Mueller State Park

LOCATION: (Divide, Colorado)

A popular wildlife watching area, Mueller is home to elk, black bear, hawks, and mule deer. Park visitors traverse the park’s numerous trails on foot, snowshoes, cross-country skis, horseback and mountain bike, depending on the season. Mueller’s campground is located in a picturesque forest setting of spruce, fir, pine and aspen trees with panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains. The park has 132 campsites, including walk-in tent sites and an R.V. Group Campground Loop reservable through the park only. Mueller State Park welcomes pets in campgrounds, picnicking areas and along the park’s roads, but not on the hiking trails. Keeping pets off of the trails increases the chances of visitors seeing the numerous species of wildlife in the park.  Pets must be on a leash at all times unless they are in their tent, RV or personal vehicle. [VISIT SITE]

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park

LOCATION: ( Montrose, Colorado)

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison’s unique and spectacular landscape was formed slowly by the action of water and rock scouring down through hard Proterozoic crystalline rock. No other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths offered by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The Black Canyon hosts a variety of ecosystems from pinyon pine, juniper and scrub oak forests at the rim, to the shady and vertical inner canyon walls, and down to the riparian community along the Gunnison River. The park has two campgrounds, north rim and south rim. Check out the official site for more information on reservations and pricing. [VISIT SITE]

Seedhouse Campground

LOCATION: (Steamboat Springs, Colorado)

Seedhouse Campground, located 25 miles north of Steamboat Springs on Forest Service Road 400, is a gateway to the Mt. Zirkel wilderness Area along the Elk River Corridor with plenty of opportunities for hiking, biking, horseback riding, camping, fishing, river rafting and more.There are 24 campsites in all, 18 of which may be reserved, 5 that are first-come first-served, 1 where the host resides, 3 vault bathrooms and 2 hand pump water systems. Each site has a fire ring, picnic table, and area for tents or RV’s up to 22 feet in length. [VISIT SITE]

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

LOCATION: (Santa Cruz Mountains, California)

There are 146 family campsites located in four campgrounds. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring, and most have wooden storage cupboards. Piped drinking water, rest rooms and showers are found in all the campgrounds. Some sites are designated for tent camping due to uneven parking spurs; many are multipurpose and have level parking areas large enough for most campers, trailers, and RVs.There are no hook-ups for RVs; however there is a dump station located at Huckleberry Campground. Campers wanting a bit more privacy may enjoy one of the walk-in tent sites in the park. These campsites, just a short walk from the parking area, give you a greater sense of “being away from it all” and they have the same amenities as the rest of the campsites. [VISIT SITE]

Cold Springs Campground: Sequoia National Park

LOCATION: ( Three Rivers, California)

Cold Springs Campground lies in the East Fork Kaweah River Valley along Mineral King Road. This site opens in late May and closes each season on October 31. It provides access to mountainous terrain that includes the Great Western Divide, Mineral King Valley and Sequoia National Forest.

The campground consists of 40 individual sites at an elevation of 7,500 feet. No trailers or RVs are permitted in this camping area due to the winding and rough nature of Mineral King Road. Each campsite includes a picnic table and fire pit with grill. Amenities located in the campground include pit toilets and drinking water. Other amenities located nearby include: ranger programs, a pay phone and a riding stable.[VISIT SITE]

D.L. Bliss State Park: Lake Tahoe

LOCATION: ( D.L. Bliss State Park, California)

It isn’t easy (or cheap) to claim a spot along Tahoe’s glorious west shore. But here you can swim and sunbathe at Lester Beach, marvel at Balancing Rock, or simply ogle Tahoe’s famously blue waters. The grandeur of the parks and their setting is a product of successive upheavals of the mountain-building processes that raised the Sierra Nevada. From promontories such as Rubicon Point in D.L. Bliss State Park you can see over one hundred feet into the depths of Lake Tahoe. [VISIT SITE]

Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park

LOCATION: ( Cresent City, California)

Bright, open, and lush, Jed Smith’s redwood groves are the most scenic in existence. There’s an unusual amount of variety in the color and texture of the trees, in the size of the trees, and even in the understory vegetation, making the woods an interesting place to hike. The park isn’t known for the height of its trees, but it does have many of the world’s largest redwoods by volume, and on the best trails trees of truly stupendous size are set among smaller redwoods. [VISIT SITE]

Camp Edison: Shaver Lake

LOCATION: ( Shaver Lake, California)

Shaver is one of the Sierra lakes created as part of a Southern California Edison hydroelectric project, and Camp Edison’s 252 campsites have electricity and cable TV. Half even have Internet. But power down: This camp has great lake access and mountain views. This campground is extremely clean and well-maintained. Sites are very nice and spacious. There is a nearby lake and also some lake-front sites. There is hiking, fishing and boating, hot showers, laundry facilities and a small general store. In my experience, the other campers there have been very pleasant people. [VISIT SITE]

Petit Jean State Park

LOCATION: ( Morrilton , Arkansas)

Petit Jean Mountain is a special place – an unforgettable place – known for the legend of Petit Jean, the story of a French girl who disguised herself as a boy and secretly accompanied her sweetheart, an early explorer, to the New World and to this mountain.

Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas’s first and flagship state park, enhances this 300–year–old legend with windswept views, enchanting woodlands laced with streams and wildflowers, and a spectacular waterfall - Cedar Falls.

This park is a place where nature over time has formed sheer bluffs, Cedar Creek Canyon and the Seven Hollows, such distinctive features as Bear Cave, the Grotto and Natural Bridge, and whimsical formations we call Turtle Rocks and Carpet Rocks.

It’s a place where the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps endures in facilities mirroring the mountain’s rugged beauty.

Come discover this legendary Arkansas State Park called Petit Jean. [Visit Site]

Lake Ouachita State Park

LOCATION: ( Mountain Pine, Arkansas)

Surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest, Lake Ouachita is known for its scenic natural beauty and the clarity of its waters. These pristine waters form the largest manmade lake within Arkansas’s borders. Named one of the cleanest lakes in America, 40,000-acre Lake Ouachita is a water sports mecca for swimming, skiing, scuba diving, boating and fishing. Angling for bream, crappie, catfish, stripers and largemouth bass can be enjoyed in open waters or quiet coves along the lake’s 975 miles of shoreline. [Visit Site]

DeGray Lake State Park

LOCATION: ( Bismarck, Arkansas)

DeGray Lake Resort State Park is Arkansas’s resort state park. Situated on the north shore of 13,800-acre DeGray Lake, this recreational retreat in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains offers resort amenities combined with the outdoor adventures of an Arkansas state park. DeGray is a fishing and water sports resort. DeGray is a golf resort. And DeGray is a state park perfect for family vacations, getaways, reunions, weddings, business meetings and retreats. [Visit Site]

Mount Magazine State Park

LOCATION: ( Paris, Arkansas)

At 2,753-feet, Mount Magazine is Arkansas’s highest mountain, rising dramatically above the broad valleys of the Petit Jean River to the south and the Arkansas River to its north. Graced with timeless natural beauty, this plateau — a remnant of an ancient sea floor — runs east to west stretching six miles long and up to a mile across. Rugged, isolated, and rich in natural resources including rare and endangered species, Mount Magazine has long lured explorers, adventurers, scientists, and naturalists. [Visit Site]

Buffalo National River

LOCATION: (Harrison, Arkansas)

The Buffalo National River has 13 campsites that range from primitive to hook-ups. The most popular thing to do on the Buffalo is a float trip. You can rent float equipment along the river. You can also fish, hike, swim and wildlife watch there. The Lost Valley campsite is highly recommended. The campground is only average, but the views on the trails around the campsite are magical. The Lost Valley trail will take you past waterfalls, a cascading creek, cliffs, a large bluff shelter, a natural bridge and lots of wildlife and plant life. It ends in a great little cave. The hike is mostly easy, but the last portion is a bit steep. Click Here for information on the campsites at Buffalo National River.

Kaibab Lake Campground

LOCATION: (Williams, Arizona)

Kaibab Lake is a pleasant place to spend a few hours or a few days. It is located just a couple of miles outside the town of Williams in the Williams Ranger District. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout as well as brown and brook trout. Channel cats are occasionally stocked too.The area around the campground offers sightseeing as well. The Grand Canyon is just 60 miles away. In addition, a number of forest attractions are easily accessible from your campsite, including the Spring Valley and Historic Route 66 scenic drives. [Visit Site]

Grand Canyon National Park Campgrounds

LOCATION: (Grand Canyon, Arizona)

A powerful and inspiring landscape, the Grand Canyon overwhelms our senses through its immense size; 277 river miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile deep.

Campground reservations can be made for two of the campgrounds within Grand Canyon National Park: (one on each rim) 

• The Mather Campground on the South Rim (in Grand Canyon village)
• and the North Rim Campground.

How Do I Decide Which Rim to Visit ?

Most people visit Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is open all year and is located on the “Arizona” side of the Canyon. The South Rim is closer to Interstate 40 and to the transportation centers of Williams, Flagstaff and Phoenix, Arizona. The South Rim also has a local airport and rail service. Since it is easier to get to, the South Rim is very busy, and during the summer season, campgrounds hustle and bustle and are often filled to capacity. Reservations are strongly recommended.

The North Rim is harder to get to and is more wild and secluded
Because of it’s 8,000 ft/ 2438m elevation, the North Rim of the park is only open from May through October. The North Rim is located on the “Utah” side of the Canyon. The nearest towns to the park’s North Rim village are Fredonia, Arizona, and Kanab, Utah. There is no airport or rail service to the park. (that means that the North Rim village may only be reached by road) Because the North Rim has a shorter season, Campground Reservations are strongly Recommended. [Visit Site]

Cunningham Campground

LOCATION: (Stafford, Arizona)

Located high in the Pinaleño Mountains in an open, grassy stand of aspen and fir, this campground was constructed to provide a more primitive camping experience than most forest campgrounds. Campsites include a parking area and a fire grill. A public corral is available for riding and pack stock. Nearby there are plenty of foot and equestrian trails. The Grant Creek Trail starts at the campground edge and follows a scenic route down canyon to the site of old Fort Grant, once an important outpost in the days of warring between the Apaches and the U.S. Army. Today, the fort is an Arizona State Prison Facility. Also conveniently close by the campground is the Cunningham and Grant Hill Loop, a system of old logging roads and trails developed for mountain biking and hiking. Access to these trails is located across the Swift Trail (AZ 366) from the campground. [Visit Site]

Beaver Creek Campground: Coconino National Forest

LOCATION: (Coconino National Forest, Arizona)

This campground is sheltered by a stand of cottonwoods and Arizona sycamores clustered on the banks of Wet Beaver Creek. The cool, clear waters of nearby Wet Beaver Creek provide an excellent place to fish, hike, swim, wade, and bird watch, all within a few steps of your campsite. A trailhead within easy driving distance provides access to hiking trails into the Beaver Creek Wilderness. The road that leads to the campground is one of the Coconino National Forest’s scenic drives. There is a free picnic area across FR 618 from the campground.

The area beyond the oasis nurtured by the stream is upper Sonoran Desert. Its characteristic rock gardens of prickly pear cactus and banana yucca provide a sharp contrast to the lush riparian zone along the creek. Wet Beaver Campground is located just three miles of paved road from I-17. [Visit Site]

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

LOCATION: (Glen Canyon, Arizona)

Encompassing over 1.2 million acres, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (NRA) offers unparalleled opportunities for water-based & backcountry recreation. The recreation area stretches for hundreds of miles from Lees Ferry in Arizona to the Orange Cliffs of southern Utah, encompassing scenic vistas, geologic wonders, and a vast panorama of human history. Click Here to see a list of the campgrounds in Glen Canyon.