Our National Park Campground Guide
We can only speak to what we know, so here's our running list of campgrounds we've stayed at, both inside the parks and nearby.
ACADIA
Three campgrounds are spread out on Mt. Desert Island. The only one we can speak to is Seawall, which is located near Southeast Harbor. Our friends reserved a hike-in site for the week. We parked and slept in our van in the grassy loop but cooked meals and hung out by the fire at their site. The hike-in sites are roomy and nicely spaced so you don't feel too on top of your neighbors.
The campground had nice clean bathrooms with flush toilets. No showers or laundry on-site but a few local stores had showers available for use. Each site comes with a fire pit with a grill grate, as well as a picnic table. At night we walked from our campsite over to the Seawall Picnic Area and were able to catch the Northern Lights.
Located on a small island off the coast of Stonington and accessed only by boat, Duck Harbor Campground on Isle Au Haut is the closest thing to backcountry in Acadia. Reservations must be made ahead of time and are guaranteed to go quickly. You can read more about it here in our guide to Acadia.
ARCHES
It's no secret that there's no shortage of places to camp near Arches. The Bureau of Land Management maintains 26 campgrounds in the Moab area. We spent almost a week at Ken's Lake Campground, about 16 miles east of Arches.
Each site is equipped with a gravel parking pad, picnic table, and fire ring. The vault toilets are impeccably clean and well maintained. Not only is each site spacious, but every one has a view worth taking in. We changed sites halfway through our stay. The views were different at each but both just as good.
Site 45 - Loop B
One piece of advice to heed is to leave something at your site if you plan on being gone for the day. After our experience of losing a site, we would even go so far as to let the campground hosts know that you will be back so that they don't clear your ticket. And if you ever want to hear about the kindness we experienced from other campers when said site was lost, we love to tell the story.
Sun Outdoors RV Resort in downtown Moab is a great place to stay if you're in need of some modern creature comforts. After a few weeks on the road we were happy to have a place with Wifi, laundry, and hot showers. The swimming pool was a nice amenity as was the short walk across the street to Moab Brewery.
CUYAHOGA
While there are no campgrounds in the actual park, there are many places to camp nearby while visiting Cuyahoga. We stayed at Stow Silver Springs Campground, an inexpensive rustic campground about 10 miles east of the park. Sites are fairly close together and don't offer a lot of privacy but we still enjoyed ourselves. There are a few little hiking trails nearby as well as a dog park. Each site comes with a picnic table and fire pit. Our camp host was great and even led a short stargazing session.
MESA VERDE
We spent one day at Mesa Verde and stayed on BLM land just outside the park. The sites are more like dirt pull offs with fire pits- about 15 sites total varying in size. We left the park quite late and were able to snag the last open site. The road in was fairly bumpy. Monsoon level rains plagued us for about 9 hours in the night. The next day our site was deep mud and we had a hard time getting out. Overall, it was a nice spot to get some rest after a long day exploring the park.
Roomy spot to pull off for the night
Always remember, no matter where you are camping, to leave no trace. Leave the site better than you found it. And most definitely do not leave garbage! There was quite a bit littered throughout our site and it was very disappointing.
YELLOWSTONE
Located just outside of the East Gate to Yellowstone in Cody, is the Yellowstone Valley Inn and RV Resort. There is a small grassy area for tent camping and the RV park is a simple gravel lot. Flush toilets and showers are on site as well as a pool, restaurant and bar. It was the perfect place to get some rest after our drive before heading into the park. The views weren't bad either.
Beautiful views at the Yellowstone Valley Inn
Inside the park, a campers dream awaits. Not only are there 12 modern campgrounds, there are also 293 designated backcountry sites for those who are a little more adventurous.
The modern campgrounds are all fairly similar and we suggest planning your trip in advance. Research which areas of the park you think you'll be spending the most time and try to stay near that area. Traffic congestion is a very real occurrence in the park and the closer you are to camp, the better. We hopped around three different campgrounds during our stay, based on the area of the park we were exploring. Sites have picnic tables and fire pits, and some have bear boxes available. Most have showers and a few have laundry.
Nothing beats Yellowstone backcountry! Site 3P5 camp fire area
Backcountry camping in Yellowstone is both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. It was by far the most remote place we've laid our head and one of the most beautiful. While we didn't run in with any animals other than a few deer, we did come across quite a bit of moose, wolf, and bear droppings along with plenty of tracks.
Our tent set up at 3P5
We hiked the Pebble Creek trail via the Warm Creek trailhead to site 3P5. A stunning hike that was both challenging and inspiring. Our site had a fire pit, a bear pole, and a little creekside clearing for our tents. It was remote, vast, and beautiful.
ZION
A few minutes from Zion’s backcountry trails in the Kolob Terrace Region and approximately 40 minutes to the main gate of Zion National Park is the Zion Wright Family Ranch. Aka the most beautiful place we have ever stayed.
Incredible views from every angle
Follow the sometimes sketchy dirt road up the little mountain. The gate will be on your left. There will probably be some cows chillin. We followed the property road around as it curved to the right. You will see a few port-a-potties which are completely clean. There are fire pits scattered about. Watch your step- the cattle and horses roam freely. Pick a spot that steals your heart.
We gazed in awe of the rocks surrounding us. We stood in darkness and watched horses munch just a few feet away. We listened to coyotes howl at dusk and dawn. We marveled at big bucks meandering around a herd of doe at sunrise. We felt small while realizing we are a part of something grand. We cannot wait to go back.
Potty with a view