Winter and Spring Camping Ideas in the USA

1. Acadia National Park

Camping in Acadia National Park is one of the best ways visitors can experience everything there is to see and do in the park. Campers can choose from several campgrounds within the park grounds, as well as around a dozen of other private campgrounds nearby. The three inside Acadia National Park are the Schoodic Woods Campground, the Blackwoods Campground, the Seawall Campground, and the Duck Harbor Campground. Schoodic Woods is the only campground on the mainland and offers an uncramped and spacious atmosphere. Blackwoods and Seawall are larger campgrounds with hundreds of campsites, with Blackwoods located near some of the best hiking trails.

Bar Harbor, ME 04609, Phone: 207-288-3338

2. Arches National Park

Arches National Park is located near Moab, Utah and is a fascinating landscape of textures, landforms, and contrasting colors not easily found anywhere else in the world. The park features more than two thousand natural stone arches, as well as massive balanced rocks, giant fins, and countless soaring pinnacles. The Devil’s Garden Campground, about eighteen miles from the entrance, is the red-rock wonderland’s only campground, and while reservations are needed between March and October, campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis from the beginning of November until the end of February. Flush toilets, grills, picnic tables, and drinking water are available.

Moab, UT 84532, Phone: 435-719-2299

3. Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park in the state of Texas operates three frontcountry developed campgrounds for visitors to use, with each one including restroom facilities and drinking water. The Rio Grande Village, Cottonwood, and Chisos Basin campgrounds at Big Bend use self-registration, with most of the campsites available on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition to tent campsites, there is also an RV camping area with twenty-five sites featuring full hookups at the park. However, RV campers should not that the Rio Grande Village RV Campground is operated by Forever Resorts. River-use, backpacking, and primitive roadside campsites are possible with a permit.

Big Bend National Park, TX 79834, Phone: 432-477-2251

4. Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake National Park in Oregon is a place that inspires awe. Fed by snow and rain, Crater Lake is the country’s deepest lake and well as one of the world’s most pristine lakes. Visitors often gaze out in wonder at the gorgeous setting in the Cascade Mountain Range.

There are two developed campgrounds in Crater Lake National Park: the Lost Creek Campground and the Mazama Campground. Mazama is able to accommodate both tent camping and RV camping, while Lost Creek is a tent-only campground. Campsites include a metal box for food storage, a grill, a fire ring, and a picnic table.

Crater Lake, OR 97604, Phone: 541-594-3000

5. Cumberland Island

Cumberland Island is the southernmost and largest of Georgia’s barrier islands and is home to five different campgrounds, including wilderness campsites at Brickhill Bluff, Yankee Paradise, and Hickory Hill, along with designated campsites at Stafford Beach and Sea Camp. Note that permits are required for camping in any of these campgrounds. Designated campgrounds include a sink for washing dishes, cold showers, drinking water, and flush toilets, and campsites feature food storage, picnic tables, a grill, and a fire ring. The wilderness campgrounds, however, don’t have any amenities and fires are prohibited. Camp stoves can be used though instead for cooking.

101 Wheeler St, St. Marys, GA 31558, Phone: 912-882-4336

6. Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is a basin located below sea level, and with record summer heat and steady drought, it’s a place of extremes. Rare rainstorms bring about fields colorful wildflowers, while towering peaks can be seen frosted with snow. Despite its off-putting name, Death Valley is worth a visit, and can be a great place to escape the cold of the winter season for a camping trip. The park is the lowest, driest, and hottest national park in the country. Visitors will find backpacking, hiking, and camping opportunities here, as well as snowshoeing, off-road vehicle adventures, golfing, horseback riding, and rock climbing.

Death Valley, CA 92328, Phone: 760-786-3200

7. Dry Tortugas National Park

Dry Tortugas National Park offers an incredible camping experience at Garden Key, along with opportunities for some stunning sunset viewing, snorkeling, and star gazing. Visitors need to be well-prepared to camp at the remote location. The primitive campground at Dry Tortugas is still only a short walk, however, to the public dock. Each campsite includes a grill and a picnic table, but campers will need to bring any food, ice, fuel, fresh water, or tents they may need and all trash must be taken upon leaving the campground. The campground can be reached by ferry of private boat.

40001 SR-9336, Homestead, FL 33034, Phone: 305-242-7700

8. Grand Canyon National Park

The National Park Service operates three campgrounds within the Grand Canyon National Park, with advance reservations available for two of them. The Mather Campground is open year-round in the Grand Canyon Village along the South Rim, while the North Rim Campground is open from the middle of May through the end of October. Also located along the South Rim is the Desert View Campground with first-come, first served campsites that fill up quickly during the summer. For campers with an RV, there is the year-round Trailer Village, also situated in the Grand Canyon Village, including sites with full hookups.

Grand Canyon, AZ 86023, Phone: 928-638-7888

9. Great Sand Dunes National Park

There aren’t that many places where people can lay on a sandy beach and peer up at mountain peaks covered in snow. Fortunately, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Mosca, Colorado is one such place. The park is home to the continent’s tallest sand dunes and offers a variety of activities, including camping. The most adrenaline-pumping experiences at the Great Sand Dunes National Park, however, is sandboarding and sand sledding on the dunes. Campers can also hike six miles up to the Star Dune summit. There are also alpine lakes and forested trails, and plenty of spot to put up a tent.

11999 State Highway 150, Mosca, CO 81146, Phone: 719-378-6399

10. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is home to one of the world’s most unique campsites, just a few miles past the Volcano House. Tucked away within a eucalyptus grove, about four thousand feet above sea level, the Namakanipaio Campground provides a unique and rustic camping experience. The campground includes a bathhouse with toilets and hot showers, and toilet paper and soap are provided. Campsites include one tent, an air mattress with linens, a lantern, two camping chairs, and a cooler. There are also ten one-room, rustic wood cabins at the campground, with each including a grill and outdoor firepit.

1 Crater Rim Dr, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718, Phone: 844-569-8849