The perfect car-camping site — one that allows you to relax in style and sits just a few feet away from adventure — is a rare find. These are the 20 best places to park and pitch in the lower 48.
By Adam Spangler
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WEST
[ 1 ] Desert Climbing
Among Joshua Tree National Park’s granite plateaus and boulder fields are more than 5,000 climbing routes, but beginners should head for Turtle Rock and Hall of Horrors in the northwest, which have some of the best bouldering and top-rope routes in the park. Stay in nearby Hidden Valley campground, where you can swig beers around a fire with climbing bums from all over the world. Don’t miss the four-mile hike to Lost Palms Oasis, where wildlife has no choice but to congregate.
How To Get A Spot
For weekend camping arrive on a Thursday. If full, ask about the backcountry sites just outside the park.
140 miles from Los Angeles, nps.gov/jotr, 760-367-5500 (first come first serve)
[ 2 ] Beachcombing
Tiny Jalama Beach County Park sits 14 miles away from Highway 1 on the California coast and guards one of the longest stretches of undeveloped shoreline in the state — perfect for a lazy weekend of short day hikes. Rolling hills and sea cliffs frame wide beaches safe for swimming, and Point Conception, four miles south, is prime for whale watching. Snag one of the few cliff-top sites above the more crowded park center, but still close to its grocery store and cafe.
How To Get A Spot
Arrive by 6 am. If full, try River Park campground in nearby Lompoc.
150 miles from Los Angeles, sbparks.org, 805-736-6316 (first come first serve)
[ 3 ] Beneath the Giants
In the hills above the Pacific coast near Santa Cruz, Big Basin Redwoods State Park has one of the largest continuous stands of ancient Coast Redwoods in California. The 329-foot-tall Mother of the Forest is a must-see, but exchange the well-traveled Skyline-to-the-Sea for the Meteor Trail, which meanders six miles through three distinct ecosystems en route to ocean vistas. Swap RV lots for one of the 26 tent-only sites at Wastahi campground.
How To Get A Spot
Phone at least a month in advance.
65 miles from San Francisco, parks.ca.gov, 831-338-8860 (takes reservations)
[ 4 ] Secret Yosemite
Yosemite National Park’s Tuolumne Meadows is all too often bypassed in the rush toward Half Dome and El Cap in the Valley. From Tuolumne’s sprawling campground at 8,600 feet, scramble steep granite, or hike two miles up to Gaylor Lake and the Great Sierra Mine.
How To Get A Spot
Reservations are taken up to five months in advance, starting the 15th of each month at 7 am. Popular spots fill within hours. Arrive before noon for nonreserve sites.
180 miles from San Francisco, nps.gov/yose, 209-372-0200 (takes reservations/first come first serve)
[ 5 ] Velos and a Volcano
Along the crest of the Cascade Range, high above America’s deepest lake, winds one of the best road-bike rides in the world. Rim Drive is Crater Lake National Park’s 33-mile track through a volcanic caldera. Set up camp a few miles off the route’s southeast corner at one of Lost Creek’s 16 tent-only sites (open July through October). Jump aboard a lake tour boat to Wizard Island and climb the cinder cone itself.
How To Get A Spot
Arrive by noon.
270 miles from Portland, nps.gov/crla, 541-594-3000 (first come first serve)
[ 6 ] Coastal Dunes
Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area holds the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America, and the Dellenback Dunes Trail, just west of Lakeside, is the trophy hike among them. From Eel Creek campground, hike the only marked trail and search for hidden lakes and “tree islands.”
How To Get A Spot
Arrive by noon.
210 miles from Portland, fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw, 541-271-6000 (first come first serve)
[ 7 ] Three Days, Three Ecosystems
Desolate coast, temperate old-growth forest, and glaciated peaks exist within just a few miles of each other in pristine Olympic National Park. Hike from Deer Park campground along the Grand Ridge, above treeline, to Obstruction Point. Drive down to Queets campground on day two, where Sam’s River Loop Trail leads you through moss-filled forest. And on day three, soak weary legs in the Pacific, staying at nearby Mora campground.
How To Get A Spot
For a weekend spot arrive on Thursday.
90 miles from Seattle, nps.gov/olym, 360-565-3130 (first come first serve)
[8] Bring the Family
Sun Lakes–Dry Falls State Park is an oasis in the middle of Washington’s high desert and is perfect for a family’s first camping trip. It’s plush, with developed drive-in campsites, and there’s plenty to do — watersports on Park Lake, organized nature outings and horseback rides — but you can also get away from the crowds by exploring its 40 miles of dirt roads and trails. Our pick: the hike up 400-foot-high, three-mile-wide Dry Falls.
How To Get A Spot
Phone at least a month in advance.
200 miles from Seattle, parks.wa.gov, 509-632-5583 (takes reservations)
Tip: An $80 America the Beautiful pass gets you and three other guests free admission into any federal public lands for a year. It’s especially useful near Zion (10), where several parks cluster. usgs.gov
ROCKIES/CENTRAL
[9] Big Backcountry
The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness — the third largest in the U.S. — holds some of the most formidable backcountry this side of Alaska. And a small section of the 1,100-mile Nez Perce National Historic Trail lets you access it without having to carry everything in on your back. This 108-mile driving route begins near Darby, Montana, before heading off-road and into deep wilderness along the Magruder Corridor. Primitive campgrounds, reservable cabins, and hiking trails dot the entire route.
How To Get A Spot
Arrive by noon.
60 miles from Missoula, fs.fed.us/r1/bitterroot, 406-821-3269 (first come first serve)
[10] Slot Canyoneering
While not strictly in Zion National Park, Red Ledge campground, just outside of Zion in Kanarraville, Utah, is the only car-camping option in the area. But it offers easy access to the impressive Kolob Canyons near the north entrance. Follow sandstone cliffs, walk under natural arches, and squeeze through slot canyons in relative solitude. Don’t miss La Verkin Creek Trail and Kolob Arch (Zion’s largest).
How To Get A Spot
Phone at least a month in advance.
160 miles from Las Vegas, nps.gov/zion, 800-283-7183 (takes reservations)
[11] Classic Wildlife
Take in a couple of Yellowstone’s main attractions — geyser basin, Mammoth hot springs — on your way to the Lamar Valley in the northeast, which sees just a small fraction of the park’s visitors. It’s also where the wildlife go to hide from tourists: Elk, bears, moose, bison, and bald eagles all use this corridor, as do recently reintroduced wolves. For camping, take the smaller and more secluded Slough Creek over Pebble Creek.
How To Get A Spot
Arrive by 9 am.
150 miles from Bozeman, nps.gov/yell, 307-344-7381 (first come first serve)
[12] Mellower Rockies
Weminuche Wilderness Area in southwest Colorado may be heaving with granite fourteeners and hypoxic alpine hikes, but the state’s biggest wilderness expanse also has a more laid-back side. Head for Lost Trail campground off Forest Road 520, along the headwaters of the Rio Grande and framed on three sides by the San Juan mountains. The seven tent sites offer solitude in an otherwise busy park.
How To Get A Spot
Arrive by 9 am.
180 miles from Santa Fe, coloradowilderness.com, 970-247-4874 (first come first serve)
[13] Gone Fishing
In South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest, beneath the steep limestone canyon walls of Spearfish Creek, the fish rise by the dozens. Walk-in tent sites at Hanna campground off U.S. Route 85 give a central (and quiet) launch pad for as much 10-to-two casting action as your arms can take and for the Rim Rock trail, which gets you high above the water.
How To Get A Spot
Arrive by 2 pm.
300 miles from Cheyenne, fs.fed.us/bhnf, 605-673-9200 (first come first serve)
[14] Cowboy Country
Big Bend Ranch State Park in Texas is the wide-open West at its best. Its 485 square miles of jagged red mountains and deep canyons are all managed partly as a working ranch, so the backcountry is less restricted. Drive deeper into one of several “Primitive Road Zones,” where cars are allowed to go off-road for up to a quarter mile, for more secluded designated sites.
How To Get A Spot
Phone at least a month in advance.
250 miles from El Paso, tpwd .state.tx.us, 432-358-4444 (takes reservations)
[15] Wild Midwest
Ozark National Forest and the rugged Boston Mountains in northwest Arkansas are full of narrow river-cut valleys and soaring bluffs. Post up at the primitive Blanchard Springs campground, where trails blaze out right from your tent to swimming holes and waterfalls. Explore nearby caverns or hike the new extension of the Ozark Highlands Trail.
How To Get A Spot
Arrive by noon.
140 miles from Tulsa, aokforests.com, 479-964-7200 (first come first serve)
Tip: Just because you’re car camping doesn’t mean you have to stick to a car-camping site. Parks often allow “dispersed” backcountry camping just accessible enough to walk to from a parking area.
EAST
[16] Summer Dip
The southern sun meets its match at Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee’s network of cascades and swimming holes, plus five noteworthy waterfalls, including one of the highest (256 feet) east of the Rockies. There are a couple hundred roadside campsites to choose from, but the area’s nine walk-in sites are our pick for privacy.
How To Get A Spot
For a weekend spot, arrive on Thursday.
120 miles from Nashville, tnstateparks.com, 800-250-8611 (first come first serve)
[17] Steeps in the East
Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest has all the expansive rocky vistas and sweeping overlooks of the West, and they’re just a short hike from Red Creek campground. Trails are steep and rocky, but the payoff above 4,000 feet is a unique tundra ecosystem. Nearby Red Creek is a refreshing sight after a long hike.
How To Get A Spot
Arrive by noon.
220 miles from Washington, DC, fs.fed.us/r9/mnf, 304-257-4488 (first come first serve)
[18] Biking Base Camp
The easy ups and downs of Finger Lakes National Forest in western New York are perfect for epic all-day biking sorties. The area’s multiple loop trails over mellow terrain rarely climb more than 200 feet, through forested ridgelines and open meadows, where camping is permitted just about anywhere as long as it’s at least 50 feet from trails and water sources. Grab a map at Hector ranger station, and skip designated sites by heading a few extra feet away from the car for a more isolated backcountry experience.
How To Get A Spot
There’s always a spot.
240 miles from Manhattan, fs .fed.us/r9/gmfl, 607-546-4470 (first come first serve)
[19] Canoe to Camp
The remote Green River Reservoir State Park in northern Vermont keeps things very quiet, and its 28 campsites along 19 miles of undeveloped shoreline are reachable only by boat (up to two miles from the park entrance). Throw your gear in a canoe, pitch up, and spend the weekend fishing, paddling, and swimming. There are no on-site rentals, so grab a canoe at Country Canoe Rentals (802-888- 7807) in nearby Hyde Park.
How To Get A Spot
Phone three weeks in advance.
60 miles from Burlington, vtstateparks.com, 802-888-1349 (takes reservations)
[20] Birder’s Paradise
With some 300 species of bird on its rugged cluster of granite islands off the Maine coast, Acadia National Park is one of the nation’s foremost birding spots. The binocular crowd will never tire of its 55 square miles and historic carriage routes. Summit 1,530-foot Cadillac Mountain, explore the park’s only fjord, Somes Sound, and make use of expert-led birding tours.
How To Get A Spot
There are only two campgrounds. Call three months prior for a reservation; arrive by 9 am for a nonreserve site.
285 miles from Boston, nps.gov /acad, 207-288-3338 (takes reservations/first come first serve)
Tip: Buy a DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer for whichever state you plan to camp in. The detailed topo maps are invaluable for exploring and finding choice “dispersed camping.”
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This article originally appeared in the July/August 2009 issue of Men’s Journal.
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August 28th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Great information. We are avid campers and thoroughly enjoy camping on the west coast. Our favorite is dry-camping in our motorhome at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. With our senior pass, it is only $5.00 per night!
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