America’s Top National Parks for RV Camping

Mar 29, 2017 |

America’s Top National Parks for RV Camping

By Nathan Paul Swartz

The concept of the “national park” was born in the United States, way back in the day when a former leather tanner and farmer by the name of Ulysses S. Grant decided that a slice of mountains known to regularly send a fireworks-like display of steaming water into the air should be preserved and protected by the United States Government. While there are indeed many beautiful places the world over, few countries protect their natural resources in the way we do here in the US, where we not only cherish the innate beauty and diversity of our corner of the planet, but allow visitors to physically enter and enjoy the parks as well.

Technically, there are 59 areas with the official designation of “national park,” though these are managed by the National Park Service, which manages hundreds of other types of recreational, historical and protected areas in the US. Think national monuments, seashores and historic places. Some are massive, like the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, and some are simply a single building, like the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial in Pennsylvania. Therefore, not all of the places designated under the management of NPS have camping, and even less have camping suitable for RVs.

For those that do, we’ll cover them all, one state a time (though only 32 states have national parks with RV camping directly in the park itself).

Denali National Park RV Camping in Alaska

When it comes to untamed spaces, the Last Frontier is still our largest resource, and if it weren’t for official designations and borders, one might argue that the entire state is akin to a national park. Denali, named for the mountain with the highest peak in North America, is perhaps the shining star of all of Alaska’s eight official “national parks.”

When it comes to RV camping, you can choose from three locations directly in Denali National Park itself (the first two shown below as well as Riley Creek), or a handful of private RV parks on the outer perimeter.

RV Camping in Arizona’s National Parks

From the Grand Canyon painted with snow in the winter to the high heat of Organ Pipe Cactus in the state’s southeastern corner, the Copper State is replete with camping opportunities for RVers, and its six portions of the national park system that offer camping suitable for RVs are among the most spectacular sites in the Southwest.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument RV Camping

One of the few units in the NPS not owned by the United States Government, Canyon de Chelly aims to preserve a landscape inhabited for centuries by the indigenous people of North America. While the land is owned by the Navajo Nation, it’s visited by hundreds of thousands of people from around the world every year, making it not only one of the most visually stunning areas designated as a national monument, but certainly one of the most visited as well.

It’s sole campground is suitable for even the biggest of RVs and, as its name implies, promises the shade of massive cottonwood trees to keep you company in between your adventures into the canyon itself. An additional, private RV park outside of the park proper is another option should you need it.

Chiricahua National Monument RV Camping

This national monument, and the surrounding Coronado National Forest, combine to serve a multitude of options for claiming your stake and exploring the forested mountainside for as long as you might desire, given the ease of hopping from one campsite to another, despite the typical 14 day limit on camping in any one campground.

The monument itself promises spectacular examples of hoodoos and balancing rocks, in addition to protecting an historic ranch associated with conflicts between early American pioneers and the native Apache people of the region.

While there are nearly twenty private and public places to camp in the area, here are some of the highlights from public lands, including Bonita Canyon Campground, the only spot directly in the park.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area RV Camping

This massive reservoir was once yet another gorgeous canyon carved by the Colorado River as it made its way through Utah and into Arizona. While some controversy exists around the recreation areas formation, particularly the damming of the river, for those interested in participating in the myriad of aquatic activities available here, RV camping is certainly available.

Grand Canyon National Park RV Camping

As the Eight Wonder of the Natural World and the biggest hole in the ground the Earth has to offer, the Grand Canyon needs little introduction. Opportunities for camping near this painting of an outdoor enthusiasts wildest dream are as varied as the layers of rock that stripe the canyon’s walls. Whether you’re looking for full hookups only a short walk from the main attraction, or something forested and a bit more remote, you can find it all at Grand Canyon National Park.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area RV Camping

Approaching Lake Mead from the east can feel like driving across the lifeless surface of an entirely different planet, craggy black rock for as far as the eye can see. As you approach the lake (another reservoir created from the mighty Colorado), the landscape begins to show signs of life, though sometimes sparse. As the largest reservoir in the US, that’s to be expected. If for no other reason, one might appreciate Lake Mead for its testimony to how powerful man’s effect on his planet can actually be.

While campgrounds are plentiful, from private RV parks near Vegas to the popular Valley of Fire State park to the north, there are abundant opportunities to camp in eleven of the national recreation area’s official campgrounds.

Navajo National Monument RV Camping

Featuring a cliff dwelling “city” from the ancient Puebloan people, this national monument provides the opportunity for visitors to explore a past leading up to the civilizations we know today as the Native American peoples, and the campgrounds near it offer those of us who’d like to work or browse the web while we visit the opportunity to snag a little cell reception.

The park is home to two campgrounds, Sunset View and Canyon View, both of which are also free!

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument RV Camping

The sole natural home of the mountain dwelling organ pipe cactus, this national monument is both out of the way and well worth the drive. Don’t feel like hoofing it all the way back to I-8 after touring around one of the most beautiful deserts in the US? The national monument hosts an official campground, and is surrounded by BLM land and private parks, too.

RV Camping in Arkansas’ National Parks

Whether you want to frolic in a cool river or have a soak in the American Spa, Arkansas has a body of water with your name on it.

Buffalo National River RV Camping

If a lazy float down a largely untamed river sounds like your cup of afternoon, there are an assortment of sites on and near the Buffalo National River. Adjoining the official “national park” part of the river is also a US Forest Service-managed section designated a National Scenic River. Regardless of the official nomenclature, this stretch of water in Northern Arkansas is a favorite amongst locals and travelers alike.

Hot Springs National Park RV Camping

Native Americans knew of the healing properties of this natural hot springs centuries before America’s upper class began appropriating the place into an upscale resort, and even before the idea of a “national park” existed, the US government set this piece of land aside with a special “do not develop” designation, ensuring it would be relatively preserved for centuries to come.

Today, over a million and a half visitors come to the hot springs every year for its bubbling blend of history, recreation and relaxation.

RV Camping in California’s National Parks

The Golden State is a place of legend. With its vast dominion, covering landscapes as varied as the colossal rainforest cliffs of oceanside Redwoods National and State Parks to the arid Joshua Tree National Park, and plenty of oak scrublands, snowy mountain forests, big cities and small towns in between, to lump all of the parks this state holds into one section seems as frivolous as the question, “What color is a bird?”

Such is the way of our United States, though, and so below, we proudly present to you every national park that offers RV camping in the Great State of California.

Carrizo Plain National Monument RV Camping

This national monument is a massive grassland, the largest in California, which also plays home to a portion of the San Andreas Fault, a once very visible “crack in the earth” which has since eroded and been covered by the sands of time.

Like much of the western states, it promises stunning beauty coupled with a sometimes alluring danger that is inherent in the geology that makes these regions so attractive to many a camping enthusiast.

While the park itself offers no official camping, plenty of national forest sites are available, as well as some BLM land and a county park in the area.

Death Valley National Park RV Camping

Lowest, hottest, driest…you’ll hear these words over and over again in this Martian-esque landscape east of the snowcapped Sierra Nevada Mountains and just shy of the Nevada border.

Death Valley provides ample opportunities to camp in some incredibly remote, and elevated, locations, where one can truly enjoy and experience the diverse nature of a park which may surprise those who imagine it only to be a wasteland. On the other hand, you could stay at one of the private RV parks next to a watered golf course and spend hours considering how a park that touts its lack of water might be able to sustain such a popular recreational activity.

Either way, there are plenty of opportunities for RV camping in Death Valley.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area RV Camping

Given its proximity to San Francisco, and no doubt thanks to the likelihood that when the Planet of the Apes actually happens, this is where our ape overlords plan to setup camp, Golden Gate National Recreation Area is consistently one of the most visited parks in the national park system.

If you’re lucky, you can snag a spot at the nearby Samuel Taylor State Park, or try one of the privately owned campgrounds within a realistic drive.

Joshua Tree National Park RV Camping

The majority of campgrounds situated in the amassed boulders of this magical yucca forest can accommodate RVs, though check on maximum lengths before you start making reservations or showing up hoping to snag a first-come first-serve site. Even if you can’t find a place to call home directly within one of the many campgrounds (Joshua Tree is a popular place not far from some pretty significant portions of the population) there is ample free camping on BLM land in the area, and plenty of private RV parking available in the area to boot.

Kings Canyon National Park RV Camping

While oft overlooked due to its big brother Yosemite’s proximity, Kings Canyon offers grand mountain vistas, big Sequoia forests and frigid flowing rivers, with less than 1/10th of the visitors.

Aside from several campgrounds directly within the park, camping of all varieties can be found in the adjoining national forest, farther south in Sequoia National Park, where private RV parks with more amenities begin popping up as well.

Lassen Volcanic National Park RV Camping

The volcano’s peak stares wistfully into its own reflection on the calm waters of the lakes it wears like a glacially fed necklace all year round with big conifer forest whiskers shaved down to the tree line. Slow, easy drives to picnic spots and lookouts that are practically uninhabited–compared to California’s more popular parks–begin to make you feel like this is your very own private national park.

Meanwhile, back at camp, the hustle and bustle of everything from moms swapping s’mores recipes to kids skidding around corners on their bicycles gives you a chance to meet a few of your fellow travelers who’ve realized that Lassen is one of the best kept secrets in the NPS.

Lava Beds National Monument RV Camping

You’re a spelunker are you? Or maybe you just love crawling through tunnels carved by millions of years of lava flows? This is exactly what Lava Beds is all about! For as little as $10 or less, you can camp in the park itself (including cell service), or a handful of private RV parks offer the full-hookups experience nearby.

Mojave National Preserve RV Camping

Pristine desert that plays the role of “the meat” in the Death Valley / Joshua Tree sandwich, Mojave National Preserve is another piece of the national park pie where you can find stunning nature, often for free, and sometimes even with cell coverage to check your emails or get a little work done. Expect stunning sunsets, desert wildlife and plenty of wide open spaces to explore.

Pinnacles National Park RV Camping

While the formations that give this national park its name are millions of years old, and native people were inhabiting the area for some 2000 years, Pinnacles is one of the newest additions to the National Park Service’s official “national parks.”

Rock climbers, birders and hikers alike frequent this park, located about an hour and a half south of Santa Cruz and even closer to the popular Big Sur area of California’s coast. In addition to the official park campground, a variety of county and private parks are available, as well as BLM land.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area RV Camping

Ever wanted to visit the Mediterranean, but couldn’t figure out how to get your RV to Europe? The Santa Monica Mountains are considered to wear the same hat as one might find on the Italian boot (when it comes to climate, anyway), but much closer to home. The site has been proposed as a national park, various state parks, and has a diverse history of locals working hard to protect it, and for good reason: it’s often considered to be an even more pristine example of this kind of ecosystem than the European sea itself.

While the lone campground in the national recreation area is strictly for groups of ten or more, there are plenty of state parks and private facilities who’ll be happy to serve as your basecamp for exploring the Santa Monica Mountains.

Sequoia National Park RV Camping

A spaghetti noodle of a drive leads visitors out of the oak scrublands of the base of Sequoia National Park, cars clinging to the edge of cliffs spray painted temporarily by the shadows of passing hawks, the views growing grander and grander with each hairy curve. As visitors ascend the mountains, the trees grow in size as well. What may have begun as a warm Spring day when first entering the park can easily change into a snow-covered forest of a hike through the largest living organisms on earth.

These are the Sequoias, one of three species of Redwoods still in existence today, and they bear the names of great heros of our nation’s past even as they need no nomenclature to enforce their raw power.

While RV parks exist near Sequoia’s entrance, to snag a spot in one of the official park campgrounds, or even nearby Kings Canyon, is an experience in and of itself, putting you as close to the heart of the action (or utter peace) of these mighty giants as possible.

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area RV Camping

The fullname of this playground near Mount Shasta is Whiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity National Recreation Area, and though it’s a mouthful, the forests and lakes surrounding snow-capped Mt. Shasta are a paradise for those seeking the simpler pleasures in life.

Whiskeytown NRA’s focal point is the similarly named lake, and while the park does have campsites along this mirror, mirror of a fairest body of water, sites suitable for RVers are a bit more limited (though RV camping on the water is available at Brandy Creek RV Campground). Luckily, plenty of private and national forest camping is available in nearby Redding, California and the surrounding area.

Yosemite National Park RV Camping

John Muir’s former playground is considered by many to be the most beautiful, magical and special place in the United States, if not the world. Indeed, cities worth of travelers, adventurers, hikers, climbers, campers and those just looking to experience the fabled legend of this national park flock here every year to watch the water fall or the moon rise over the epic cliffs and domes that comprise this valley and its surrounding mountains and forests. For some, it’s an easy weekend drive from their homes in California, for others it’s a reason to spend several hours on a plane, crossing oceans, just to marvel at its wonders. Many a wanderer makes a regular pilgrimage to Yosemite, and some merely pass through on their way to somewhere else.

Whatever your reasons, wherever you come from, it is almost inevitable that you will drop your jaw and open your eyes wider than ever as the valley does all it can to flood each and every one of your senses.

Note that with all of the wonderment, scoring a spot in one of the official campgrounds can often prove difficult, if not impossible, without sufficient planning, so make note to check availability well ahead of time, and best of luck!

RV Camping in Colorado’s National Parks

When it comes to rugged expanses of ice cream cone snowcaps coating silver mountains with prominence rarely seen elsewhere in the Continental US, Colorado can’t be topped. Add hip cities and strip mall free small towns, endless national forests and some of the most scenic drives winding through it all, and it’s no wonder the Centennial State draws millions of RVers every year to its multitude of national parks.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison RV Camping

If the name alone isn’t enough to stir up enough intrigue in your quest to conquer every one of the national parks, just take a look at a few pictures of the place and there’s little doubt your compass will tend to point towards these spires upon canyons in Western Colorado.

Colorado National Monument RV Camping

The red rock stacks, layered valleys and desert scrublands that comprise this national monument feel closer to something one might discover in Utah or Arizona. At only half an hour or less from Grand Junction, a decent sized little city in Western Colorado, Colorado National Monument is one of those ideal wilderness areas that you don’t have to completely leave civilization to explore, and camping ranges from the park’s official campground to BLM land and private parks galore in the area.

Curecanti National Recreation Area RV Camping

Near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, this NRA focused around three reservoirs is a playground for boaters, fisherman and anyone who loves getting into the water. Eight campgrounds can accommodate RVs directly in the national recreation area.

Dinosaur National Monument RV Camping

The “terrible lizards” who once roamed here have forever left their impression in the rocks of Dinosaur National Monument. One of those “far from anything” parks, the drive along US 40 in Utah and Colorado is worth the trek alone, while the half-a-handful of campgrounds available directly in the park simply sweeten the pot.

Great Sand Dunes National Park RV Camping

Imagine Sahara like dunes flanked by verdant rivers and a snowy mountain backdrop. The scenery in Great Sand Dunes is unreal and something one truly has to see to appreciate. Tucked away in a lesser traveled corner of Colorado, and another one of those parks that debunks the imagery many people hold in their minds of what the state’s natural areas have to offer, Great Sand Dunes is every bit as worthy of a visit as the more traditional mountains and valleys for which Colorado is known.

Mesa Verde National Park RV Camping

Home of the remnant city and villages of an ancient cliffdwelling people, Mesa Verde offers a glimpse into a native civilization who transitioned from the more typical life of the wandering peoples who inhabited the US to one of tall buildings carved into the side of the valley faces. Beyond the historical significance of Mesa Verde, sweeping views and the big blue skies for which Colorado are famous treat campers looking to make the park their home for some time.

Rocky Mountain National Park RV Camping

Perhaps the quintessential Colorado mountain experience, Rocky Mountain is a 24 hour live news feed, broadcasting episodes of blue sky winds wisping snow into curly swirls from the peaks of its mountains, herds of elk congregating in vast golden pastures, and rivers running through it all. While the park has suffered the woes of man in a variety of forms, it has never lost its grandeur, and is so near to many of the most interesting small towns, historical sites and cool cities that Colorado has to offer, to pass it by would be to miss out on perhaps everything Colorado is about.

RV Camping in Florida’s National Parks

No place in the United States is quite like Florida’s tropical climate, making it not only one of the few guaranteed hot spots all winter long, but as unique an experience in this country as one can find.

From the glassy waters of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico to the swamplike waterways of the Everglades, nowhere does Florida continue to shine through the development and progress of man more than in its national parks.

Big Cypress National Preserve RV Camping

Next door to a panther reserve, and with its main thoroughfare lined by a creek full of alligators, Big Cypress is one of the wildest places left in Florida, and perhaps the most easily accessible and enjoyable parks.

Whether you’re making the national preserve your actual destination, or simply visiting as you use US-41 to cross the state’s southern tip, expect countless sightings of Doctor Seuss-like exotic birds and flora silhouetting against long sunsets that seem to last forever.

Everglades National Park RV Camping

With manatees in abundance and the possibility to spot the very elusive American crocodile, Everglades is another Florida national park full of strange sights rarely seen outside of this subtropical wilderness.

From full-hookup locations near Miami to a few campgrounds directly in the park itself, you can “choose your own adventure,” weighing the benefits of the more natural areas (and mosquito downfalls) with the conveniences of big city life so very near to all that there is to explore.

Gulf Islands National Seashore RV Camping

At the near exact opposite end of Florida, floating along the shores of the state’s panhandle, this national seashore is more about sandy beaches and lazy days than the more rugged, wildlife filled adventures found in the south. That’s not to say that the opportunity for experiencing nature isn’t available, but perhaps more people visit this stretch of Florida for its easy going days and plethora of seaside resorts and quaint small towns. Let’s just say, you won’t have to worry about a crocodile or a panther sneaking up on you while you work on your tan.

RV Camping in Idaho’s Craters of the Moon National Monument

Note: For Yellowstone, see Wyoming.

Given that Idaho is perhaps the wildest, most asperous states, it may seem strange that it’s national parks with RV camping are limited to one location named for an otherworldly body. On the other hand, maybe it’s precisely due to the Gem State’s course nature that its camping lends more toward a backpack and a fishing pole than accommodations suitable for bigger rigs. Luckily, Craters of the Moon National Monument not only houses an official campground (as well as a few spots to camp nearby), but is easily accessible via US-20/26, one of the nation’s most scenic and beautiful routes, and a great way to traverse the state if you’re not the Interstate type.

RV Camping along Indiana Dunes National Park

The only national lakeshore not located in Michigan, though perhaps ironically still along the shores of Lake Michigan, Indiana Dunes is a beachy paradise in the throws of an otherwise heavily populated portion of the nation. Whether you find solace in a good hike, dipping your paddles into the Great Lakes, spotting migrating birds or just losing your toes in the sand, plenty of opportunities for camping can be found along this stretch of the lake’s southern shore.