Happy campers!
The Great American Outdoors: 10 camping sites worth visiting
Image: Patrick Hendry
Camping is one of the best ways to experience the outdoors. Sleeping in a tent while listening to the sounds of nature—the rustling of leaves and the occasional chirping of a sleepy bird—is the closest most of us can get to the way humans lived and slept for most of their existence. Spending time close to nature is good for our health, and it can be lots of fun, too. America is crawling with beautiful places to visit, and the number of mind-blowing camping spots is almost infinite. The following 10 are just a small fraction of what our country has to offer, but they serve as a sampler to travel with your mind. Do you know any of these places?
1
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California
Image: Nik Shuliahin 💛💙
Imagine camping beneath the biggest trees in North America and in the whole world . That incredible experience is possible in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, where some of these trees are thousands of years old.
You can choose from 14 scenic campgrounds—including Grant Grove Village, the foothills of Sequoia National Park, the Lodgepole and Giant Forest areas, Cedar Grove, and Mineral King—and make a reservation.
2
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Image: velichor
Open only during the summer months, Crater Lake National Park is home to the country's deepest lake and a dormant volcano , making it an incredibly photogenic location. Campers can pitch their tents or park their RVs in the forest at Mazama Campground.
As locals say, the best views are from the areas looking out over Annie Creek, but the whole place is a no-miss.
3
Olympic National Park, Washington
Image: Scott Goodwill
Camping along the coastline with the sound of the waves in the background is a beautiful experience that can be accomplished in the Olympic National Park, where you can camp right along the beautiful coastline , which is marked by several sea stacks.
There are many different campgrounds, some next to the ocean and others in the rainforest. While most are first-come, first-served, some allow reservations for stays in the summer.
4
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Image: Levi Jones
Few camping experiences beat waking up on the rim of the Grand Canyon . While the South Rim is easier to get to, the North Rim is usually less crowded. There's one North Rim campground inside the park and another just north of the park boundary, both open from mid-May to mid-October.
Several sites along the South Rim are open year-round, including the Mather Campground and Trailer Village in Grand Canyon Village. Only two other South Rim spots, Desert View and Tusayan Montane, are open seasonally.
5
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests, Colorado
Image: Mike Erskine
The Rocky Mountains offer magnificent scenery for a beautiful day and a night out. The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests have 56 campsites set in a variety of landscapes, including open meadows and evergreen forests, amid mountains, and on lakeshores .
While most are open seasonally, a select few stay open all year long, so make sure to check the website for road conditions beforehand if you plan to camp during the winter months.
6
Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Idaho
Image: Andreas Rønningen
The Smoky Mountains are a picturesque part of Idaho, with dozens of places to camp. The Sawtooth National Recreation Area is a fantastic place to go hiking, canoeing, or cycling, and you'll be treated to awe-inspiring mountain views in every direction.
About half the campgrounds welcome campers on a first-come, first-served basis, but you can also make reservations ahead of time to secure a site. The camping season is open in the summer months.
7
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Image: Rahul Bhosale
Don’t mind the name, there is nothing bad about the Badlands. Between the many rock formations you'll see throughout Badlands National Park, you'll also find prairies and places to peek at ancient fossils . The Cedar Pass campground is larger and offers more amenities, but the smaller Sage Creek campground puts you in a better position to see bison wandering around .
8
Ozark–St. Francis National Forests, Arkansas
Image: Alex Holt
The Natural State has 1.2 million acres of recreational space including beaches, lakes, and streams, and more than 400 miles of hiking trails , in the Ozark–St. Francis National Forests. Campers can choose between several developed campgrounds for both RV and tent camping, some of which are open year-round.
Other campgrounds are open from May through October. Primitive camping is also permitted within designated areas—just remember to bring your water (or a water filtration device), and leave the place untouched.
9
Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
Image: Blake Wisz
At Dry Tortugas National Park, in Key West, Florida, you can camp right outside of one of the world’s largest barrier reefs . Visitors can rent snorkel gear, spend their days relaxing on the beach, or check out Fort Jefferson, a 19th-century fortress used by the Union army to blockade Confederate shipping channels during the Civil War.
This pristine area, perfect for stargazing and bird-watching, requires campers to bring everything they will need, including water, fuel, ice, and food. Ferry transportation from Key West must also be secured as early as possible.
10
Minnewaska State Park Preserve, New York
Image: Esther Tuttle
More than 2,000 feet above sea level and surrounded by rocky terrain, Minnewaska State Park Preserve offers a lot of space to hike, bike, and enjoy the view . Reservations for the Sam F. Pryor III Shawangunk Campground can be made online starting each March, as it is closed during the winter.
The campground features 50 parcels, as well as five car-camping sites, and amenities such as Wi-Fi, coin-operated showers, communal fire pits, and picnic pavilions.
