Outdoor camping is more than just pitching a tent and telling ghost stories around a bonfire. It’s also about experiencing nature in the best possible way, totally immersing yourself in it. Since the goal of camping is to be outdoors all the time, you should ideally find a beautiful campground that has a lot to offer in terms of views, wildlife, and hiking trails.
Fortunately, there are many of them in the United States. So whether you are looking for a true sense of nature in a dense forest full of towering trees, a more relaxed atmosphere next to a sandy beach, or a moment of adventure in some unique place, there is something for everyone.
If you are looking for a scenic adventure, these are the 10 most beautiful campgrounds in the United States.
Hidden Valley Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, California
Joshua Tree National Park is named after the slow-growing, gnarled Joshua trees, the park is nestled between the Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert and is a rugged and scenic campground.
The Hidden Valley Campground is the most popular campground in the park. With incredible landscapes and beautiful places to camp, many prefer this campground because of its untouched nature and excellent structure.
The Hidden Valley Campground is surrounded by beautiful desert scenery and is close to popular hiking and climbing trails.
It has 44 camping sites, toilets, Picnic tables, and no water, so be sure to bring plenty of water of your own. Located along the main street of the park, large rocks and Joshua trees surround the campground. The natural features of the desert and activities like Biking, Hiking, Horseback riding, Off-roading, and Climbing will keep you motivated in The Hidden Valley Campground.
The prominent wildlife in the campground is bighorn, rattlesnakes, kangaroo rats, coyotes, lizards, and many kinds of migratory birds.
The Sage Creek Campground, Badland National Park, South Dakota
Best suited for tent and small caravan units, The Sage Creek Campground offers a host of outlets for hiking, exploring, and appreciating the vast Badlands surroundings.
Not only can the park’s resident buffalo pass through the campground, but with no nearby services, it’s easy to get a sense of the aggressive environment that defines the area.
Visitors to Sage Creek traveling overnight will need to pack drinking water, food, and camping gear, as the campground only comes equipped with vaulted bathrooms, a few shaded picnic tables, and plenty of room for tenting.
The Sage Creek Campground has 22 campsites, toilets, covered picnic tables, and no water.
The most notable animal species in the park are the Coyote, the Porcupine, the Canadian Mouflon, the Bobcat, the American Mince, the North American Bison, the Prairie Rat, the Black-tailed Prairie Dog, the Fox swift, and the black-footed polecat.
Yosemite National Park, California
The breathtaking views of Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains make their campgrounds a California must-see.
The tallest granite monolith in the world, El Capitan, is the vast landscape with sprawling meadows, deep valleys, towering redwood groves, rushing rivers, and breathtaking waterfalls.
The park features rock climbing, horseback riding, swimming, fishing, hiking, biking, and boating. From May to September, reservations accumulate in a matter of minutes. Tent and RV spots are available with various amenities, some of which include electricity, running water, toilets, fire rings, and food storage cabinets.
If you’re looking for showers, head to Yosemite Valley at Half Dome or Housekeeping Camp, as these are the only places in the park with showers. Wawona Campground is a popular spot at the southern end of the park, and it comes with a bonus, the historic Big Trees Lodge, which is a perfect spot to enjoy a cooked breakfast.
An alternative place to camp is Summerdale in the Sierra National Forest, just 1.5 miles from Yosemite National Park and nestled in a beautiful meadow of wildflowers among the aspen trees.
Nāpali Coast State Park, Kauai, Hawaii
Recognized as one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, the Nāpali Coast, along the northwest of the island of Kauai, is an impressive destination.
The Nāpali Coast State Natural Park offers incredible scenery, and camping here amounts to camping in a remote paradise. Misty cliffs, deep valleys, waterfalls, and flowing streams meet in the sea that surrounds this photogenic island.
Adventure seekers and campers have the option of spending the night at Hanaoka Camp, Kalalau, or at Milolii Camp, which is only accessible from the ocean. Hiking the famous Nāpali Coast Walk, kayaking, stargazing, and admiring the waterfalls are just some of the best activities to do near the campgrounds.
The Nāpali Coast State Natural Park has three camping sites, toilets, covered picnic tables, and potable water.
Boating, paddling, swimming, fishing, and hiking are some adventurous activities at the campground that never let anybody get bored.
Montauk, New York-Hither Hills State Park
Located just three hours from New York City at the far end of Long Island, Montauk is the ideal place for sun worshipers and beach lovers. But Montauk is also a calm place to pitch a tent and enjoy some beachfront camping in New York.
Hither Hills State Park in Montauk offers a scenic camping area complete with two miles of sandy beach, a freshwater lake, sandbanks, and oceanfront sunrises.
Campers can enjoy all kinds of water activities such as boating, fishing, and swimming, as well as forest walks, biking, horseback riding, picnicking, and campfires against the beachy backdrop of Montauk.
Hither Hills State Park, Montauk, has 153 camping sites, toilets, Covered picnic tables, and potable water.
Watchman Campground, Zion National Park, Utah
With massive sandstone cliffs, bright blue skies, and an abundance of plants and animals, this almost otherworldly park is a national treasure.
Located a quarter-mile from the southern entrance to Zion National Park in Utah, Watchman Campground is surrounded by massive sandstone cliffs, towering rocky peaks, and forests of juniper, pinion pine, and sagebrush.
The mighty Virgin River runs alongside the campgrounds, allowing campers to access bike trails along the riverbank, as well as hike to a nearby archaeological site.
Camping in Zion, Utah’s first national park, offers a full range of lively environmental history and classic twilights that turn the mountaintops bright orange and red.
The unique geography and the variety of ecosystems allow the existence of an important diversity of wildlife. The cougar, deer, eagles, and mountain goats are in abundance.
Watchman Campground has 179 camping sites, toilets, covered picnic tables, and potable water.
Glacier National Park, Montana
In the far north of the American West, on the border between Montana and Canada, an untouched natural paradise extends over 4,047 km². Glacier National Park is a wide variety of pristine forests, alpine meadows, lakes, and rugged mountains.
Glaciers have shaped the region over thousands of years, creating an overwhelming landscape of 762 lakes, 175 mountains, and 25 glaciers.
So, it’s no wonder that over 2 million visitors flock to the Glacier national park every year! Most tourists come in the summer months when the roads are free of snow and therefore easier to drive. But for the brave few who bare the winter months, the distant snow caps make for a beautiful campground location.
The park is open all year round and offers first-class opportunities for snowshoeing, ice climbing, cross-country skiing, and sightseeing in winter – without the crowds. No matter what time of year you plan your visit to Glacier National Park: You should not miss these sights.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road, Logan Peak, The Wild Goose Island Overlook, Jackson Glacier Overlook, Lake McDonald, Flathead Lake, and Weeping wall are undoubtedly the most picturesque locations.
White Mountains of Huttopia, White Mountains, New Hampshire
If you’re looking for a more rural and rustic, isolated northeast experience, the White Mountains are your finest bet.
Covering more than a quarter of New Hampshire, the White Mountains are a natural haven for all outdoor enthusiasts, including the highest elevation point in the Northeast!
Located on a lake near North Conway and less than 2.5 hours from Boston, Huttopia White Mountains offers a peaceful camping experience with a wide range of activities including hiking, boating, fishing, and roasting marshmallows over the campfire.
The hiking is rough in this section of the Appalachian Mountains, but it’s worth it (if you are up to the challenge). The sights here are especially breathtaking in the fall when the foliage turns red, orange, and yellow.
White Mountains of Huttopia has 15 camping sites, toilets, covered picnic tables, and potable water.
Assateague Island National Coast, Assateague Island, Maryland
A long barrier island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia, Assateague Island National Seashore is known for its Atlantic beaches, swamps, dunes, and pine forests.
Camping at Assateague Island National Seashore includes two campgrounds for horseback camping or camping beachfront and by the bay, where travelers can take in breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean with wild horses as a backdrop.
Relax or wander the 60 km long Assateague Beach during the day, then pitch your tent near the crashing waves for a night under the stars.
Assateague Island National Coast has 312 campsites, toilets, showers, picnic tables, and potable water.
The campground offers a wide range of activities like biking, boating, fishing, hiking, paddling, horseback riding, and off-roading, to name a few.
Shenandoah National Park, Washington
If you are planning a trip to Shenandoah National Park from the Washington area, you should be mindful that the park is more than 200 miles away, so it will take you more than 75 minutes to reach some of the popular attractions.
The spectacular scenery of Shenandoah National Park brings you tons of photos. Forests, waterfalls, birds, and white-tailed deer are dramatic themes throughout the seasons.
Canoeing, kayaking, tubing, and rafting are thrilling attractions, and biking on the steep roads with many blind curves makes your trip adventurous.
Shenandoah National Park has four campgrounds with numerous camping sites to entertain the visitors round the year. The park offers many activities like biking, hiking, fishing, horseback riding, and campfires.
From views of lakes and coastlines to desert valleys, national parks, and heavily forested forests, camping in the parks of the United States is one of the best travel options if you like nature and do not mind sleeping in a tent.
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