Among the comments we received last week on best lodging experiences you've had in the National Park System, one reader mentioned favorite front country campground experiences. So let's focus on those this week.
Three stand out in my mind: The Elk Mountain Campground at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, the campground at Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah, and the Needles Campground at Canyonlands National Park.
In judging campgrounds, I look for well-spaced sites to provide a hint of solitude, a setting that is not a dust bowl, and some shade. Bonuses are restrooms with running water and sinks for washing dishes and tent pads that negate the search for a level spot to pitch your tent. These pads also help protect the resource by designating exactly where your tent goes.
Wind Cave National Park, Elk Mountain Campground
I stayed at the Elk Mountain Campground back in 2018 for three nights. When I had heard that the 63-site campground rarely if ever fills, I figured there had to be a reason. I envisioned a depressing place with more dirt than grass, direct sun with no trees for shelter or to slow the wind, vault toilets that aren’t regularly cleaned, highway traffic speeding by.
None of that is there.
Located about a half-mile north of the park’s visitor center and the departure point for its cave tours, the campground is an anomaly compared to the many park campgrounds I’ve sampled. The grass there in spring/early summer is so lush they mow a footprint out of it for each campsite, which are nicely spaced. Shade comes from the towering Ponderosa pines.
The campground contains four loops, with the "A" loop being restricted to tents. Most sites there offer a level, well-draining tent pad (I tested the draining aspect through a night of thunderstorms), aluminum picnic table, and fire ring — a pretty new looking ring with clean (e.g., not rusted or encrusted) grill grate at that. And striking Ponderosa pines to provide sun protection and ambience.
The restrooms, which are scattered throughout the loops, have flush toilets and a cold-water sink during the prime summer season, and there’s also a larger cold-water sink for cleaning up dishes.
Each loop has garbage and recycling containers, and well-placed water pumps that flow with water (said to be potable, but with a horrible taste when I was there.
Natural Bridges National Monument, Natural Bridges Campground
The Natural Bridges Campground also is something of an anomaly in that it counts only 13 nicely spaced sites. Not far from the monument's visitor center, the campground sits on the rim of the landscape crossed by the three stone bridges. Sites are located amid juniper trees. Each site has a tent pad, picnic table, and fire ring. Night skies here are fantastic.
The lack of sites makes this a wonderfully relaxing campground. Of course, with just 13 sites, and all on a first-come, first-served basis, you might risk missing out if you don't arrive early in the day. That said, a friend showed up there towards evening the other week and was able to find a spot. There's no running water, so be sure to pack enough in your rig.
True, there aren't many amenities here if you're looking for running water or flush toilets, but the setting and scenery are sublime.
Canyonlands National Park, Needles Campground
This just might be one of the hardest, if not the hardest, campground in the park system to reserve a site during the main travel months, it's that popular. There are 29 sites (5 tent only), plus three group sites. Most sites are set in natural alcoves created by the sandstone outcrops that dominate the campground. Juniper trees provide ample shade.
I believe each site actually has a concrete driveway, and there are picnic tables, the requisite fire rings, and tent pads. Carry a hot cup of coffee or tea with you to the top of one of the sandstone mounds to savor sunrise, or head there in the evening with your favorite beverage to marvel at sunset and then the star-studded sky show. It doesn't get much better.
The restrooms have running water seasonally, and there are kitchen sinks outside of them for cleaning up your dishes.
Runners Up
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Twin Peaks Campground
This campground, surrounded by the Sonoran Desert, has 208 sites, can accommodate RVs up to 40 feet in length (174 RV sites), and reserves some sites for tent camping only. Despite the more than 200 sites, the campground doesn't feel particularly crowded. It's a clean, comfortable campground, with water spigots every few campsites and sun shade structures.
There are solar showers in the restrooms, but be cautious, as the water can get scalding hot on hot days.
Definitely not a good choice for the summer months, as you'll broil, but from November-April it's great.
Acadia National Park, Schoodic Woods Campground
I didn't get to spend a night here, but I drove through the campground and it looked great. The 89 sites are nicely shieled by vegetation to provide the feeling of some privacy. Running water is provided seasonally, as are flush toilets, and there's a dump station if you're traveling by RV.
Though the campground is set in a forest, the rocky shoreline of Frenchman Bay is a short walk away.
So, what campgrounds would you add to this short list?
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Comments
I really enjoyed Butte Lake Campground at Lassen Volcanic NP. Towering trees above us, no paved road for miles, easy access to fantastic hikes to Cinder Cone and the Fantastic Lava Beds. Loved it.
As someone who has camped at Yosemite - that place is a zoo. I've stayed in several campgrounds in Yosemite Valley, including Upper Pines and the old backpackers campground near North Pines. For the most part, sites are all poorly defined where there's the chance that your neighbor is encroaching on your space.
As for the ones I liked, Kalaloch at the ocean section of Olympic NP is spectacular. They have some RV-only (there will be no place for a tent and they're windy to boot) spots with views of the Pacific and there may not be a better view from a campground anywhere else in NPS inventory. We had one that was more inland, but it was well defined where there's no mistaking where the next site is.
I also liked Cougar Rock at Mt Rainier NP. Our side was also well defined. We chose to set up our tent in a well defined spot where there were stairs leading up to it. There might have been room near the parking spot, but that spot was really nice, although it might not be enough for a big tent. We camped in a 3-person backpacking tent, which made setup and takedown really easy.
The big concern these days is where to shower. At Yosemite I was dealing with that, where it was $3 to showeer at Curry Village back in 2007. I remember showering once before my backpacking trip, where I paid the fee on the honor system at the Curry Village office. There was no receipt so no proof needed. After my backpacking trip I was looking for a another shower and the desk clerk refused to take my money. I've also thought of maybe getting a day pass for one of the pools, but the price has gone way higher than the shower only price. The last time I camped in Yosemite Valley, we paid for showers, where each shower house had a monitor checking for receipts or keys. When we camped in Mt Rainier back in 2008 the old Jackson Visitor Center was there and they had pay showers downstairs, which were 25 cents for 7 minutes, although my wife said she couldn't figure it out and tossed in 75 cents before it started working. I think she forget to turn the knob and kept on putting in more quarters. But that's gone and I'm not sure where to shower now. At Kalaloch, I saw a kid in swim trunks where his dad soaped him up and poured a bucket on him. Reminds me of when my hot water heater died.
I've heard that Yosemite has some limited campground showers - maybe at Camp 4. It's not clear though since Yosemite's main camping page says that showers are only available at Curry Village and Camp 4's NPS site says nothing about showers. But Recreation.gov says that they have showers.
I've found that some of the best kept secrets (that I don't feel should be kept secret) are nearby campgrounds off NPS land. We stayed at Stony Creek Camground in Giant Sequoia National Monument (Forest Service) which was centrally located.
St Mary Campground out in Glacier NP stood out to me as a campground with a brand shower facilities. Not just that, but it was extremely clean, and free! Free Showers in NPS campgrounds are hard to come by so this stood out to me, not to mention that the campground is located in Glacier NP and the scenery goes without saying.
Doughton Park campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway may be the best in the East. Huge grassy sites and The Bluff's Restaurant is right down the road.
Yes ,the Needles CG at Canyonlands is great, but I think the Willow Flats CG in the Island Dist. is even better, with numerous overlooks just down the road. It is FC, FS though.
Hands down Slough Creek campground in Yellowstone. Cruising trout, grazing bison, prowling grizzlies, and denning wolves. The bonus is 3 bars of cell coverage because there is a direct line-of-sight to a Mt Washburn communication complex miles away. G.O.A.T.