Best Places to Camp is a resource for everyone. If you have even the remotest interest in camping and hiking or if you’re a year-round camping enthusiast with an RV, these pages will provide you, your family, friends and group colleagues with the most popular, sometimes out-of-the-way camping grounds and hiking trails in the United States. Best Places to Camp is somewhat interactive in that we invite our visitors to weigh in on what their most favorable locations are. By identifying with our contributors, we hope it makes your choice of campground or hiking trail easier.
Maybe you like to go camping near home; maybe for you a camping trip means travel. Either way, we’ve done the research for you. Read on for more fun information about camping gear and equipment, safety tips and camping with kids.
Plan ahead for your camping trip and make your reservations ahead of time. The most popular RV camping parks, park cabins and even camping grounds that allow tents fill up quickly, especially during the summer. Have a great season and we hope to hear from you soon!
The Best Places to Go Camping and Hiking by Region:
- Northern U.S. camping grounds include sweeping mountain ranges. We also offer our four best northern campgrounds in the United States which happen to be located in Maine, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Hampshire;
- Visit the South for some of the most breathtaking daylight and nighttime vistas. We’ve also chosen the three best southern campgrounds in the United States, by state. Where will your next southern campground adventure be? ;
- The Central U.S. states offer caves and Amish country;
- Go West! For camping grounds with mile-high trees, big blue skies and ice cold lakes;
- See wild horses and even wilder beaches when you go camping and hiking on the Eastern seaboard.
Anthony Pierpont lives in the Midwestern state of Minnesota. He has a wife and one young child and had this to share about his camping grounds experiences:
Whether you like to lie out under the stars, inside a tent or go RV camping, the best places to go camping and hiking in the US offer a secluded part of nature for you to call home- even if it’s just for a weekend.
“Growing up, our family would go camping and hiking for a week at a time, staying at some of the most beautiful camping grounds in the country. We’d run and jump into freezing cold lakes, convinced we’d warm up quickly and then come barreling out again within seconds, racing up the rocky beaches to our towels. Sitting on the beach and laughing, pulling up to a warm fire at night and of course, enjoying s’mores – these are some of the best memories of my childhood. And now, I’m thrilled to make the same kind of memories with my own family, too.”
Anthony Pierpont Tips: Organize Your RV Trip with a Camping Gear & Equipment Checklist
Before you go RV camping, organize yourself by starting a camping gear and equipment checklist. Your checklist will vary according to your needs, but there are a few must-haves that you need to address.
Design Your Camping Gear and Equipment Checklist with your Family’s Needs in Mind.
- Consider your sleeping needs when compiling an RV camping checklist of supplies. You may not need to bring a tent since you’re based in a RV, but a trip can easily be spoiled without a decent pillow! Your sleeping needs should include everything from a sleeping bag to extra blankets. In addition, since most of the world demands internet or wifi access these days (see Geoff Spice article about his trek to a faraway island to quit smoking), look for a waterproof computer sleeve. In our experience, WalletBe computer sleeves are the best on the market. They’re waterproof and scratch-resistant, come in a range of colors and are inexpensive.
- RV camping supplies must include the basics for cooking in the great outdoors, too. A pack and carry grill is a great asset for RV camping trips; also remember to bring a basic all-around large-sized frying pan, foil, small and large pots with lids, lighters, cleaning supplies, eating and cooking utensils and paper products, too.
- Depending upon where you’re RV camping and on the season, your clothing needs will vary. Clothes that can be easily layered are usually a good bet, especially if the climate cools at night. And a hat to block the sun, a pair of sunglasses and also sunscreen can help prevent nasty sunburns.
- Your camping gear and equipment checklist isn’t complete without the following: graham crackers, chocolate bars and marshmallows, for that unique camping dessert of desserts: s’mores.
We thank our contributors:
- Anthony Pierpont St. Paul, Minnesota
