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6 Ways To Make Your Campfire More Exciting

This post was updated on May 23rd, 2023

Campfire in NB by Martin Cathrae is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

6 Ways To Make Your Campfire More Exciting

Campfires, in my humble opinion, are an incredibly important part of the camping experience. After all, who’s ever heard of going on a camping trip without setting up at least one good fire? Campfires are the centerpiece for friendship building, ghost storytelling, song singing, and s’more making. They’re the stuff of family memories, and something no childhood should be without.

Still, when camping on a regular basis, campfires can start to become a bit ordinary after a while. They’re still enjoyable, of course, but they do lose a bit of their magic, something that begs us campers to get creative and put a bit of extra fun into the mix now and then. The question is, how?

If you’ve been wondering how to add some extra magic to your campfires this summer, you’ll be happy to learn that I’ve come across quite a few awesome options. Here are some of my favorites.

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1. Add some color

Campfires are orange, right? Orange with a bit of yellow or red, and sometimes with just a touch of blue on the bottom. Well, what if I told you that you could change that? If you wanted, you could have a green fire, or you could even change those flames to a deep purple color!

Sparking flames
Image source: Pixabay

There are actually a few ways to go about this. To make some homemade magic, you’ll probably enjoy this DIY pinecone craft. The end results are colorful, brilliant, and perfect for camping fun.

More into a ready-made option? These Mystical Fire packets are the ideal solution.

2. Toss in creamer

Are brilliant colors not enough for you? If this is the case, you may prefer a bit of sparkle as well. Luckily, this is super easy to get, meaning you can mystify your campfire guests every single time you head out to the fire pit.

All you need is a bit of powdered coffee creamer. That’s right! Your morning coffee creamer can turn your fire into a sparkling magic show right before your eyes. Simply toss some in and watch the amazing and exciting effect that takes place.

3. Have a treat

Nearly everyone makes s’mores when sitting around a campfire, and anyone who hasn’t roasted at least one marshmallow must be seriously deprived. That said, there are lots of other amazing treats you can make over an open fire, and many of them are just as easy as the traditional s’more.

Camping Dessert
Image source: Unsplash

This means you can change it up a little every time and never get bored around the fire again.

Here are some of our favorite campfire treat ideas:

4. Make a Swedish Torch

Most adults have made a traditional campfire at some point in their lives, and people who go camping often have done this countless times. If you’re ready to change the way you build fires, why not try a Swedish Torch?

This interesting fire-building technique requires only one log and yet will burn for hours. It’s the perfect option for those times when you’re short on bigger pieces of wood and is even better for those who want a fire but have no true fire pit to work with. Best of all, the Swedish Torch comes with built-in pot supports, meaning you can cook over it with very little equipment.

Learn how to build your own Swedish Torch on Instructables.

5. Start it with lemon

If the unusual fire building technique above isn’t interesting enough for you, why not add to the fun by creating a crazy cool fire starter unlike any you’ve seen before?

What is this lighter made out of? A lemon, of course! I mean sure, you could just break out the matches or a lighter, but how does that even come close to measuring up to a lemon fire starter?

Making your own lemon lighter is actually simpler than you might think, and is an excellent science experiment/lesson for the kids in your life. Learn how to go about this here.

6. Create a camp stove

Ready to add some cooking fun to your campfire experience? Why not make a camp stove out of a tuna can? This is an awesome project to do with older kids. It’s super inexpensive, a great way to learn something new, and your stove can be used time and time again. Of course, the very best part is cooking over the tiny homemade stove and eating your delicious treats.

Tin can camp stove
Image source: YouTube

Learn who to make your own tuna can stove from this awesome video.

Hopefully, this article gave you some ideas for your next camping adventure. Go ahead and pull out all the stops. Your family will remember that little bit of added magic for years to come, and your campfires might just be some of the most exciting ones in the campground.

See also: Never Burn Your S’mores Again With This Simple DIY Roaster