Finding a spot to stay can be difficult. You don’t want to live far from civilization and end up trapped between RVs on a grimy patch of dirt at the roadside. However, you would prefer to stay in the forest and live with beetles and Clif bars that look like Leo from The Revenant if he was also wearing zip-off pants.

The Best Beach Campsite, West Coast Edition

There are a variety of great spots to stay within Big Sur, three hours or so away from the coast along Highway 1 to San Francisco, but Andrew Molera State Park’s Trail Camp is the spot that allows you to put up your tent the closest in the Pacific. The campsites are situated in a vast grassy meadow (read it as a mattress for sleeping on) and are just one short stroll from the parking lot. From there, the beach is one short walk away. It’s got the perfect surf break if the conditions are good, and numerous trails run along the bluffs that border the ocean for those who prefer to stay dry. Did you overindulge in the whiskey at the campfire pass-around? If you’d like to keep cooking for the next day, The huevos con Chorizo just down the road from Deetjen’s is a good option.

Andrew Molera State Park Trail Camp, CA, is first-come, First-served, and sure to be fully booked on Friday afternoons during the weekends with peak traffic, so make sure for early arrival or in the off-season. (Also, as of the beginning of April , the park is closed due to flooding. It’s expected to reopen in the next few hours.)

 

The Most Luxurious Campsite on the Continent

Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado’s most luxurious hot springs resort, jumped to”the “glamping” game a few years ago. It’s certainly an unpopular term. But look at Dunton River Camp. The tents are over 600 square feet and are equipped with king-sized beds with WiFi and bathrooms with a six-foot soak tub. There is a soaking tub that measures six feet. West Fork of the Dolores River, full of rainbow and brown trout, flows right through the camp for fly fishing. Every “tent” comes with a mountain bike to explore the property’s extensive network of trails. This is the only venture so glamorous that the portmanteau isn’t logical.

You can reserve a room via Dunton River Camp’s website. Dunton River Camp website.

The Best Campsite for Both Slackers And Overachievers

From the mossy riverside of Sol Duc campground in Washington’s Olympic National Park, you’ve choices: If you’re looking to impress somebody, you can do it. The High Divide Loop hike is an all-day adventure through lush mossy forests, through waterfalls, and lakes in the alpine. If you’re looking for something more relaxing, you can visit the Sol Duc Hot Springs resort, just a few doors away, and the mineral pools are naturally steam hot. (There’s even an establishment with a bar.) The campground isn’t tiny: there are over 80 tent sites and a few RV hookups. However, the heavy Pacific Northwest vegetation means each area is entirely private. The tent sites are accessible to cars and are first-come, first-served and aren’t as difficult to secure as some of these spots.

The Best Campsite to Flex on Your Followers

The majority of Grand Canyon campsites are high-density show-grounds that are stuffed with RVs. Its Havasu Falls Campground, on Havasupai Indian land that borders The National Park, is secluded and right next to the Instagram-worthy blue Havasu Falls. What’s the catch? The campground is 10 miles away from the nearest parking lot. There are several options to consider. You can walk into the campsite with a backpack, which is enjoyable but not easy. The choice of hiring a guide and horse on the Indian reservation makes the process much more straightforward but isn’t as fast. What is the fastest way to get there? The reservation also provides helicopter shuttles. Whatever method you choose, you must contact the reservation to organize the booking process and logistics and ensure you reserve weeks in advance.

 

Highest Views-to-Effort Ratio

Silver Bar, Silver Bell Silver Bar, Silver Bell Silver Queen, Silver Bell, and Silver Bar The Ed note: No Silver Springs?] are a collection of accessible campgrounds for cars located on an unnamed road close to Aspen. It’s not a huge deal in and of itself, but that road is the route into Maroon Lake and the most well-known view in the Rockies. From there, you’re able to explore as far as you’d like by taking a quick trek through alpine meadows drenched with wildflowers, hiking for hours over an alpine pass that leads to Crested Butte, taking on the notoriously challenging and risky climb to the 14,000-foot Maroon Bells, or return to downtown Aspen to enjoy a delicious meal or potent, legal marijuana.