend Itinerary

Day 1

We were able to check-in at The Lamp Camp after 1 pm. However, it was a little later when we arrived, so we checked in and got right to setting up camp. After getting settled, we all needed a little activity after the drive, and we wanted to explore a little, so we headed out for an evening walk at Ledbetter Point State Park, approximately 30 minutes away.

Leadbetter Point State Park

When we arrived at Leadbetter Point State Park, we were surprised to find very few people for a weekend evening. After a short little detour on a dead-end trail (oops!), we headed out towards the beach. Once we got there, we had the place to ourselves and the boys were distracted by the sand (of course!) So, we did what any parent who planned a hike would do. We threw up our hands and let them play.

Eventually, the calls of hunger began, so we ended up doing just a small portion of the trails before heading back to make dinner. However, if you’re looking a little more, there are 7 miles of hiking trails in the park. You can check them out here: Leadbetter Point State Park Trail Map. If you do decide to make the park part of your trip, remember it is a state park, so you will need to purchase a day pass or have a Discover Pass.

woman and boy on beach next to fallen tree
Exploring the beach at Ledbetter State Park.

Dinner And Beach Time

We headed back to camp, where we utilized the community kitchen to cook up some dinner. We ate while listening to the sounds of the waves, then headed out for a walk on the beach. The tide was out, so we had what felt like endless sand to play on….which resulted in a game of tag between all of us – a little dangerous after a filling meal if you ask me!

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Campfire And S’Mores??

On our way out of town, we had to make a quick stopped for dry ice for the cooler. On the way there, I realized I hadn’t picked up stuff for s’mores. Since I knew the boys were going to ask about them, I headed down the aisle to grab the marshmallows. I was actually trying to figure out if I could get away with just roasting marshmallows and skipping the graham crackers and chocolate. It was going to be pretty warm, and I wasn’t really feeling like dealing with melty chocolate all over everything.

Then, I have a perfect “Aha!” moment. 💡

Maybe I didn’t grab chocolate bars and graham crackers on my grocery trip. But, I DID buy a package of Oreos and a package of Chips Ahoy.

Call it lazy, call it genius – either one is fine with me. But, you MUST add S’mOreos and S’mores Ahoy to your next camping trip. (Yes, the boys helped with the names.) They even tried a S’mOreo Ahoy combo. No need for extra chocolate bars – just the cookies and marshmallows. Although, adding chocolate wouldn’t be a bad idea either…

You can thank us later.

silhouette of marshmallow on roasting stick in darkened sunset sky
Roasted marshmallows after a fun-filled day.

Day 2

Biking the Discovery Trail

During our research of Long Beach, we came across several ideas for what to do. At the top of our activity list, was most definitely biking the Discovery Trail. The Lewis & Clark Discovery Trail is a paved trail which is 8.5 miles one way from Ilwaco to its end behind Breakers in Long Beach.

The first section from the Port of Ilwaco to Cape Disappointment is definitely the most challenging. The first hill is pretty steep, especially for kids! After that, the trail has less challenging ups and downs with killer views of the beach. So, if you have little kids, we recommend that you use a Discover Pass and park in the parking lot at Cape Disappointment and start your ride from there. Or, you could also start at the opposite end as the portion along the beach is most definitely easier. You should plan to take 2-4 hours to do this trail with kids, depending on how far you want to go and to allow for breaks.

We started our ride at the Port of Ilwaco. From this spot, the trail begins at the corner of Main Street and 2nd Ave SW…a little piece of information we had missed at first. We followed what we thought was the sign for the trail, which resulted in a bike tour of the town.

We would have loved to finish the entire trail, however, we knew about 5 miles in that if the boys were going to make it all the way back to the car, we needed to start our return. So, we took a break, fueled up with our FBOMB and MadeGood Granola Mini’s snacks, and turned around. We were actually surprised that everyone made the last section – I was sure that one of us was going to have to go get the car, but they did it! And, the boys were stoked when they realized that they had conquered the final climb and it was all downhill from there! You can read the full write up of our bike ride here: The Discovery Trail.

man's cream colored haro mountain bike leaning against archway that begins the Discovery Trail
The start of the trail.

Marsh’s Free Museum

After our bike ride, we made a quick stop at Marsh’s Free Museum before heading back to camp. Think of it like a souvenir shop combined with an Oddities Museum. You’ll find everything from giant Bigfoot to souvenir t-shirts to fortune-telling machines. You could spend hours browsing and still not see everything!

bigfoot statue looking out at parking lot in long beach washington in front of Marsh's Free Museum
What’re you looking at?!

Sunset at the Beach

After cooking up some burgers, we headed out to the beach with our new super-light camp chairs, The Alite Stonefly, and sand toys. Sunset has always been our favorite time of day, so we weren’t about to pass up an opportunity to soak it in. We ran out the daylight listening to the sounds of the waves and watching the boys play as the sun dipped below the horizon. The entire time we were there, we had the beach to ourselves. Occasionally a vehicle would drive by, but other than that, we were alone. It. Was. Amazing. Such a peaceful way to close out the day.

orange and pink sunset during camping weekend at long beach, washington
Beach, please.

Campfire

After sunset on the beach, the boys wanted S’mOreos and S’mores Ahoy again, so we made a campfire – this time at our site, and enjoyed round two. A quick shower and we were off to bed.

The boys had been down for a while. And, after some conversation around the fire, my eyes were getting droopy. So, I made one last trip to the bathroom and settled down for the night.

And, that’s where the story comes back in.

CRRRUUUNNNCCCHHH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, Crunch, Crunch, crunch

I’m fully awake now, after the third or fourth cycle of this ridiculously loud noise.

Then, I realize I know exactly what it is.

Potato chips.

Yup. John had broken out the potato chips. Tim’s Cascade, in case you were wondering.

It was so incredibly quiet that the only thing that stood out was the obscenely loud crunching going on outside our tent.

So, I did what anyone who was almost asleep in their cozy tent would do…I grabbed my (thankfully, still charged) cell phone to let him know he was causing a disturbance!

phone screen with gif of someone eating chips and several messages and emojis to follow with 'haha' reactions
I misspelled crunch! In my defense, it was late!

Day 3

Departure Day

This was our last morning, and, though we would have loved to stick around for the entire day, we had to make it back to pick up our dog, Hazel. The Lamp Camp does allow well-mannered dogs, and she totally is, but we knew with the bike ride we were planning, she wouldn’t be able to join in. So, we made a quick breakfast, packed up camp, and said good-bye. Until next time.

Final Thoughts on a Camping Weekend in Long Beach

Long Beach may bring up thoughts of kite flying, fishing, and Jake, the half-alligator half-man. We didn’t do any of those things. However, we were able to find the perfect balance of family fun, adventure, and relaxation. We all had a wonderful time! G deemed it the “best weekend ever” (which happens often, lol, but means he loved it) and the boys are already asking when we can go back. I’d call that a win.

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