Books & Resources:

Recommended Books on Camping:

The Best in Tent Camping Series (Menasha Ridge Press)

The Best in Tent Camping: New York State 2/e, by Catharine, Aaron & Timothy Starmer, ISBN-13: 978-0897327169
The Best in Tent Camping: New England 4/e, by Lafe Low, ISBN-13: 978-0897329644
The Best in Tent Camping: Pennsylvania 1/e, by Matt Willen, ISBN-13: 978-0897326131

We love this series because it rates the best campground and gives you ratings of the best sites in those campgrounds. You really get a sense of what you are in for. There are over 30 books in the series covering three dozen states!

Recommended Books on Hiking:

Best Hikes With Children Series: (Mountaineers Books)

Best Hikes with Children: in the Catskills & Hudson Valley 2/e, by Cynthia & Thomas Lewis, ASIN: 0898867835
Best Hikes with Children: in New Jersey 2/e, by Arlene & Joel Zatz, ISBN-13: 978-0898868203
Best Hikes with Children: in Connecticut, Massqachusetts & Rhode Island 3/e, by Cynthia & Thomas Lewis, ISBN-13: 978-0898868722
Best Hikes with Children: in Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine 3/e, by Cynthia & Thomas Lewis, ISBN-13: 978-0898866445

Well-written series (there are many other states covered, too) that describes hikes with realistic expectations for kids. Our family has done many of the easy and moderate hikes and enjoyed them thoroughly.

Explorer's Guides: (Countryman Press)

50 Hikes in the Lower Hudson Valley: Hikes and Walks from Westchester County to Albany County 3/e, by The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, ISBN-13: 978-1581571905
50 Hikes in Central New York: Hikes and Backpacking Trips from the Western Adirondacks to the Finger Lakes 2/e, by William P. Ehling, ASIN: 0881503290
Weekend Walks in Dutchess & Putnam Counties 2/e, by Peggy Turco, ISBN-13: 978-0881506235

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference:

Day Walker: 32 Hikes in the New York Metropolitan Area 2/e, ISBN-13: 978-1880775288
Hiking the Catskills, by Lee McAllister & Myron Steven Ochman, ISBN-13: 978-0960396665

Recommended Books for Kids:

The Outdoor Kids Series (Northwood Press):

Camping for Kids, by Steven & Elizabeth Griffin, ISBN-13: 978-1559712286
Hiking for Kids, by Steven & Elizabeth Griffin, ISBN-13: 978-1559715409

Gibbs-Smith Jr Series:

Cooking on a Stick: Campfire Recipes for Kids, by Linda White & Fran Lee, ISBN-13: 978-0879057275
Sleeping in a Sack: Camping Activities for Kids, by Linda White & Fran Lee, ISBN-13: 978-0879058302
Trekking on a Trail: Hiking Adventures for Kids, by Linda White & Fran Lee, ISBN-13: 978-0879059415
Wishing on a Star: Constellation stories & Stargazing Activities for Kids, by Fran Lee, ISBN-13: 978-1586850296

Fun books with lots of activities.

Recommended General Interest Books:

A Walk in the Woods 2/e, by Bill Bryson, ISBN-13: 978-0307279460. Classic and funny account of hiking the Appalachian Trail.
National Audubon Society Pocket Guide: Familiar Rocks & Minerals of North America, by Charles Chesterman, ISBN-13: 978-0394757940
The Morrow Guide to Knots, by Mario Bigon & Guido Regazzoni, ISBN-13: 978-0688012267. Because you need a good book on knots!

Camping-Friendly Websites:

Campmor: Our favorite place to shop! Worth the trip to Jersey! Everything camping: decent prices, sale items and house brands.
L. L. Bean: A bit expensive, but most items have a lifetime guarantee (though sadly, not tent zippers). Worth a stop if you are in Maine.
Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS): Not cheap, but good quality stuff. Most of our Lexan plates and cups are from here as is much of our cookware.
REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.): Seattle based, it's relatively new to the area but similar to EMS.
Eureka: Makers of tents and camping gear. We love our Tetragon 10 tent!
Coleman: Makers of just about everything camping! I have been using a propane lang for camping for almost 50 years! Our stove is over twenty years old and still works great!