A campfire is a perfect way to spend the end of a night with family and friends or even the final night of a memorable vacation. Don’t feel like your campfire-building skills are on point, or how to maintain that picture-perfect campfire, or what to do once built? No problem! We’ll teach you how to build a campfire, give you tips and tricks on things to do around a campfire, and provide some songs to sing for those who want to spice up their campfire experience. Let’s get started! 

What are Campfires for? 

Aside from fun and bonding, campfire activities you can do include:  

• Cooking meals – yep, real meals!  
• Roasting s’mores 
• Stargazing 
• Singing campfire songs
• Cuddling  
• Staying warm  
• Telling ghost stories
• Play games like flashlight tag, guessing games, card games, or even small, portable board games 

Cool, so you know what to do around the campfire, but how do you build one? 

Building Campfires  

There are a few ways to build a campfire.  

The easiest method would be: 

1. Gather wood as thick as your arm as well as smaller sticks for kindling. The wood should be dead and dry (no evidence of greenery or life, so do not take wood off of living trees).  
2. Lay the thicker wood pieces in the shape of a circle or box, leaving the center empty. With the kindling, make a structure in the very center of your shape. It is important that these wood pieces are pretty compacted together in a small formation.  
3. Now that the wood is all together, find something that will light easily (think paper, dryer lint, small sticks, dried bark, etc.).  
4. Put this item in the center of the kindling and light it with a match or lighter so that the fire spreads from the inside out and that it stays lit for a long time. The fire should transcend from the smaller pieces of wood to the bigger pieces of wood.  

While the above is a basic description of how to build a fire, there are many ways to build and construct a campfire. Try a new method each time you build one for extra learning and fun!  

Safety Tips 

As always, safety first! 

• Build your fire in a designated and clear area so that it cannot spread. It is even better if you have a pit of stone, brick, or metal. You can make one from scratch yourself, too, while you gather your firewood!  
• Have water or an extinguisher close by so that you can easily put out the fire if you need to.  
• Know where to go for help if you need it, and have a first aid kit on hand.  
• Do not let pets or children near open flames.  
• Put the fire out when you are done, especially if you are going offsite or to bed. 

Campfire Songs  

There you have it – you are now ready to sit around the campfire and sing a campfire song – a C A M P F I R E S O N G song…. see what we did there? Your turn! There are loads of songs to sing around the campfire in addition to your current favorite tunes. Get to building and enjoy!  

See you Soon 

We hope to see you around the campfire soon. It’s never too early to plan your spring or summer vacation at Shasta Lake. Contact us now to schedule your trip and get ready for cozy nights around the fire.