If spending time outdoors improves mental health, blood pressure, increases your vitamin D intake, and lowers your stress levels, then why aren’t we spending more time outdoors?
I get it, we are all busy.
Busy schooling our children, working, starting a business, we have multiple young children, going to college: the list is endless.
Make it a priority to spend at least one hour a day outside. If you can’t do it daily then plan on spending time outdoors during the weekend.
If you start to feel stressed or your children aren’t able to focus then stop what your doing and get outside. I know that when we get back from outdoor play we are more focused when we learn.
Remember that play is an important part of our well being.
Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge has over 37 thousand acres. With around 15 thousand of those acres being Ruby Lake. Ruby Lake is a marsh. Ducks love this marsh and it is popular for nesting. While we were on the lake we saw ducks in the grasslands. It is a beautiful place to spend a few hours at. We didn’t go far because it became very windy. They have a visitor center that you can visit.
We were kayaking here and really think being on the water is the way to experience this lake. This lake has trout and bass which seem to be pretty large. If you want to visit a spacious and scenic part of Nevada then we highly recommend this refuge.
Located at Ruby Valley, NV 89833.
Packer Lake
Packer Lake is one of our favorite lakes. It is one of the better lakes for beginners to fish. This time when we came to Packer Lake, family came with us and everyone who tried fishing caught their limit. For the majority of the time we spent on the lake it was very calm and easy to row across.
There are only three picnic tables and getting access to the lake is very limited so we recommend coming early. Since we camped nearby we came here at 7am and ate breakfast at Packer Lake.
This is a popular lake. The water was pretty warm in August but if you come during the beginning of the summer bring sweaters with you because it can be chilly.
Brannan Island S.R.A
If you want to kayak in the easy part of the delta then try Brannan Island State Recreation Area. We tried fishing here but we didn’t have any luck. There are lots of picnic tables here with shady grassy areas. You can also swim here. There is a shallow area where families come and cool off on a hot summer day. It isn’t the cleanest water. There is algae here and you can’t see what your stepping on but if your looking for a great time then you won’t mind the mud between your toes. Water shoes are great to bring with you.
We witnessed a baptism here which was a pretty special experience.
Sierra Campground in Sierra County
Fourteen minutes from Packer Lake is Sierra Campground. Most of the campgrounds around here are quite difficult to drive through in our “white school bus.” Since we hadn’t booked any campsite ahead of time we spend the first half of the day searching for availability and this was one of the only few that was available. We liked it because it was easy to drive to and it was more private.
You can walk to North Yuba River from your campsite. Some of the campsites are right next to the river. We tried fishing but none of the ones we caught were large enough to take home. Apparently there’s also gold panning here which isn’t that surprising since Peter and my husband found a pickaxe here. The bear boxes were interesting since some sites didn’t have one, some did, and some of the bear boxes didn’t have a door.
The closest lake to Sierra Campground is Deadman Lake.
Sierra County has so many different lakes and campgrounds to choose from. Some of the campgrounds are first come first serve and others you have to reserve.
We liked this campground because the trees separated the campsites and it felt more private than other campsites.
Wrights Lake Campground and Fishing
Wrights Lake is a extremely interesting lake. It is very shallow in some of the parts of the lake, reaching as high as your knees. Then it isn’t shallow anymore. The reason for this is that there is a river that runs through the lake which gets extremely deep. You can clearly see where it is and it is no surprise that there are fish here. Using our kayaks we caught our limit. From this lake you can travel to two other lakes which can be done by following the path that the river has cut. After a day of fishing we camped here with family and the layout of the sites was perfect for us.
The lake is right next to the campsite. We love going camping with family. It is a great way to reconnect with family. Our kids love spending time with their cousins. It also makes meal time easier since we took turns making meals.
Thank you for reading our blog post. We share a new blog post every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm.