Reader Participation Day: Where is Your Favorite National Park Campground?

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 18, 2009 - 2:55am

If oceanscapes are your favorite, it's hard to beat the view from the campground at Elliott Key in Biscayne National Park. NPS photo.

Is there one particular national park campground you like to return to again and again and again?

For example, the Jenny Lake Campground in Grand Teton National Park has some of the most spectacular views of the Tetons, while the Slough Creek Campground in Yellowstone National Park is in the middle of wolf pack home ranges.

Back east, head to Cataloochee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and you're in the middle of elk habitat and off the well-trod path. Pitch your tent at the Seawall Campground in Acadia National Park and you're a ten-minute walk from the Atlantic Ocean.

Some folks like location, some like scenery, some like wildlife nearby. With that understood, where are your favorite national park campgrounds?

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Comments

Submitted by Kirby Adams on November 18, 2009 - 6:46am.

One of many secret spots in the backcountry is my favorite campground.

As far as formal campgrounds go, my best experience was at the Cottonwood Campground in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. When strange noises awaken you at dawn and you walk a hundred yards behind your tent down to the Little Missouri River and find a couple dozen bison crossing the river where you were about to gather water for cooking breakfast....well, my at that point not-too-well-traveled wife knew she wasn't in Michigan anymore.

Submitted by Mel Krause (not verified) on November 18, 2009 - 7:28am.

The Grand Palace Hotel campground in Cloud Canyon, Kings Canyon National Park is my favorite (and it's free).

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on November 18, 2009 - 7:36am.

I'm afraid I must say I've never heard of that one, Mel. And I don't think it's a front-country campground that one can drive to, so where is it and how do you get there?

Submitted by woelfelscott on November 18, 2009 - 8:06am.

David and Kay Scott

One of our favorites is Belle Fourche Campground in Devils Tower National Monument. Situated in a grove of cottonwood trees, a trail leads through a prairie dog town on the way up the hill to the base of the tower. One summer evening we took a ranger-guided stroll while the tower was bathed in the light of a full moon. This was truly a "close encounter of the third kind."

Submitted by Katy Wynn (not verified) on November 18, 2009 - 8:26am.

Definitely the Chisos Basin Campground in Big Bend National Park on the Tex/Mex border. Least visited National Park, but the biggest: all sorts of hikes with incredible views, mountains, dessert, and hot springs right on the Rio Grande. The ghost towns nearby are great, too!

Submitted by Nick Christensen (not verified) on November 18, 2009 - 8:44am.

Watchman Campground in Zion is my absolute favorite, particularly in the autumn months when the park is less crowded and the leaves are changing. Also, Furnace Creek Campground at Death Valley, listening to the coyotes howl all night.

Potwisha in Sequoia is beautiful and serene, and is within earshot of waterfalls. And the night skies are unforgettable at Baker Creek at Great Basin.

Submitted by Random Walker on November 18, 2009 - 8:54am.

Olympic National Park, Hoh Campground, Loop C, Site 65, during fall elk rut.

Submitted by Clarence (not verified) on November 18, 2009 - 9:08am.

Teklanika Campground in Denali NP is my favorite among the scores of NP campgrounds I have visited. No tenting is allowed due to the high grizzly bear population in the area. Don't leave your wet boots outside to dry at night because a wolf may wander through the campground and take an interest in them. You are on the broad river bar of the Teklanika and you can hike for miles and miles in any direction. The short autumn (mid August - early September) is brilliantly colored and the bugs have all gone - our favorite time to visit.

Submitted by Catherine (not verified) on November 18, 2009 - 9:29am.

Cinnamon Bay Beach campground, St. John, Virgin Islands National Park. As long as you don't mind sharing your tent with a mongoose.

Submitted by y_p_w on November 18, 2009 - 9:48am.

Only stayed one night, but Kalaloch Campground at Olympic NP. The coastal loops (RV only I think) had spectacular views of the ocean, and the interior loops are some of the best forest campground I've ever seen. The sites are very well maintained and well spaced.

We saw sunset on the beach there.

Submitted by SaltSage236 on November 18, 2009 - 9:56am.

Devil's Garden Campground in Arches National Park is my favorite. The expansive redrock scenery speaks for itself, but the absolute silence you can experience there is magical.

Runners up:
1. Toroweap Campground at Grand Canyon National Park: Remote, silent and unparalelled in its beauty.
2. North Rim Campground at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park: Feels as remote as Toroweap, with cliffs nearly as precipitous only steps away, but it's closer to both home and civilization.
3. Wheeler Peak Campground at Great Basin National Park: The stars, the mountain, the wildlife and the lushness of this place keep me coming back. And, the crowds are missing!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on November 18, 2009 - 10:26am.

Cottonwood Campground at Canyon DeChelly National Monument. It's free, it's not usually very crowded, and the cottonwood trees are amazing.

Submitted by shicks49 (not verified) on November 18, 2009 - 11:44am.

My favorite is Pinyon Flats Campground at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. Always quiet and peaceful with a beautiful view of the sand dunes at the base of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains

Submitted by Ranger KT (not verified) on November 18, 2009 - 12:26pm.

Lava Point Campground at Zion. Great views only steps away from this campground, with six quiet sites shrouded in the pines.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on November 18, 2009 - 6:42pm.

We haven't camped all that much so I don't have a lot of experience with camping in the National Parks. However, this last September, we camped at Great Basin National Park. Because it truly is in the middle of nowhere, it was quiet, peaceful and wonderful. And Great Basin is beautiful!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on November 18, 2009 - 8:06pm.

Wonder Lake--Denali National Park and Preserve--when the mountain is cooperating.

Submitted by Tom T. (not verified) on November 19, 2009 - 12:11am.

I've been camping at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park since the 1950's. It is away from the crowds of Yosemite Valley and has beautiful granite domes, lakes, rivers, and a big meadow where you can wander out on a moonless night to see the stars. And at nearly 9,000 feet elevation the night sky is spectacular. There are lots of wonderful naturalist walks to join, and we like to drive over Tioga Pass to visit Mono Lake. The best season is about mid-July to mid-September. We reserve a campsite 5 months in advance to assure a spot.

Submitted by Tom Wylie - Coyote on November 21, 2009 - 10:48pm.

Willow Flat Campground on the Island in the Sky in Canyonlands National Park. It is a small, unassuming campground in the pinyon and juniper. A peaceful place. A good base camp for various hikes on the Island in the Sky mesa top and trails dropping off the rim. The Upheaval Dome Trail is a great all day hike down, around, and back up. The Green River Overlook, one of the best viewpoints in the national parks is a short walk from the campground. I spent four nights and five days camped at Willow Flat on my last trip to Canyonlands.

Submitted by Rick Smith on November 22, 2009 - 8:56am.

Of the front country campgrounds in Yellowstone, I like the one at Norris Jct. It is small--100 or so sites--it has a great little campfire circles where rangers give their evening programs (no electricitt there so they have to paint pictures with words, not powerpoints), and is away from the crowded conditions at many other campgrounds in the park. There's no cell phone service here, no stores, no trinket shops, no gas stations and little infrastructure. It also has the advantage of being near the most active geyser basin in the park--Norris--and is the home of the Museum of the National Park Ranger, staffed during the summer by former NPS rangers.

Rick Smith

Submitted by Jason Daniel Brown (not verified) on November 24, 2009 - 10:03pm.

Lodgepole Campground at Sequoia National Park is my favorite developed campground. Huge pines, well spaced sites, and not crowded. The river was just feet from our tent and it was just marvelous.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasondanielbrown/225833729/in/set-72157603393257184/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasondanielbrown/225833727/in/set-72157603393257184/

2nd place would probably go to Green Ridge Campground at Rocky Mountain NP.

Submitted by y_p_w on November 25, 2009 - 9:13am.

Lodgepole is a huge campground. It's not crowded? I haven't stayed there in years, but I remember it being a mass of humanity. And then there are the bears doing nightly patrols for unsecured food sources.

Submitted by Jason Daniel Brown (not verified) on November 25, 2009 - 10:16am.

I stayed at Watchman Campground at Zion on the same trip in June '06. Now THAT'S a crowded campground. The sites were right on top of eachother and it was filled with loud revelers popping fireworks and crushing beer cans.

Lodgepole is much, much more remote and there was only one family with kids in our vicinity.

Submitted by y_p_w on November 25, 2009 - 12:10pm.

Well - I haven't stayed at Lodgepole since the 1980s. Back then reservations were made via Ticketron with the ticket being a bearer instrument for the reservation. However - I did visit Sequoia NP a few years back during late June and camped at a Forest Service Campground. My search did include Lodgepole as well as Dorst Creek. Both were solidly booked for months. Lodgepole has over 200 sites and is the most popular campground in SEKI. For some reason "not crowded" just doesn't sound right.

I got a look at the edge of Lodgepole Campground from the parking lot. At least it seemed like a lot of people.

Upper Pines in Yosemite is what I'd consider a pretty packed campground. I speak from firsthand experience. I'd return in a heartbeat though if I could secure another reservation.

Submitted by Jason Daniel Brown (not verified) on November 25, 2009 - 1:28pm.

Perhaps I got lucky. I don't recall having any trouble getting a reservation for Lodgepole. And even if it was full or nearly full, it didn't FEEL crowded (unlike Watchman) because of the design of the campground and the spacing of the sites.

Submitted by Dave Castle (not verified) on November 26, 2009 - 10:21am.

I really have 2 campgrounds that I really like that are just in a few miles from were I live and go there quite a lot. The first is Matthews Arm Campground in Shenandoah National Park. It has good hikeing trails and lots of wildlife and the views are great. The Campground is really clean and nicly kept. The other is Elizabeth Furance Campground in George Washing National Forest. It also has good hiking trails and nice Campground. It has the old Pig Iron Furance which is interesting and nice stream for Trout Fishing. Both these campgrounds are within 30 miles of were I live which makes it really nice.

Submitted by Owen Hoffman on November 26, 2009 - 7:36pm.

My best memories of tent camping in national park campgrounds, which are accessible to cars, would be the Needles Campground in Canyonlands and Lost Creek Primitive Campground at Crater Lake. Tent sites were spatious, and the scenery nearby is outstanding. The distance between camp sites is sufficient to feel truly as if you are camping out in nature. These campgrounds are quiet and wonderful for viewing the stars at night. I am told that the Needles Campground was designed by the legendary NPS'er, Paul Fritz.

The most luxurious campground experience was Bandy Creek in the Big South Fork NRRA. Comfort Stations come complete with interior heating and hot showers! I know of no other place in the entire NPS where campgrounds have hot showers (and the facilities are very clean and well maintained).

Owen Hoffman
Oak Ridge, TN 37830