Camping

Camping — the older, simpler cousin of glamping — is what you do when you want to sleep outside without an intermediary. You bring most of your own gear: tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, food, water, light. The site provides a flat patch of ground (or a tent platform), usually a fire ring, and access to shared facilities (water spigot, vault toilet, sometimes a bathhouse). There are several flavors to know about. Primitive camping is the rawest — a numbered site in a national forest, no hookups, often no toilet within walking distance, sometimes no water source. The reward is solitude and price (typically $0-15/night). Established campgrounds, by contrast, have running water, flush toilets in a bathhouse, and often electrical outlets at sites; pricing is $25-50/night. RV-friendly campgrounds add full hookups for travel trailers and motorhomes; we list those separately under /rv-parks. What separates a great campground from a forgettable one is rarely amenities — those are mostly standardized — but the setting and the management. A campground that's well-shaded, with sites spaced far enough apart that you can't hear your neighbors, run by an operator who actually maintains the bathhouse, is worth twice the price of an over-packed RV-resort with motel-style buildings. Reservations: federal sites (national forests, BLM) are mostly handled through Recreation.gov. State park reservations are state-specific; California uses ReserveCalifornia, Florida uses Reserve America, etc. Private campgrounds usually have their own booking systems — we link to whatever the operator uses. Many primitive sites are first-come, first-served with self-pay drop boxes. Browse every campground we've indexed below.