We went to Devil’s Den for Thanksgiving.
Things I learned;
No matter what holiday, reserve a spot.
People like to camp for Thanksgiving apparently.
Also, if camping here make sure you get there while the office is open.
We almost did not get a spot!
I figured out we had to check in at the office before trying to find a site and just happened to catch an employee leaving.
My kids were tired and done with being in the vehicle.
It was pretty close to their bedtime and I was not sure we were going to be able to stay!
I was also worried my backup plan would be full and closed also.
The lady helping us said she had one spot left and gave us the number.
When we got to the campsite it said reserved and had a name on it so we drove back up to the main road to get a cell signal.
I started searching and calling to try and find another place to stay or find out what to do.
I do not do well in these situations.
I was panicking.
Thankfully right when I was about to lose it the ranger came by and we asked her what to do!
Thankfully she told us we could still have the spot that the person had moved to a different one.
When I went to pay at the office the next morning, someone was reserving spots for next year!
I guess I need to plan better next time.
The next day was Thanksgiving!
We paid for the site and went for a hike before eating pie…
I mean our meal.
I just wanted pie.
My kitchen 😉
Devils Den Trail.
We are still working with the twins on how to go down steep hills.
They keep trying to lean forward!
I really don’t want them falling on their face so we are trying to get them to lean back a bit.
It ends up being very awkward looking.
We like to read any rules posted out loud to the kids during a hike(because then it is not me but the park telling them to not do it).
One had stated that the caves were closed to protect the bats and that you are not allowed to through rocks at bats or other animals.
My oldest daughter saw someone throwing a rock in one of the caves to check how deep it was and got upset and said: “YOU COULD HIT A BAT!”
I will call this a win.
Glad she was listening.
She was trying to take up the whole seat so her dad could not sit down.
Sweet.
Ha
This is one of my favorite hikes to do at the park and always a favorite of my kids.
There was a hawk just sitting on the bank.
You can see it to the left of Nick’s shoulder.
I am not sure what was wrong with it.
The kids liked watching it though.
I wished I had brought my telephoto lens…
We got to mark off another state on our scratch off map!
I was planning on sharing our whole camping trip in one post but I think that would be a bit long so I will stop on the first day.
Anyone else not do well with last minute planning and changes?
I think reservations were made for people like me…
And then you proceed into the campground and are greeted by lots of information on flash flooding and escape plans…
They loved all the adventures to be had there and I loved the beauty.
This beautiful waterfall is why I chose this one.
No cell service so we used our radios often.
If this campground was not already fantastic enough the kids and Nick found this amazing stream behind it.
It was like something out of a fairy tale. 
The kids loved exploring it and I loved taking pictures.
There are no amenities and only vault toilets but it is such a beautiful place I could have stayed there for weeks.
