A mosaic of geological and ecological features, Acadia National Park is composed of ocean, mountains, forests, streams, ponds, wetlands, meadows, and beaches. This paradise of natural wonders rests mainly on Mount Desert Island, but also extends to the Schoodic Peninsula, Isle au Haut, and a dozen tiny islands. The park's dramatic geological extremes are the result of glacial activity and a melting process that shaped the area into islands, coves, and kettle ponds, forming a 10,000-year-old shoreline so "new" that finding sand is almost a rarity.

The plant and animal life in this 47,633-acre park is diverse and accessible. Anglers will find 28 species of fish lurking in the coves and streams, and bird watchers will be awed by more than 300 species of birds (including 23 species of warblers and that old icon–the bald eagle), which call this park home.

Acadia reflects all that is New England, with glimpses back to the days when wealthy New Englanders first began settling the region. There are winding carriage roads and quaint stone bridges ideal for hiking, biking, and breathing crisp Maine air. With vistas that leave even the most hardened park-goer speechless, the 27-mile Park Loop Road features Cadillac Mountain, the North Atlantic coast's highest promontory, and Thunder Hole, where views of waves smashing against the coast give visitors a powerful sense of how this wondrous park was shaped.

Park activities - The variety of geological features offers something for everyone. There are 115 miles of hiking trails looping through the park and 45 miles of carriage trails, which are perfect for walking, biking, or horseback riding. Fishing, boating, skiing, snowshoeing, and wildlife watching are also popular activities. One of the park's true gems is its educational ranger-led programs, which include boat cruises, mountain hikes, stargazing, bird and nature walks, short talks, and evening slide programs. See a map of Acadia National Park.

Source: http://encarta.msn.com/list_popularparks/15_popular_national_parks.html

Official Park Website: http://www.nps.gov/acad

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Here's 14 more S'mores Recipes, some perfect for the campfire, some you can do indoor.

1. Baked Alaska Peanut S'mores - a gourmet recipe with gourmet ingredients (Epicurean).

2. Mexican S'mores - Hint: flour tortillas

3. Indoor S'mores - Same s'mores taste, but from an oven or microwave

4. Upscale S'mores - for fancy folks (wheatmeal biscuits, and Lindt chocolates)

5. S'mores Bread Pudding - A heart-warming treat, bread pudding, with an all-time favorite flavor or smores.

6. Heart-Attack Smore's Pie - The already-so-rich smores recipe plus heavy cream!

7. Grown-up Smores - Skip this if you don't like recipes with 12 ingredients or more (Epicurean)

8. S'mores Crumble - Cook indoor, eat outside. Very messy, but so irresistable.

9. Smores Gorp - a smore's recipe that's trying to be healthy.

10. Caramel Rocky Road Smores - Recipe for caramel lovers

11. Gourmet Smores Recipe collection - From who else but www.gourmet.com if you haven't tried French S'mores. By the way, where do you get Petite Écolier, and what is it?

12. Frozen Smores - when something a little cooler is more appealing.

13. Banana Boat S'mores - This is fun, it's part of a previous blog JoyOfCamping post.

14. Can you add to the list? Tell us your unusual smore's recipe in the Comments section below.

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Option 1. Tent Camping - If you own an RV, one of the reasons is likely to be that you don't like the hassle of setting up tents (and breaking it down). But when was the last time you looked at camping tents though? Today's tents are light and weather-proof, and are a snap to set up. The Wenzel Timber Ridge Sport 9-by-7-Foot Four-Person Dome Tent takes only a few minutes to set up, even for beginners. At $39, even if you resume RV camping, it's a spare handy shelter to have for kids to sleep and play in.

If you are willing to invest more, the tent I recommend (double-coated rainfly, and built-in remote-controlled lights) is the Columbia Bugaboo Four to Five-Person Family Dome Tent.

Option 2: Yurt Camping - Check your local state parks and campgrounds if they offer yurts. Yurts are move-in-ready tents. When you check-inn at the campground office you will be given a lock combination code or key that will open the door of your yurt. Did you hear that? A door. Yes, a Yurt has a door. You open that door and you find furniture, simple appliances - some even come with linens and utensils. Read my earlier post about this unique outdoor camping style: yurt camping.

Option 3: Tagalong Trailers - If you've been considering scaling down your outdoor abode, maybe it's time to consider travelling with a small tagalong trailer, instead of a living room on wheels. The Mercedes class of these is the sleek Airstream Basecamp. At $26K list, I will need to trade in my kid's college savings to afford one. Don't think my hubby will go for that.

A more affordable version is the LittleGuy TearDrop Trailer which starts at $5,495. You can see pictures of the manufacturer's web site: http://www.golittleguy.com. It's still not chump change. It's like deciding to buy a scooter to drive to work and leave your Hummer at home. Want to save even more? Build it yourself, just like Mary and Myron did (see video below).

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Gone are the days when campers used to miss their fresh and warm desserts after meals. Now with dutch oven, you can easily prepare some dinner treats for your friends or family over a campfire. Dump cake is one of the favorite camping recipes.

You need two ingredients and your camping oven to prepare this delicious dump cake. All you need to do is to follow these steps:

1) Put one can of fruit or peaches in your dutch oven.

2) Add one box of white cake mix on the fruit in the oven.

3) Place your dutch camping oven on hot coals. Also place some coals on the top lid of oven.

4) Bake the cake in dutch oven until it is golden brown and a crust is formed.

You need to practice the dish to ensure that you heat the dutch oven at proper temperature. Moreover, you would learn new techniques and have an idea of number of hot coals to use. Most important is to carefully monitor the progress of the baking process.

Many a times people burn the bottom of the dump cake that spoils its taste. You can alter the baking temperature by adding or removing the hot coals from dutch camping oven. If you are referring some cooking recipe book then number of hot coals to use is also mentioned in the recipe to ensure that you do not end up burning your dish.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Abhishek_Agarwal
Visit the author's website http://www.Camping-Guru.com and download his FREE Camping Report "Camping With The Family: How To Have A Safe, Fun, And Inexpensive Vacation" and learn some amazing Camping tips and tricks for FREE. Learn how to have the perfect vacation on a shoe-string budget.

Related Posts:

Cast-iron Camping dutch oven No-Nos - 5 things not to do to your camping dutch-oven.

Hearty Camping Chili (video) - Our favorite family recipe.

2-Step Camping Recipes (video)

How to build a campfire (video)

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Recipe #1 - Ziploc® Bag Fudge

What you need:
• 1 lb box of powdered sugar
• 2 packets of a cocoa mix or you can use ½ cup of cocoa
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 3 oz package of cream cheese
• 2 1 gallon Ziploc® storage bags

What to do:
Combine all ingredients into one of the bags and seal it up. Place the filled Ziploc® bag into the other bag. Pass it around to all of your campers so that they can squish the contents until it is all mixed thoroughly then enjoy. Camping Tip: Measure all the dry ingredients into a Ziploc® bag at home. At camp, just add cream cheese and butter.

Recipe #2 - Easy Mix Pancakes

What you need:

• Water
• Premeasured pancake mix either from scratch or from a box mix
• 1 gallon Ziploc® bag

What to do:
At home: Pre-measure the amount of pancake mix you will need to make the desired amount of pancakes and put that in the bag. Next mark the bag with how much water you will need to add.
At Camp: add the desired amount of water and shake the bag (leave some of the lumps in there). Cook pancakes on a hot griddle until bubbles break without filling back in, then flip and cook on other side for a minute. Remove from heat and add your favorite topping.

Recipe #3 - Ziploc® Omelets

What you need:
• a Ziploc bag for each person
• enough eggs so that each person can have 2 or 3 eggs.

What to do:
When ready to make the omelets, crack the eggs into the bag and squeeze the air out of and seal it. Squish the eggs till well blended then add your favorite omelet fillings into the bag. You can add such things as cheese, mushrooms, green peppers, seasoning, bacon, ham or whatever you like. Once everything is mixed, pour onto a hot griddle and cook. This is something that allows each person to make their own breakfast without you washing 6 mixing bowls.

Recipe #4 - Ziploc® Ice Cream

What you need:
• 1/2 Cup of milk
• 1/4 Cup of half and half
• 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon of sugar
• 1 Tablespoon of coarse salt
• 2 Cups of ice
• 2 sandwich size Ziploc® bags
• 1 gallon size Ziploc® bag

What to do:
You will need to put one of the small bags inside the other one and then add the sugar, milk, half and half and the vanilla extract into the inside bag then seal both bags after removing as much air as possible. Put the small bags into the large one and add the salt and the ice then seal tightly. Let your little ones have a blast shaking and tossing the bag around for 5 to 10 minutes. The ice cream will be soft and ready to serve. This yields 1 to 2 servings.

Recipe 5 : Breakfast Burritos:

At home: cook the sausages and peppers, add a little taco seasoning and freeze them in a Ziploc bag. At Camp: dump the container into hot pan, fill a soft tortilla shell with the filling, add sour cream, salsa, and enjoy. This is our favorite breakfast meal.

Tips for cooking with Ziploc bags:

1. Pre-mix at home as much as you can to save time measuring at camp. And save packing space as you don't have to pack more than you need.

2. Be gentle when squishing or mixing bag contents. You don't want to break it. If you've got some really rough kids, double the bags, to prevent a mess, yes, but more importantly, so they don't lose their breakfast or meals, or dinner.

3. Ziploc® company does not recommend that their bags be boiled or used with high heat for cooking as they will start to melt which can cause many hazards. Their bags are made from polyethylene plastic which has a softening point of 195 degrees and water has a boiling point of 212 degrees. Fat (such as the fat found in eggs and cheese) will heat quicker and get hotter then water) will melt the bags very quickly.

For more quick and easy camping recipes, check out these related posts:

• Foil Cooking Recipes - No pots required, but do use heavy duty aluminum foil.
• 2-Step Camping Recipes (video)
• Hearty Camping Chili - Serve it in a bag of nachos instead of dishes you have to wash.

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Feature Campground: Okeechobee Resort KOA, FL

Click here for more information: Okeechobee Resort KOA, FL

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The Mystic Hot Springs in Utah is much more affordable and developed for campers. A day-visit soaking costs $7.50. A campsite is $15 per night (soaking included). And an RV site with hookups is $30 per night (soaking for two included).

The water comes out of the ground at a steaming 168 degrees (Fahrenheit). The water, cooling as it travels down a channel, runs into eight personal soaking tubs and two pools. As the hot mineral water purifies your body, the inspiring view overlooking the Sevier Valley purifies your mind.

When you're not soaking your stresses away, the countryside offers plenty of opportunity for outdoor recreation. In the Sevier Valley, you can go river rafting, visit a salt mine, or explore Indian ruins. There are also miles of hiking and mountain biking trails.

Mystic Hot Springs. (435) 527-3286
www.mystichotsprings.com

Related Post:
Agua Caliente Hot Springs

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Because this is one of San Diego County's most popular parks, don’t expect to find tranquility here if you are camping in peak summer months. The Anza-Borrego desert is prime four-wheeling country, with numerous canyons for exploration afoot, on ATV, dirt bikes, or off-road SUVs You'll find ancient pictographs 1.5 miles off the Great Overland Stagecoach Route of 1849. In the springtime, desert wildflowers put on a show.

There are 140 campsites; a combination of tent sites and RV sites with hookups and a dump station. Campground fees are $25 for full hookups, $20 for partial hookups, and $15 for tent sites.

Agua Caliente Hot Springs: (858) 565-3600
Website: www.co.san-diego.ca.us/parks/camping/agua_caliente.html

Click here to view more popular California State Parks and campgrounds.

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Who would have thought a simple concept could evolve into all these different styles and design? (see video below).

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Nalgene Water Bottles- This is the classic shatter-proof hard-plastic bottle that has a wide mouth opening that allows easy filling for ice, but the mouth is still narrow enough to drink comfortably. The cap is rubberized to make it easy to open with sweaty hands and has a sturdy carabineer loop for storage outside on the pack. This is a great bottle for short excursions. Note: The traditional Nalgene water bottles (also callsed Lexan water bottles) have been found to leach chemicals that can disrupt hormone levels. Stay away from them. Instead, insist on the non-leaching BPA-Free
version ($9.95).

Aluminum Water Bottles-The aluminum bottle often has a sleek, high-tech look to it, even makes a fashion statement. You may even bump into titanium versions in this class of stainless steel water bottles. The Kids sigg Aluminum water bottles, are a favorite with celebrity moms like Madonna and Cindy Crawford! Looks aside, the aluminum makes it lighter, more durable than its plastic counterparts, and water stays cool in it due to the nature of aluminum.

Insulated Water Bottles - This bottle carrier is an insulated pouch that allows you to place a water bottle in side. The insulation help maintain the temperature of the liquid inside the bottle. It has a strap attached for easy carrying on hikes and jogs. It also has a clip that allows you to clip it to a back pack. Unlike the bulky insulated containers of the past, some look quite handsome like this stylish insulated bottle sleeve by Camelbak. Great for short excursions and carrying cold soda.

Camelbak Hydration Packs – Hydration packs come with backpack straps, or clips that you can easily attach to your back pack. Camelbak is the dominant manufacturer of this style of water carrier. It has a bladder inside that can carry 70 oz to 100 oz of water. Filled with water this pack can weigh 3 to 8 pounds. Recently they started manufacturing kids and womens packs, such as the Camelbak Women Charm Hydration Pack ($35) which carries just 50 oz. A tube long enough to reach from the pack to the wearer’s mouth is attached and used as a straw, allowing you to drink hands-free. The pack is fully insulated and made rugged to prevent wear and tear, and leaks. This back is an excellent choice for long excursions, or situations where you need to stay hydrated hands-free like long distance bicycling.

Collapsible Water Pouches- I’m not really sure why anyone would choose this over plain old Poland Springs water bottles. Friends who use them do so because they packs easily in a backpack full of stuff. Frozen at home, they also keep the camping cooler cool longer and turn into drinkable water. For me personally, they remind me too much of hospital IV dispensers.

Built-in Purifier Bottle - The Katadyn purifyer water bottle
features an internal EPA-registered Virustrat cartridge and carbon filter to remove microorganisms and all viruses from any water source. The bottle is designed to fit in most bicycle water bottle cages or cup holders, but has a carry loop as well. This 26-oz. bottle weighs less than the smallest backcountry microfilters and no pumping is required, making it perfect for extended backpacking or mountain biking around questionable water sources.

Disposable Water Bottles - Don't forget the boring, unsexy but convenient disposable water bottles. Get a 24-pack from Walmart and grab and go in an instant. This is my family's choice of water bottles, if only because my kids keep losing their water bottles. Would I rather they leave behind a 25 cents Poland Spring water bottle, or a $19.99 aluminum Sigg water bottle?

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1. Is it comfortable over extended periods?
Chances are, you have run into sandals that look great but end up with uneven soles - or worse, holes - if you wear them too long. When you go camping you'll be taking on everything from rocky paths to muddy trails, and you don't want to be dealing with blisters on top of this. Take a look to make sure that the bottom is padded and that the straps fit comfortably and firmly across your feet. Make extra sure that the strap across your Achilles tendon will not abrade that area. If you tend to have wider feet, look for sandals with foot bed that is wide enough to accommodate your foot.

2. Is it Durable?
Camping sandals take a lot of abuse. It gets beaten up by rain water, mud, prolonged heat exposure, rough terrain. This is where the cheaper look-alike sandals become exposed. The bottom pry apart, or the soles get worn and uneven… I do recommend going with the proven brands, you'll also often find customer reviews about the major outdoor footwear brands. My Tevas for example, as plain looking as they are have lasted me for years.

3. Does it Stay on Your Feet?
While there are definitely worse fates, you'll find that losing a sandal is definitely no walk in the park. This is easier to do than you might think; if you go canoeing, or if you are planning to wade across a fast-moving body of water, you'll find that quick current can tug your sandals off your feet more quickly than you think, and if these are the only shoes that you brought, this can make for a very unpleasant walk. Make sure that your sandals fit snugly and make sure that you cannot kick them off. Look for sandals that fasten securely, and if you decide to go with Velcro, make sure that the straps bend through a buckle before fastening. There's a new hybrid cropping up, the Shoe-Sandal which has the secure stability of a shoe but the lightness and comfort of a sandal.

4. Are the sandals Light and Nimble?
How far are you going to be walking? You'll find that a good pair of camping sandals will feel as though you are not carrying any weight at all; you will certainly feel the difference if you switch them out for hiking boots. You'll also find that good camping sandals will be lightweight even in the water, when other footwear will get very heavy.

Buying the right sandals can be instrumental towards enjoying your camping experience. The ideal camping sandals must be nimble, yet durable and tough against outdoor elements. There are many popular lines of sandals that meet these criteria, but they can get expensive. You can settle for cheaper, low-cost look-alikes, for me, I'd rather stick with the proven manufacturers - Merrell, Keen Sandals, Teva Sportswear BUT pay discounted prices.

At AltrecOutlet.com for example, you will find the popular Chaco Sandals at 40% discounts or more. BackCountryOutlet.com also has a Clearance Bin where you can save 50% or more. Finally, there's CampSaver.com where they claim to have everyday lower prices.

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