Top 10 Campgrounds for 2022

Ah, it’s that time of year when I look back at the places I’ve been and pick my favorites. This year, I decided to feature campgrounds that were new to me this year, so no repeats of camping places I love but have stayed at before. 100% new places, that’s this post’s rule. If you’re not a camper, it’s still fun to look at the photos 🙂

There’s no #1 because I couldn’t possibly rank them, so I’m simply presenting them in the order I visited them.

1. American Girl Mine BLM, Winterhaven, CA

This is a popular spot in the winter, because it’s free BLM camping just off I-10 and just over the border from Mexico. No hookups, but no shade either so if you’ve got solar on your rig, you’ll probably be fine. You just drive around until you find a spot you like and set up camp. I had fun with camera on tripod both nights I was there, and would have stayed longer if I hadn’t needed to be somewhere the next day.

2. Caballo Lake State Park, Caballo, NM

About two minutes off I-25, this park feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere. And it kind of is. But, it’s less than 30 minutes south of Truth or Consequences (and wonderful hot springs) and 30 minutes north of Hatch (oh, those chilis and that laundromat). This park might not be to everyone’s taste, but between the lake views, the paddling, some decent hiking trails, and the small campground size, it worked for me. I actually stayed here four times over the winter, an affordable deal given the New Mexico yearly camping pass option.  Oh, and if you get lucky, the sandhill cranes fly around there, sometimes right over your campsite!

3. Organ Pipe National Monument, AZ

Searing temps, little shade, no hookups, but, oh, the scenery, the sunsets, the details of the desert plants! Yeah, it felt like it was 1000F some afternoons, but it did cool off at night. I’m glad I went, and camping with friends made the trip even better. The nearest town, Ajo, is about an hour away, but there’s gas and ice cream a half-hour away, so that worked on really hot days. The Mexican border is about 10 minutes away; you can see the lights of the border wall all night long, ruining what was a beautiful dark sky area.

4. Caprock Canyons State Park, TX

After the disappointment that was Palo Duro (maybe that was just me, but I wasn’t all that impressed by it), I was super-surprised by Caprock Canyons. I had heard there were bison and indeed, there were probably 100 bison about 50 yards after I entered the park, calmly grazing on either side of the road. Wow! The next morning, they had moved to a field behind the campground and I wasn’t the only one in my vehicle taking photos (these are big animals and they move FAST, so I wanted some metal between me and them and a fast getaway if needed). The bison were sharing the field with prairie dogs, who are adorable in their own right, so I was pretty enamoured of Caprock Canyons.

And then I went on the scenic drive and definitely thought this place had more to show, at least from the road, than Palo Duro. It was even worth the tornado watch + thunderstorm watch I had the second night there.

5. Blue Creek USACE, Claremore, OK

Mostly for locals, this is a nice spot on Oologah Lake, although it can be a bit loud on the weekend, from my experience. Lakeview sites, two boat launches (the one in the campground was flooded, but there was another one five minutes away), and very nice camp hosts made this one of my favorites.

In Tulsa about 45 minutes southwest, both the Woody Guthrie Center and the Bob Dylan Center next door are definitely worth the drive to town. Go west about 45 minutes from the campground and you’ll be in Bartlesville, home to the very rare sight (and tour) of a Frank Lloyd Wright skyscraper.

6. Lake Leatherwood City Park, Eureka Springs, AR

June is just about the perfect time to visit this area. The tourists (and, yeah, I was one of them) haven’t quite overrun the town yet and the heat and humidity haven’t ratched up to their typical summer levels. There were some good hiking trails, very well-maintained at the campground (can’t quite say the same for the shower facilities, though). In the town of Eureka Springs, great window shopping, arts and crafts galleries, and people-watching. I was most pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this area.

7. Big Spring, Van Buren, MO

I wasn’t expecting much of this park originally, other than seeing the “big spring” and some of the Ozark National Scenic Riverway getting there. So I was quite delighted with the river next to the campground and the hiking trails along it. The Big Spring itself was cool, too. The campground was quiet and probably half empty mid-week even in June, which is probably because it’s not really near any big cities. But the P.O. in Van Buren was very nice when I needed to mail a package.

8. Watkins Glen State Park, NY

Between hiking the Gorge, visiting the Corning Glass Museum (30 minutes south), and scoring fresh, homemade cannolis in town, it’s clear Watkins Glen had to be on this list. It’s hard to get a spot in high season in the two loops that have electric service (loops A and B), but it’s worth stopping in for even just a few nights. That Gorge hike was stunningly beautiful.

9. Kiptopeke State Park, Cape Charles, VA

This is a three- loop campground at the southern end of the Delmarva peninsula, about three miles north of the Chesapeake Bay bridge and tunnel. It’s got a boat launch and good fishing, judging by the number of people with fishing poles during the day. Me, I thought the concrete ships were cool, and I was able to spot a few pelicans way out there flying, which always makes me happy.

I signed up for this campground long before a hurricane was heading my way, so luck was with me this time. The first night I was out in the field and the little trailer got blown around (well, shaken, not actually moved!) all night. The next morning, I was able to move into a loop that was more protected, although I was careful to position both trailer and truck to not be in the path of cracking and falling branches, should the wind get really bad. I spent the next three days in rain, wind, and grey skies, but it was actually pretty comfortable, considering how other RVers were scrambling to find shelter. Bonus: a food truck selling delicious lobster rolls just before the park entrance, yummy!

10. Goose Point USACE, Bassett, VA

The drive into this campground is five miiles, but the road in full fall colors was worth it. Honestly one of the prettieist roads I’ve been on this year. The campground has a couple of hookup loops, and I was at the one closest to the boat launch. When I checked in, the camp host said site 29 was the best, and she wasn’t wrong about that. A bit hard to back into (uphill and a narrow opening with brick walls lining it!) but the guy across the way spotted me and I got the Alto in there, being patient and careful.

Honorable Mentions

• Rudds Creek USACE in VA – nice alternative to North Bend Park
• Coe County Park, about 20 minutes outside Tallahassee, FL
• Eastbank USACE on Lake Seminole, north of Chattahoochee , just over the GA state line

Least Favorite Campgrounds

• Punderson State Park in Ohio is probably nice if your site isn’t the buggiest one in the place.
• Gilbert Lake State Park in New York had no camp hosts and no cell reception. Combine that with a weird vibe and I didn’t stay long.
• Aug – VT/Winhall Brook USACE in Vermont had no camp hosts enforcing any limits on people or vehicles per site, the sites were just grassy areas with no clear borders, and people could park anywhere. All that plus a summer weekend made for a crazier campground than I like.

Tips for Getting Good Spots

Now that you’ve picked a spot or two, what’s next? Figuring out when to go and how to get there. And I’ve got some help for you, in the forms of these two pages:

• Picking the Perfect Campsite tbd
• Trip Planning is my overview to how to figure out where you’re going, paying attention to holiday weekends, and why a Plan B is always good when you’re traveling. And my three favorite trip-planning sites/apps.

Happy travels!

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There is nothing worse, after days of falling asleep by a babbling brook and waking up to a choir chirping birds, than to go inside a house with insulated walls and an obstructive roof. This torturous invention, a cage, a box, prevents you from seeing or hearing anything of natural importance. Make time to free yourself and find a bit of nature.

Katherine Keith