Heres Some Camping Tips & Tricks at Your Fingertips
Our Salina Campground Blog is the information you need to make your next camping trip in Kansas even more enjoyable. From RV and camping tips and tricks, to amazing campfire recipes, to advice on planning your next trip in Salina, KS... the information below is here to help you. And please, feel free to comment and share your experiences, knowledge and favorite recipes. At Salina Campground, we are a family and all here to help each other enjoy the great outdoors to the fullest!
🥑 Camping Style Avocado Toast
This healthy recipe is the perfect wake-up meal to get you up and going on your next hike!
Serves: 2
Cook Time: 5–10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 slices of hearty bread (sourdough or thick sandwich bread works best)
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- Optional toppings:
- Cherry tomatoes (sliced)
- Red pepper flakes
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Lemon or lime wedge
- Cooked bacon, sausage, or a fried egg (camp upgrade!)
- Cherry tomatoes (sliced)
Instructions
- Toast the bread
Place bread on a camp grill, skillet, or over a campfire grate. Toast until golden and slightly crispy on both sides. - Prep the avocado
In a small bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon or lime if you have it. - Assemble
Spread the mashed avocado generously over the toasted bread. - Top it off
Add your favorite toppings—keep it simple or go all out. - Enjoy
Eat warm by the fire or with your morning coffee and a great view ☕🔥
Camping Tip
Bring pre-sliced toppings and store avocados in a cooler to keep them fresh longer.
Try this healthy recipe the next time you wake up at Salina Campground!
Mini Meatballs in Cranberry Sauce
Here’s an easy, crowd-pleasing recipe for Mini Meatballs in Cranberry Sauce—perfect for parties, holidays, or even campground cooking! 🍽️✨
Ingredients
- 1 bag (about 24–32 oz) frozen mini meatballs
- 1 can (14 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 bottle (12 oz) chili sauce
- 2–3 tbsp brown sugar (optional, for extra sweetness)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional, for brightness)
Instructions (Slow Cooker – Easiest)
- Add frozen meatballs to the slow cooker.
- In a bowl, mix cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice.
- Pour sauce over meatballs and stir gently to coat.
- Cook on LOW for 4–5 hours or HIGH for 2–3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Serve warm with toothpicks.
Instructions (Stovetop)
- Combine cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a large saucepan.
- Add meatballs and stir to coat.
- Simmer on low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Tips & Variations
- Want it sweeter? Add more brown sugar.
- Like a little heat? Add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Great served over rice, mashed potatoes, or as an appetizer.
Try this recipe the next time you stay at Salina Campground!
Merry and Bright: Creative Ways to Decorate Your Campsite for the Holidays
There’s something special about celebrating the holidays outdoors—crisp air, glowing campfires, and peaceful starry nights make the perfect backdrop for festive fun. With a few simple touches, you can transform your campsite into a cozy, holiday-inspired retreat.
🎄 Light Up Your Campsite
Battery-powered or solar string lights add instant holiday magic.
Wrap them around trees, awnings, or picnic tables, or use lantern-style lights for a warm, inviting glow.
🔥 Create a Cozy Campfire Corner
Dress up your campfire area with holiday-colored chairs, blankets, and enamel mugs for hot cocoa or cider.
Keep décor fire-safe but festive!
⭐ Dress Up Your Tent or RV
Use removable hooks to hang lightweight garlands, wreaths, or mini stockings.
Add a holiday-themed doormat, window clings, or LED rope lights to make your setup shine.
❄️ Festive Picnic Table Touches
A plaid tablecloth, simple centerpiece, and holiday-themed dishes can turn every meal into a celebration.
🌲 Pack a Mini Tree
A tabletop tree decorated with lightweight ornaments or DIY pinecone crafts brings holiday cheer without taking up much space.
🍃 Use Nature to Decorate
Pinecones, evergreen sprigs, and smooth stones make beautiful, sustainable accents.
Tie small bundles of greenery with twine for a natural holiday look.
✨ Final Touches
Hang stockings, bring festive pillows or blankets, and play soft holiday music to create a warm, welcoming holiday vibe at your campsite at Salina Campground!
Campfire Mashed Potatoes
Here’s a simple and tasty Campfire Mashed Potatoes recipe—perfect for a cozy camping trip during thanksgiving season!🥔🔥
Ingredients:
- 4–5 large potatoes, peeled and diced
- 4 tbsp butter
- ½ cup milk (or heavy cream for extra richness)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Optional add-ins: garlic powder, shredded cheese, chopped chives, bacon bits
Instructions:
- Boil the potatoes:
Add diced potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Place on the campfire grate and bring to a boil. Cook until fork-tender (about 15–20 minutes). - Drain & mash:
Carefully drain the water, then mash potatoes directly in the pot. - Mix in the good stuff:
Add butter, milk, salt, pepper, and any extras you like. Stir over low heat until creamy. - Serve hot:
Spoon into bowls and top with cheese, chives, or bacon if you’re feeling fancy!
Try this recipe during Thanksgiving at Salina Campground!
Top 10 Most Useful Camping Apps
These apps are the perfect guide for planning, exploring, and enjoying your next outdoor adventure!
🏕️ 1. The Dyrt
One of the most popular camping apps for finding and reviewing campsites. Great for tents, RVs, cabins, and glamping spots.
Best for: Planning ahead and comparing campgrounds.
🌿 2. Hipcamp
Discover unique stays like private campsites, ranches, and treehouses.
Best for: Finding one-of-a-kind camping experiences.
🏞️ 3. Recreation.gov
The official app for booking federal recreation sites — including national parks and forests.
Best for: Booking official and scenic public lands.
🗺️ 4. Gaia GPS
An advanced mapping and navigation app with offline topo maps for hiking and backcountry camping.
Best for: Off-grid or dispersed camping adventures.
🥾 5. AllTrails
Find nearby hiking trails, reviews, and maps. Great for pairing your campsite stay with outdoor activities.
Best for: Exploring trails near your campground.
🚐 6. Campendium
Find free or low-cost camping spots, including dispersed sites and public lands, with community reviews.
Best for: Budget-friendly camping and boondocking.
🌍 7. Park4Night
Community-driven app that helps you find overnight parking, campsites, and rest stops.
Best for: Road trips and spontaneous camping stops.
🏕️ 8. AllStays Camp & RV
Detailed information for RV and tent campers — includes hookups, site size, and amenities.
Best for: RV travelers or those who want detailed campground data.
🚙 9. iOverlander
Community-based maps for dispersed camping, water stations, and services in remote areas.
Best for: Off-grid and overlanding adventures.
🧶 10. Knot Guide
Learn over 100 knots for camping, climbing, and outdoor use — complete with step-by-step diagrams.
Best for: Campers who like hands-on, practical skills.
Be sure to download these apps before your next stay at Salina Campground!
Witches Brew Stew
This is the perfect spooky, Halloween-themed recipe! Witches Brew Stew is both eerie and delicious!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb beef or chicken, cubed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 2 potatoes, cubed
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups beef or vegetable broth
- 1 cup dark red kidney beans (optional, for extra “creepy” effect)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne (optional, for a little “bite”)
- 1/2 cup frozen peas or green beans (“witches’ eyes”)
Optional spooky additions:
- Corn kernels (like golden “witches’ teeth”)
- Purple cabbage or beet slices for a ghoulish color
Instructions:
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, sauté until fragrant.
- Brown the meat until sealed on all sides.
- Add carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and beans. Stir for 2–3 minutes.
- Pour in broth, add paprika, thyme, black pepper, and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Cover and let simmer 30–40 minutes, or until vegetables and meat are tender.
- Stir in peas or green beans in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Serve hot in a cauldron-like bowl for full spooky effect!
Try this version of stew the next time you stay at Salina Campground during spooky season!
Spooky Campsite Decorating Ideas
Here are some spooky campsite decorating ideas that are easy to set up and perfect for Halloween camping at places like Kiefer Campgrounds 🎃🏕️
👻 Lighting & Ambience
- Glow-in-the-dark lanterns: Paint mason jars with glow paint or fill them with glow sticks for eerie lighting.
- String lights: Hang orange or purple fairy lights around trees or your camper awning.
- Jack-o’-lantern path: Line your campsite with carved pumpkins or LED pumpkin lights to guide trick-or-treaters.
- Ghost lanterns: Place white fabric over solar lights or jars to create glowing “floating” ghosts.
🕸️ Creepy Campsite Additions
- Spiderweb tents: Stretch fake spiderwebs across your camper, picnic table, or trees and add plastic spiders.
- Skeleton campfire guests: Pose skeletons in camping chairs around your fire pit—bonus points for a marshmallow stick in hand!
- Graveyard scene: Use foam tombstones and flickering candles to create a mini haunted graveyard near your tent.
- Creepy critters: Scatter fake rats, snakes, and bugs near your cooler or tent for a frightful surprise.
🎃 Fun & Themed Touches
- Halloween flags & banners: Hang spooky garlands, bats, or “Happy Haunting” signs around your site.
- Pumpkin station: Set up a small table for pumpkin carving or painting.
- Costume line: Hang costumes from a clothesline for decoration and convenience!
- Campfire cauldron: Swap your regular fire ring decor for a black “witch’s cauldron” look — add green LED lights or dry ice for effect.
🌲 Nature-Inspired Ideas
- Ghost trees: Drape white sheets or cheesecloth over tree branches for ghostly shapes that sway in the wind.
- Bat silhouettes: Cut out bat shapes from black cardboard and tape them to trees, campers, or picnic tables.
- Foggy forest feel: Use a small fog machine (battery-powered) to make your site look like a haunted forest at dusk.
Try decorating your campsite the next time you stay at Salina Campground during October!
Campfire Meatball Subs
These hearty, cheesy, saucy sandwiches are simple to make, but they pack big flavor that will satisfy the hungriest campers. Best of all, they’re easy to prep ahead of time so you can spend more time enjoying the fire and less time worrying about dinner.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pre-cooked meatballs (homemade or store-bought)
- Marinara or spaghetti sauce
- Hoagie rolls or sub buns
- Mozzarella or provolone cheese slices
- Foil for wrapping
- Optional: parmesan cheese, fresh basil, or red pepper flakes for extra flavor
How to Make Campfire Meatball Subs
- Prep Ahead of Time
- Place meatballs and sauce in a resealable container before your camping trip. That way, everything is ready to go when you are.
- Place meatballs and sauce in a resealable container before your camping trip. That way, everything is ready to go when you are.
- Assemble the Subs
- Slice your hoagie rolls, add meatballs, and a generous spoonful of sauce.
- Top with cheese slices (don’t be shy—extra cheese is encouraged!).
- Slice your hoagie rolls, add meatballs, and a generous spoonful of sauce.
- Wrap It Up
- Wrap each sub tightly in foil to prevent a mess and to keep all that cheesy goodness inside.
- Wrap each sub tightly in foil to prevent a mess and to keep all that cheesy goodness inside.
- Cook Over the Campfire
- Place foil-wrapped subs on a grate over hot coals (or in the embers if you don’t have a grate).
- Heat for about 10–15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the cheese is melted and everything is hot.
- Place foil-wrapped subs on a grate over hot coals (or in the embers if you don’t have a grate).
- Unwrap & Enjoy
- Carefully open the foil (watch out for steam!), and enjoy your gooey, cheesy, campfire masterpiece.
- Carefully open the foil (watch out for steam!), and enjoy your gooey, cheesy, campfire masterpiece.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Easy cleanup – Everything cooks in foil.
- Crowd-pleaser – Perfect for families, groups, or hungry campers.
- Comfort food outdoors – Brings a little taste of home to the campsite.
Next time you head out camping, skip the usual hot dogs and try Campfire Meatball Subs instead. They’re hearty, satisfying, and guaranteed to make your campfire night unforgettable.
🔥 Pro tip: Pair with chips, a simple campfire salad, or roasted veggies for a full meal!
Try this recipe the next time you stay at Salina Campground!
How to Track Animals by Footprints and Signs While Camping
Here’s a practical guide you can use while camping to track animals by their footprints and signs:
🦌 1. Learn the Basics of Tracks
- Size & Shape: Measure length and width. A deer track looks very different from a raccoon’s paw.
- Number of Toes:
- 2 toes = deer, elk, moose.
- 4 toes (with claws) = canines (coyote, fox, dog).
- 4 toes (without claws) = felines (bobcat, cougar).
- 5 toes = raccoons, bears, skunks.
- 2 toes = deer, elk, moose.
- Claw Marks: Dogs/coyotes usually leave claw imprints; cats rarely do.
🐾 2. Pay Attention to Gait & Pattern
Animals leave tracks in distinct walking patterns:
- Straight line: Fox, coyote, cat (saves energy).
- Waddling/side-to-side: Raccoon, beaver, porcupine.
- Bounding leaps: Squirrels, rabbits.
- Heavy prints with drag marks: Bear, larger mammals.
🍂 3. Look for Other Signs
Footprints aren’t the only clue. Watch for:
- Scat (droppings): Shape, size, and contents (berries, fur, seeds) tell you what the animal eats.
- Gnaw Marks: Beavers leave sharpened stumps; squirrels chew on pinecones.
- Broken Branches & Bent Grass: Indicate where deer or elk moved through.
- Feathers, Fur, or Shed Antlers: Seasonal indicators of presence.
- Burrows, Nests, Dens: Look under logs, trees, or near water sources.
🧭 4. Use Environment Clues
- Near Water: Tracks are often clearer in mud or sand along lakes, rivers, or creeks.
- Snow & Soft Ground: Best surfaces to spot fresh tracks.
- Time of Day: Early morning and evening are when fresh tracks are easiest to find.
🛠️ 5. Tools That Help
- Small notebook/sketchbook for recording tracks.
- Ruler or coin for scale in photos.
- Field guide or app to compare tracks.
- A camera for documenting without disturbing.
⚠️ Safety Reminder
- Never follow tracks too closely if they belong to large predators (bears, cougars).
- Observe from a distance — the goal is learning, not confrontation.
Think about these tips the next time you’re staying at Salina Campground and want to track the local wildlife!
🫘 Campfire Baked Beans
Here’s a simple Campfire Baked Beans recipe you can make while camping:
Ingredients:
- 2 cans (15 oz) baked beans (or pork & beans)
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup cooked bacon (crumbled) or smoked sausage slices
- 1 tsp mustard (optional, for tang)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Prep your fire – Get your campfire going and let it burn down until you have hot coals.
- Mix it all up – In a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, combine beans, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, onion, bacon/sausage, and mustard. Stir well.
- Cook low & slow – Place the skillet/Dutch oven over the fire (or on a grate above the coals). Cover with a lid or foil.
- Simmer for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are bubbling and slightly thickened.
- Serve hot – Perfect with burgers, hot dogs, or cornbread!
🔥 Tip: If using a Dutch oven, you can place a few coals on the lid for even cooking.
Try this recipe next time you are staying at Salina Campground!
Family owned and operated, Kiefer Campgrounds strive to offer you the best rates for a comfortable location with outstanding service, and spotless facilities. When you stay in one of our parks, you are no longer just a happy camper, but a part of our family! We are most certain you will enjoy your stay with us. Pick your favorite location and book your spot now before it’s too late! You’ll be happy you did!
