What is the best NP camping experience?

I hate reservations because it dictates your trip. Therefor, I travel during the off season and you won't need reservations unless you go to places like Yosemite. Yellowstone late May, early June or Sept. Glacier, the week they predict the Going to the Sun road will open. Cumberland Gap, just about any weekend except holiday weekends, you may even luck up and be able to get a site with power. GSMNP anytime during the week when they aren't taking reservations. Blue Ridge Parkway, May or even during the week in October during leaf season (nights are near freezing so most want power). Last long trip, I even traveled July 4th weekend (4th was Monday) without reservations heading home from Yellowstone, just made sure I was in the middle of now where in NE Iowa.

Since things have gotten more crowded, I will sometimes make reservations when I'm two or three days out. Leaves the trip with a lot of flexibility, but I don't show up disappointed. If I need to delay my arrival by a little, I can always find things to do on the way. Of course, I've compensated for the crowds some by downsizing my rig. The smaller the rig, the more sites you fit in.

Another great option are your National Forest. Out west there are tons of places to boondock on BLM. You can boondock mere feet outside of Arches or Canyonlands and have the place all to yourself. So many options which only increase as the size of your rig decrease.

After great consideration, I think my next one. Thursday we leave for OR for the eclipse and then AK via the ferry and Glacier Bay via small boat and Lake Clark via small float plane then back home. We're not camping per say, but we will have then seen all the NPs except Channel Islands and we decided to start over and try them all again, I'll let you know if we ever have our Best Camping Experience in a NP.

The view out our door from Watchman Campground in Zion National Park. By far the best campsite we've ever experienced. Having said that, book the MINUTE the sites are available for this site!



Best Site Watchman Campground Zion National Park

Runner Up -- Glacier National Park, Many Glacier Campground (disclaimer - have yet to camp at Two Medicine due to fires, so it could be in the running).

Johno02 wrote:
One of the best for all the National Parks is Gulpa Gorge Campground in Hot Springs National Park. No reservations required, 50+ full hook sites, but no bathes or bathing facilities. Less than 5 minutes from town. Beautiful campground, two week limit.

I hated Gulpha Gorge Campground. In fact, I disliked all of Hot Springs. While the park does a good job of interpreting the by-gone era of therapeutic baths, the whole town is run down- a has been from the past. Very little to do there, and after about a two hour tour to the visitor center and a look around at either the decaying old hotels or the tourist trap souvenir shops, there is nothing else to do. Sure the big hills (some people even call them "mountains") are pretty, they don't offer anything similar to what is offered by many other parks throughout the country.

DownTheAvenue wrote:
Each National Park is unique preserving and interpreting vegetation, wildlife, scenic, recreation, history, archaeology, and culture. There are 417 units in the National Park Service, and many have camping. That is a lot of varied interests and parks. What is "best" really depends on what your interests are.

Agreed, we have stayed in Many National Park Campgrounds, and I would hard pressed to pick one over another, they all had something great about them.

While many have listed CG's because of the parks they are in, the ones listed below are because of the CG itself, not the park they are in. CG's where the scenery from your campsite is supurb and where one can walk from the CG for some great experiences. IMHO, while Yellowstone, Canyonlands, Tetons, etc. are amazing parks, the camping "experience" aren't to the same level as these:

Devils Garden in Arches. Set up camp and stay a few days. Many trails can be hiked right from the CG. Amazing views of the red rocks. Esp. wonderful in the spring when there's still snow on the LaSal Mtns. Deer often in the CG. Busy, Busy, Busy. For good reason.

Watchman or South CG's in Zion are both within walking distance of the Visitors Center where one picks up the shuttle to head further up the canyon (no cars allowed up there most of the year). Great scenery right in the canyon with the Virgin River flowing nearby to wade in when it gets hot.

Many Glacier CG in Glacier NP. Again, trails from the CG, jaw dropping scenery, an ice cream stand nearby. Buy some ice cream, sit on their deck and watch the wildlife on the steep slopes above in the evening.

Chisos Basin, Big Bend NP. Don't think it will fit your rig, but high up in the mountains with hiking right there. Much cooler than the rest of the park. This park is best from Nov through early March.

The CG's in Yosemite Valley. Be prepared for crowds. Tough to get a reservation. But amazing scenery. Use the shuttle service to get around and access trailheads. More like a small city at times so not for everyone.

So many more I could list, but I need to get outside and play!

Here's the real problem with just about all the Nat parks in the west. "PEOPLE". Last year I went to Bryce Canyon in April, the place was packed even that time of year. Could hardly find a parking spot. Campgrounds where just about full. Zion Nat Park is breaking attendance records every year. I've visited al the Nat Parks in Utah in the last 3 years. Most in the off season period. Once schools out, and the foreigners show up, for got it. It just becomes a mad house.
And it's about the same if you want to stay on the coast in Oregon during the summer. Better make reservations now for next year. And really, do you want to make reservations that far in advance. What we all need is more Nat Parks and campgrounds. Because there's a whole more people out there in the Rv's now.

OK, I'm though.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison small but spectacular. We saw a mountain lion last visit.

We enjoy Gros Ventre campground in Teton Nat'l Park and Mammoth campground in Yellowstone.

One of the best for all the National Parks is Gulpa Gorge Campground in Hot Springs National Park. No reservations required, 50+ full hook sites, but no bathes or bathing facilities. Less than 5 minutes from town. Beautiful campground, two week limit.