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Everything you need to know about camping with the family, and how to get started in a nearby park so you can practice before your national park expedition.

I have a confession to make. I used to love camping - the more primitive and remote, the better. But, now that I am older with children, it is becoming more and more of a challenge. Just when the children crave the experience the most, I find arranging it has become increasingly cumbersome. Traveling with your kids in general is challenging enough - but camping?

Don't get me wrong - I love sharing such experiences with my kids, but as many parents know, the primary terrors of embarking on a journey of this caliber include, but are not limited to:

• An excruciatingly long drive where an inexplicable dimensional warp causes time to pass more slowly under the asymmetric gravitational pull of hyper-undulating and compulsively arguing bodies.

• The inability to address the high-maintenance bathroom requirements of an easily soiled family with the standard array of bodily orifices.

• The inevitable absence of necessary housewares and sundries, not available within driving distance of your campsite.

I wanted my kids to have the same enriching experiences I had when I was a youth (now I know why my parents sent me camping under the care of others.) First, I reminded myself that what the kids consider camping is not the same as what I might consider camping. Put another way, one need not venture far into the wilderness or deprive oneself of civilized comforts to enjoy the woods, nature, a tent and a campfire.

Close To Home Campsites

I remembered the most popular park from my childhood, then a wilderness, was only one hour away from Washington, DC or Baltimore, ideal for a low maintenance weekend getaway. Known as the Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain Park, the park is now in the proximity of an interstate but has all the creature comforts while still feeling like your days away from the big city.

Although this park is in Maryland, I am confident my type of experience is available to most denizens of major metropolitan areas around the country if they know where to look.

The parks are located next to the small town of Thurmont in the vicinity of Camp David, the famous yet secretive presidential hideaway in Frederick County. Not only is this retreat thriving, but it has evolved into a flagship park of the Maryland State Park system, requiring reservations for peak summer weekends, especially for the more secluded sites. The primary camping area, called the Houck Area, is the most popular because it is sited near the manmade lake providing a self-contained fishing, boating and swimming haven with a sand beach. The summer heat is noticeable but the region is still mountain-like enough to offer some cool in the evenings.

During busy summer weekends, consider camping in the park's other more secluded camping region, the Manor Area. Although the lake is too far to walk, you will definitely savor the peace and quiet compared to the boisterous, good-natured lake crowd. Both camping areas have hot water bathhouses and well water faucets. Some have electrical hook-up for RVs. The National Park Service camping areas are a tad more rustic (not necessarily a bad thing) but reservations aren't as conveniently automated.