Last Updated on September 8, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

Bear Mountain Camping Adventure is a strategic adventure board game where players race to reach the summit while managing Activity Cards, Tokens, and Camper upgrades. Plan your moves carefully, collect the right tokens, and navigate Campsite Tiles to become the ultimate explorer. Here’s a complete breakdown of the rules and how to play:

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How to Play Bear Mountain Camping Adventure

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Components

• 1 Game Board – Main board for the journey across Bear Mountain.
• 4 Player Boards – Individual boards for each player to track decks, tokens, and camper progression.
• 8 Campers (Player Movers) – Two per player: one for the Game Board, one for Player Board tracking.
• 1 Trailblazer Token – Grants 1 extra Coin per turn to its owner.
• 144 Activity Tokens – Represent Biking, Swimming, Sunbathing, Canoeing, Fishing, Hiking, Firewood, and Bird Watching.
• 30 Campfire Tokens – Wild tokens that can replace any Activity Token.
• 8 Granola Bar Tokens – Can reset Board cards and reduce card costs.
• 15 Backpack Tokens – Allow drawing extra cards.
• 5 Wildlife Bell Tokens – Protect against Bear Tiles.
• 40 Coins – Used to purchase Camper upgrades and some tokens.
• 70 Green Camping Activity Cards – Starter and main deck for green activities.
• 70 Blue Camping Activity Cards – Starter and main deck for blue activities.
• 12 Camper Cards – Tent, Mid-Sized Camper, Large RV, etc., each with special abilities.
• 6 Reference Cards – Quick reference for gameplay actions, solo mode, and tile effects.
• 16 Campsite Tiles – May contain rewards or hazards like Bear Tiles.
• 30 Card Symbol Tiles – Track symbols from cards you own to prevent duplicates.
• 4 Solo Mode Dice – Green, Blue, Red, and Purple dice for automating opponents.

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Game Setup

1. Boards & Decks

1. Place the Game Board in the center.
2. Each player receives a Player Board in front of them.
3. Each player takes 4 Green and 4 Blue Starter Cards, shuffles them into two separate decks, and places them in piles beside the Player Board. Any unused Starter Cards return to the box.

Starter Cards Example:

• Green: Bird Watch, Gather Fire, Mountain Biking, Fishing
• Blue: Sunbathing, Canoeing, Swimming

The border of each card indicates where to place it in the discard pile when used.

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2. Campsite Tiles

1. Shuffle all 16 Campsite Tiles face-down.
2. Place them on highlighted sites in stacks of 2.
3. Players should set the tiles blind to each other to ensure fairness.
4. Keep the Campsite Tile Reference Card nearby.

Tip: Player 1 sets tiles while Player 2 looks away, then Player 2 arranges while Player 1 looks away.

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3. Main Activity Decks & Camper Cards

1. Shuffle the Green and Blue Camping Activity Decks and place them in designated areas on the Board.
2. Draw 3 cards from each deck and place them face-up below their decks for immediate purchase options.
3. Place all 12 Camper Cards face-up on the Board.

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4. Player Movers & Starting Hands

1. Each player chooses a color for their Campers.
2. Place one Camper in the green rectangle on your Player Board and the other on your Tent.
3. Draw 2 Green and 2 Blue cards from your personal decks to form your starting hand.

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5. First Player & Trailblazer Token

• The player who most recently ate a s’more goes first.
• Turns move to the left.
• The last player before the first turn gets the Trailblazer Token, which can be stolen during gameplay by advancing to a new color-group first.

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Objective

The goal is to be the first player to reach Bear Mountain Campsite.

Requirements to win:

• Camp at least once in each color-group (green, purple, yellow, blue, orange) following the Campsite Order on Player Boards.
• Build Green and Blue Camping Activity Decks strategically.
• Hold an Off-Roading Card in your hand when entering Bear Mountain.
• Collect at least 2 of each Activity Token to meet the campsite requirement.

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How to Play

Turn Structure

1. Play all cards in hand – Gain Activity Tokens indicated on the cards.
2. Discard played cards into appropriate Green or Blue discard piles.
3. Spend Activity Tokens to:
   • Buy Camping Activity Cards from the Board
   • Purchase Wildlife Bell Tokens
   • Move to a new campsite
4. Move your Camper to a new campsite following Campsite Order.

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1. Cards & Activity Tokens

• Each card produces specific Activity Tokens (Biking, Swimming, Sunbathing, Canoeing, Fishing, Hiking, Firewood, Bird Watching).
• Unused tokens can be saved using your Tent or upgraded Camper.

Example:

• Hand grants 1 Firewood, 1 Fishing, 1 Hiking, and 1 Sunbathing.
• Spend 1 Hiking, 1 Fishing, 1 Sunbathing to purchase Hang Gliding Card (goes to Green Discard Pile).
• Tent allows saving 1 extra token per turn.

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2. Card Symbols & Bonuses

• +1 Token: Some cards grant 1 extra token when played.
• Symbols (Binoculars, etc.): Each symbol is unique. You cannot own multiple cards with the same symbol.
• Take the corresponding Symbol Tile when acquiring a card with a symbol.

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3. Moving to Campsites

• After spending tokens and purchasing cards, move your Camper to a new campsite.
• Draw cards indicated on the campsite sign and collect Coins if shown.
• You cannot move to a site another player occupies or remain at the same campsite consecutively.
• Follow Campsite Order: green → purple → yellow → blue → orange.

Backtracking:

• Allowed, one color-group at a time.
• Do not move your Player Board marker backward.
• When advancing again, pay the required tokens per site if needed.

Campsite Tiles:

• Flip any tile at the site.
• Bear Tile: Move both Campers back one color-group.
• Other tiles: Gain indicated rewards; then discard.

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4. Camper Cards & Upgrades

• Start with a Tent (save 1 Activity Token per turn).
• Upgrade in order: Tent → Mid-Sized Camper → Large RV.
• Abilities:
  • Tent: Save 1 token per turn
  • Mid-Sized Camper: Draw 1 extra card and exchange 1 card from hand
  • Large RV: Draw 2 extra cards and exchange up to 2 cards from hand
• Place replaced Camper Card back on the Board.

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5. Special Tokens

Token	Use	Purchase Cost
Campfire	Wild token, replace any Activity Token	2 Coins
Granola Bar	Reset Board cards & reduce purchase costs by 1 token	2 Coins, 1 per turn
Trailblazer	Gain 1 extra Coin per turn	Can be stolen when another player advances first to a new color-group
Backpack	Draw 1 extra card	2 Coins, up to 3 per game
Wildlife Bell	Negate Bear Tile effects	4 Activity Tokens, hold 1 at a time

Notes:

• Trailblazer, Coins, Campfire, Granola Bar, Backpack, and Wildlife Bell tokens cannot be discarded or swapped unless a card ability specifically allows it.

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6. Purchasing Cards

• Green or Blue Cards: Purchased using Activity Tokens.
• Place purchased Green cards into Green Discard Pile, Blue cards into Blue Discard Pile.
• Use saved tokens to make future purchases.

Example:

• Want Kayaking Card (cost: 1 Campfire, 2 Sunbathing).
• Save Sunbathing using Tent or Camper; spend remaining tokens as needed.
• When another player purchases a card, immediately replace it from the deck.

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7. Winning the Game

• Reach Bear Mountain Campsite first.
• Must have 2 of all Activity Tokens and an Off-Roading Card in hand to move there.
• Campfire Tokens can substitute for missing tokens.

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Solo Mode

• Play against 1–3 automated explorers.
• Opponents do not have Player Boards but follow Solo Dice & Reference Card rules.
• Steps for each opponent:
  1. Roll 4 dice (Green, Blue, Red, Purple).
  2. Collect Camping Activity Cards and Tokens based on dice.
  3. Move Camper according to dice roll, using tokens as required.
  4. Flip Campsite Tiles as normal; apply effects.
• Opponents share resources but do not upgrade campers.
• Optional: Remove a die to make the game easier (collect only 1 card per turn).

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FAQs