Physician, heal thyself. We just returned from my wife’s family reunion, one that we helped plan. Her family is amazing and we had a great time in spite of Lake Casitas Recreation Area. I chose the location, thinking that after my years of park-rangering I could pick the perfect spot to cram 70 people together for five days. And it wouldn’t have been bad if certain uncontrollable factors hadn’t contributed to making a beautiful lake nearly unbearable. But uncontrollable doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have noticed the potential. The toilets in our area stayed clogged all weekend and a hip-hop party went on until two AM next to the great grandparents RV. So here I will reaffirm some of the steps to finding the perfect family campsite–advice I should have listened to myself.

Facilities: I’m a backpacker by nature. I can take a bath with baby wipes for a week. But kids layered in grape jelly and battered in mud brings it to a different level. You’ll want a place to hose them off. Lakes work well, though no soap is allowed.  Showers are a nice luxury.  A solar shower is another reasonable option for dry camping. Place a piece of old carpet underneath to keep your feet from getting muddy.

Maintenance: Does the staff come around and clean daily? Last thing you want is a clogged toilet while you are still trying to potty train your children. Watch the maintenance staff. Are the trash cans cleared regularly?  If a half full trash can isn’t changed for a clean bag, they’ll be overflowing on the weekends. Look at the empty sites for bottle caps or cigarette butts. The amount of  micro trash will give you a good idea of how they care for their campground.

Noise: Some campgrounds cater to families, others are sacrificed to partying. Know which one yours is. Management makes the decision whether to enforce quiet hours and speed limits.  Also be aware that just because it is quiet during the week doesn’t mean it will be on the weekend. I recommend talking to the maintenance staff, who will likely give you a more honest answer about the campground demeanor. The biggest problems arise almost exclusively at night, and directly correlate to alcohol consumption. Ask how many staff work on weekends, until what time, and if someone is accessible 24/7.

Despite Lake Casitas’s loss of 70 quiet campers for life, we had a great week catching up with the family. In the end I hope the company will be what we remember best.