7 Free Camping Scavenger Hunt Printables for Kids

Updated December 3rd, 2023

Make your next camping trip even more fun with these seven different camping scavenger hunts – there’s something for the whole family!

Sometimes camping makes me a little too relaxed (who doesn’t love to hang out in a camp chair around a campfire??), and I need a reason to get up and explore! With a scavenger hunt, there is actually a goal and I love being able to walk around and help my kids find anything we can!

Anyways, I created these printable scavenger hunts as a fun way to explore camp and give them something to do. The digital download is available for free at the bottom – I hope they make your next family camping trip even more special!

Camping Scavenger Hunt Variation Ideas

There are actually quite a few different ways to go about having a scavenger hunt! But here’s the best part – every single age group has a way to be involved.

It’s important when choosing the different items for your scavenger hunt to make sure there’s atleast a couple that are “give mes”. I find this helps boost kids’ confidence to find the harder camping items.

Some adult supervision may be needed if young children will be participating too – poison ivy looks alot like all the other leaves when you’re little. =P

To add to the fun, we love making some of the printable camping crowns before we start… or after with some of the nature things we’ve found!

Anyways, here are the different scavenger hunts we’ll go over!

• Traditional List Style – Checkboxes and common camp things
• Camera/Selfie Based – Great for getting the “cool” kids involved in the camp fun too!
• Sensory Based – Uses all five senses… great for young kids, but fun for anyone really!
• Experience Based – Lovely for ideas of what to do at camp, but is best done if you have atleast two days worth of camping to complete it all!
• Alphabet Based – My kids LOVE these, and the older kids/adults have a fun reason to get involved too (find a Y shaped part of a tree? Challenge accepted!)
• Color In Picture Based – Functions as an indoor and outdoor activity if you like and VERY fun for kids around seven and under and early readers.
• Cutesy Fun Themed – If ya like cute stuff and ya like camping… you’ll like the “cutesy” camp version here!
• Glamping Themed – Perfect for a glamping birthday party, camp week, or just fancy people (like my daughters, it seems!)
• Nature Scavenger Hunt – Younger kids will love exploring the great outdoors at camp with this picture based printable
• FAQ for Hosting – A little planning goes a long way to create an enjoyable experience for all!

Don’t forget to check out these other 11 fun campground activities for kids here as well as these pick from these 45 favorite campfire songs to sing together later around the campfire.

The free campground scavenger hunt is located at the BOTTOM of this post

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Traditional Camp Scavenger Hunt

This is usually a simple list of items that just need to be seen!

Depending on where you are, you may or may not be able to actually *keep* all the things that are found (Leave No Trace!) but it’s a fun activity to encourage everyone to explore and look at things closely. Animal tracks, moss, and flower buds are usually able to be found around camp, so are an easy way to explore nature without straying too far.

Related – Winter outdoors can be as fun as camping outdoors in summer with this free set of WINTER outdoor scavenger hunts!

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Camera/Selfie Scavenger Hunt

This selfie aspect of this camping scavenger hunt is a lot of fun for children of all ages really! It is designed for older kids who can operate a phone themselves, but if you want the memories it’s a great time to do with your kids too!

The “campground selfie hunt” remains one of my secret ways to encourage kids who are “too cool” to also get involved. This is a great camping scavenger hunt idea for scout leaders or camp counselors to include technology in their plans – phones aren’t always bad!

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Sensory Scavenger Hunt

Sensory scavenger hunts are fun at camp because they really encourage true exploration of the world around them (and for little kids, fine motor skills!)

This type of scavenger hunt for camp is usually a list categorized by the senses “Feel, Hear, Smell, See” (Taste is the last one, but it’s not a good idea to encourage kids to taste stuff they might they find without pretty intense supervision!)

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Riddle Based Treasure Hunt

With this style, scavenger hunt clues are printed on slips of paper and left at special locations to be found, one after another. To get it started, the seeker is given the first printed clue. When they know the answer, they go to the location of the answer (IE, the tent) and there will find the next clue!

This is, of course, going to be very challenging for little kids, but could be fun as a team effort or at summer camp for older kids. I find the riddle aspect brings out a little friendly competition of who’s “smarter” or “faster” that really gets the kids excited!

Here are a couple camping based riddles to get you started

• I’m a shelter in the wild, under me, you’ve smiled. What am I? (Tent)
• I light up the night, but I’m not a fire. What am I? (A Flashlight)
• I dance in the dark, crackle with cheer, keeping you warm as the stars appear. What am I? (A Campfire)
• I’m not a sweet, but I meet with them in a delightful treat. In a campfire feat, I make s’mores complete. What am I? (Graham Crackers)
• I’m thin, yet I’m warm, a cocoon in the storm. Unfurled at night under the starlight, yet packed away with the morning light. What am I? (Sleeping Bag)
• I guide but do not talk, I show but do not walk. With me in your hand, you’ll never feel lost in any land. What am I? (Map)

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Scavenger Hunt for Camp Experiences

This is a perfect scavenger hunt for kids of all ages! I especially love this idea if summer camp or the big family camp trip only happens once a year – it’s a big nudge to experience as much as you can!

Some of the items on this type of scavenger hunt list might include cooking marshmallows, swinging from a rope, starting a fire, finding some edible berries, pitching a tent…..

This one will ensure quality time is spent together doing awesome stuff, and at the end of the camp trip, the “experiences” hunt will be a good memory of it all!

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Alphabet Outdoor Scavenger Hunts

I definitely wanted to specify “outdoor” in this one because it’s pretty likely you won’t be able to find everything around camp!

I know you’re first thought is probably going to be “Well what do I put on the list for the hard ones like X, Y and Z? Don’t worry – I included some ideas in the free scavenger hunt packet at the end of the article (also in the picture of the scavenger hunt below)

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Picture Based Camping Scavenger Hunt (perfect for pre reading camp kids who love to color!)

If you have pre readers, then you’ll love this picture based scavenger hunt! I purposely didn’t include any words so that kids can get creative when it comes to finding everything. I also made the images black and white to allow for optional coloring and creativity!

My favorite with this one was when my kids saw the “Bear Aware” sign at our campsite and said it counted because it did have a picture of a bear on it, after all! Don’t worry, we agreed! =P

Don’t forget that if you’d like to download this, keep scrolling to the bottom to sign up for access to download it!

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Cutesy Fun Camping Scavenger Hunt

If you’re looking for a more cute, party glamping version then you might like this! I have twin girls and, while they do like the more “natural” looking ones, they love how cute these camping icons are!

I included 5 different colors and mixed up the icons just to make it more fun!

Don’t forget that if you’d like to download this, keep scrolling to the bottom to sign up for access to download it!

Check out the whole set on my Etsy if you want more than the sample available in my resource library =)

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Glamping Scavenger Hunt

At the request of my twin girls, I HAD to make a “fancy” themed camp hunt… and so this glamping themed one was born! It’s perfect for slumber parties, camp themed birthday parties, or just people who like a bit more FANCY in their life =P!

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Flashlight Scavenger Hunt

Are you afraid of the dark? If not, then you’ll love this idea -a NIGHT TIME camping scavenger hunt! This adds a bit of excitement and suspense to an otherwise fun and easy idea.

Teenagers especially love this idea – just make sure to not do this if there are hazards nearby such as bodies of water or lots of ground hazards (fallen logs, uneven ground etc).

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FAQ About Hosting a Camping Scavenger Hunt

You might think hosting this sort of thing is as easy as printing and going, but to ensure a pleasant experience for everyone, it’s good to know the basics!

How do you host a camping scavenger hunt?

Depending on how many people will be involved, you may need to do alot of prep or little at all! Here are some tips to create a fun scavenger hunt experience for everyone

• Pick an appropriate hunt based on your location– Look for a scavenger hunt that both has items actually likely to be found where you are and that matches the difficulty level of the players.
• Set the rules – Define boundaries and what “counts” for the scavenger hunt. Boundaries are super important for young players so they don’t get so distracted hunting that they wander too far from camp!
• Consider making teams – Whether to help break the ice, create new friendships, or just make a difficult scavenger hunt easier, teams really make things memorable!
• Print and prep the scavenger hunt papers – A print shop will of course make the most durable version, but regular copy paper is fine most times. For best results, laminate it!

What are Some Camping Scavenger Hunt Ideas?

For specific items, simply research the area you will be staying at to see what items are likely to be found or save some time and find a pre made list (like some of mine above!)

Some popular camp scavenger hunt ideas include

• Seasonal Scavenger Hunt – Besides the normal campground stuff, adding some seasonal items can be fun, especially for ones with big changes like winter, spring and fall!
• Nature Themed Hunt – This is especially helpful if you are going to be boondocking
• Photo Based Hunt – Perfect for LNT or camera enthusiasts, this version requires a picture of every item on the list.. and sometimes everyone else will also see and vote on the best one!
• Experience Based – If camping for at least a weekend, this scavenger hunt style could be SUPER fun! Rather than trying to find things, the camper is encouraged to DO things!
• Clue or Riddle based – This is a perfect adult camping scavenger hunt idea (and it provides an opportunity for teamwork with other adults!)

I hope these scavenger hunt ideas are something you’ll enjoy with the kids the next time you go hiking or camping!

Don’t forget – to receive free camping scavenger hunt printables (personal use only please ^_^), you’ll need to sign up for my email list!

Pin this if you loved it, and check out these other fun camping activities!

There are so many fun camp themed activities to do – here are some other ideas your kids will love!

• Young kids will love this printable Camping 101 activity packet – there are even little badges they can earn!
• Laugh at camp while acting out these camp themed charades!
• Split kids into groups and give them this camping cootie catcher to help kids get to know each other.
• Plan ahead of time and pick some camp songs to sing together at the end of the scavenger hunt
• Check out some other ideas for camping games – whether it’s a card game to save space or an active game to wear out kids energy, there’s something for everyone!
• Don’t let some rain spoil your trip – check out these rainy day activities for camping!
• Check out these tips for camping with kids
• Learn campfire safety the tastey way