Here’s a fun little post that highlights my favorite campgrounds of 2021. Most of them are close or next to water (8 out of 10), which I guess isn’t surprising, given my love of water. From Arizona to Utah, enjoy the tour!
Lee’s Ferry BLM, Arizona
Kudos go to my friend, Alissa, who checked out this place on their summer trip and then wrote about it. When I was looking for somewhere warmer than the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Lee’s Ferry popped up in my search. Off I went, figuring it’s on the way to Page, which was my next reservation.
What I didn’t expect was how beautiful a remote, small campground like this can be. With the Colorado River on one side, and the Vermillion Cliffs on the other, this is a gem of a place to stay. I only did one night here but it was so memorable that it’s on my list for a return trip next time I’m in the region.
Related link: Lee’s Ferry campground post
Plomosa BLM, Arizona
Quartzsite, Arizona is winter Woodstock for full-timers, especially those who can live without hookups and like to live on the cheap. BLM camping abounds, from six-month passes (a slight fee) to 14-day stays for free. Of all the places around Q, I’ve come to love the isolation and silence of Plomosa. In November and December, it’s pretty deserted although it does fill up come January and February, especially when the big RV tent show comes to town for a few weeks. But hit it at the right time, and no one is within earshot (voices or generators) and the night sky is an amazing show of twinkling lights, planets tracking along the ecliptic, and moonlight.
Straits State Park, Michigan
The sites along the edge of Lake Huron don’t have power or water, but who cares when you’ve got a view like this. And just beyond the grass is a small sandy beach path to explore. Two days wasn’t quite enough to really enjoy my luck at scoring such a great little site but I made the most of my time here. (Note: these sites are small, so if you have a bigger rig, be sure to check the campsite length before you commit.)
Related link: Straits SP Campground Review
Porcupine Mountains State Park, Michigan
There’s really only one row at this campground worth the trip, and that’s the lakeside row. You can see how close I am to the water here. Stand out on those rocks for both sunrise and sunset in summer, and enjoy the show. I wouldn’t launch my kayak from here, but there’s a nice little boat ramp at the entrance to the campground, if you’re looking to paddle. (The cover photo at the top of this post is sunset from the rocks next to my campsite.)
Related Link: Porcupine Mountains campground post
Interstate State Park, Minnesota
Despite being just off a busy secondary highway, this place still made my top 10 list. The traffic dies down to nothing at night so it didn’t keep me awake. On the other side of the campground was the St. Croix River, which is beautiful. This was the view from the trail down to the riverside. And yes, the campground has a boat launch and paddling is quite the thing here, although you do have to watch for shallows. There’s also a nice mile-long trail to the potholes, where you get even better views of the river.
Related link: St. Croix Riverway
Caballo Lake, New Mexico
When the view ten feet from your front door looks like this, you know you’ve got a great campsite. Caballo Lake can be windy and cold in the winter, but the light is beautiful and there are some hiking trails near the campground. And there are the sandhill cranes, at sunrise and mid-afternoon. Watching them fly overhead is worth every bit of wind and weather.
Laurel Hill State Park, PA
I stayed here a few years ago for one night and swore I’d be back. Finally made it in 2021. Five nights of this was more than enough to refresh my soul. I searched the back roads for covered bridges, visited a papercutting museum, and hiked trails in the park. Not a super-fancy place or activities, but if you want some old-fashioned fun while camping, Laurel HIll is a great place to go.
Related Links: Laurel Hill State Park Campground and Covered Bridges
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina
The sites here are many, and the older look (with partial hookups) has a lot of spacing between sites, if you choose well. I bounced around for a month here and didn’t really have a bad site the entire time. Mostly because it’s just a short walk to endless beach and that’s really why I camp here. Surf, seashells, dolphins, and pelicans, I usually walked at least twice a day out to the beach and was never disappointed.
Related link: Beach Walk
Arches National Park, Utah
The big advantage of this campground is that you’re already inside Arches, so you don’t have to worry about day-visit lines or reservations. The campground is pretty cool, too, with rock formations and trails, silence and stars at night. (Reservation tip: Can’t get in? Try the campnab service, that’s how I found three nights last September.)
quiet, inside, hiking)
Related Link: Arches National Park
Hungry Mother State Park, Virginia
This was my third time at Hungry Mother, which is one of my favorite Virginia campgrounds. And that’s saying a lot because (a) there are a LOT of campgrounds in Virginia and (b) I’ve been to a lot of them in the last several years. This one has a small creekside campground, good hiking trails, and someday I’m going to get my kayak in that lake. Site 19 is the best site. Why? Because the image below is exactly the view from my front door.
Related Link: Hungry Mother SP Campground Review
Bonus Campsite: Modoc in South Carolina
I visited many places,
Some of them quite
Exotic and far away,
But I always returned to myself.
Love the Caballo Lake photo!
Another place is wayfarer state park, Bigfork Montana on flathead Lake
Oh, I went by Flathead Lake on my way to pick up my Alto in 2016, but not been back. Added it to my “someday” list, thank you!
Thanks for inspiration, Annie! I’ve put a few of these on the list to check out our next trip west.
What a great resource for campers. Such a variety of locations. And as always, your gorgeous photos bring the descriptions to life!
I feel like I need to print this and pin it on my bulletin board so I can get to each of them. I was at Straights State Park in Michigan this past summer, also had a site on the water. Loved it even though I could hear the bridge all night. My site was all grass. I’d go back. I had fun shooting the bridge at night.
So many great campgrounds on your list, several are our favorites too. I put Laurel Hill on my list. It’s so close to several Maryland parks we love.
Great summary. My garage door just broke, so I needed a mini-getaway. This worked just fine.