Fall camping means cooler evenings, cozy campfires, and plenty of reasons to make your campsite feel a little more festive! The best part? You don’t have to pack a tote full of decorations from home.
Nature is full of fall décor inspiration. With fallen leaves, pinecones, sticks, acorns, and other treasures you find around your campsite, your family can create decorations that are simple, fun, and uniquely yours.
So, take a walk around the campground, see what you can find, and turn your campsite into a cozy fall retreat!
Make a Fall Leaf Garland
Colorful leaves make some of the prettiest fall decorations, and they’re completely free!
Gather fallen leaves in different colors, shapes, and sizes. Using string or twine from your camping supplies, carefully tie or attach the leaves to create a simple garland. Hang it across your picnic table, RV awning, or another appropriate spot around your campsite.
Make it a family challenge: See who can find the biggest leaf, the brightest leaf, or the most unusual shape!
Create Pinecone Critters
Those pinecones scattered around the campground can become some adorable campsite visitors.
Collect a few fallen pinecones and use leaves, small sticks, and acorns to create owls, turkeys, squirrels, or silly woodland creatures. If you brought craft supplies, you can add googly eyes or a little construction paper for even more personality.
Give each critter a name and create your own tiny woodland family!
Build a Nature Centerpiece
Give your picnic table a fall makeover with a centerpiece made from your outdoor finds.
Look for colorful leaves, pinecones, acorns, interesting sticks, and other fallen natural materials. Arrange everything in a basket, reusable container, or around a battery-operated lantern.
Add a small pumpkin from home, and you’ve got an easy fall centerpiece perfect for campsite dinners!
Make a Stick Pumpkin
No pumpkin? No problem!
Gather several small fallen sticks and arrange them side-by-side into a pumpkin shape. Use another little stick for the stem and surround your creation with colorful leaves.
You can make a tiny pumpkin for your picnic table or create a bigger one as a fun family project.
Create Leaf Art
Sometimes the best decorations are the ones kids make themselves!
Collect fallen leaves and arrange them into different pictures and patterns. Try making a pumpkin, turkey, owl, tree, or even your family’s initials.
You can also make funny leaf faces using acorns, sticks, and other natural materials.
Don’t forget to snap a picture before the wind turns your masterpiece into something new!
Make a Nature Wreath
Create your own campground-inspired fall wreath using fallen sticks, leaves, pinecones, and grasses.
Arrange small sticks into a circle, then decorate it with your favorite finds. Instead of trying to make it perfect, let everyone in the family add something they discovered during your nature walk.
It becomes a little snapshot of your fall camping adventure!
Turn Decorating Into a Fall Scavenger Hunt
Before you start crafting, make collecting your supplies part of the fun! Challenge the family to find:
- A red, orange, or yellow leaf
- A pinecone
- An interesting stick
- An acorn
- Three different-shaped leaves
- A uniquely shaped rock
- Something that reminds you of fall
Remember to collect only items that have already fallen and leave living plants, flowers, trees, and wildlife exactly where you found them.
Make Your Campsite Feel Like Fall
Fall campsite decorating doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes all it takes is a family nature walk, a little imagination, and a pile of leaves to make your campsite feel extra special.
The real fun isn’t making the “perfect” decoration; it’s getting outside, exploring together, and creating something your family will remember.
So grab a jacket, head outside, and see what fall treasures you can find around the campground.
Happy fall camping from Splashway!