National Park Campgrounds
Camping in America's
national parks and monuments can be a wonderful outdoor experience. Although
sometimes crowded, National Park Service campgrounds nearly always offer
spectacular scenery and plentiful activities. The campground at Devil's Tower National Monument
(Wyoming) is in a grassy area of cottonwood
trees that line the bank of the meandering Belle Fourche River. Campers can walk to a nearby
prairie dog town or along a hiking trail that leads to the base of impressive
Devil's Tower. Flamingo Campground at the south end of Everglades
National Park sits in a grassy area of
palm trees beside Florida
Bay. Flamingo is a
perfect location for campers to enjoy bicycling, canoeing, and hiking. The
campground at Flamingo is within walking distance of a restaurant, gift shop,
and National Park Service visitor center. A separate developed campground in
the north end of the park near the entrance is more quit, has more trees, and
is closer to the park's major visitor center. The campground on Georgia's Cumberland
Island National Seashore sits in a
grove of magnificent live oak trees and a short distance from one of the most
beautiful Atlantic Ocean beaches. Campers can
walk to an old mansion that has been destroyed by fire.
Not all areas managed by the National Park Service maintain campgrounds
within park borders. For example, the many historical areas operated by the
National Park Service, including Fort Frederica National Monument (GA),
Arkansas Post National Memorial, and Tonto National Monument (AZ), do not have
developed camping facilities within the parks. Likewise, National Park Service
facilities in metropolitan areas generally do not have campground facilities.
The majority of the major national parks including Yosemite National Park (CA),
Yellowstone National Park (WY), Rocky Mountain National Park (CO), Great Smoky
Mountains National Park (NC), Big Bend National Park (TX), Sequoia National
Park (CA), Glacier National Park (MT), and Death Valley National Park (CA/NV),
each have several campgrounds. Even many smaller park areas such as Dinosaur National Monument
(CO/UT), Colorado National Monument (CO), Joshua
Tree National
Park (CA), and Lava
Beds National
Monument (CA) offer at least one campground. The
campground at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho is in a huge cinder field resulting
from long-ago volcanic eruptions. Camping in Craters of the Moon is a unique
and memorable experience.
Most campgrounds maintained by the National Park Service offer picnic
tables, grills, flush toilets, and individual parking spaces. Many also have
sanitary dump stations. Very few campgrounds have electrical or water hookups,
hot water, or showers. Concessionaires (privately-owned firms) are sometimes
licensed by the National Park Service to operate campgrounds with more elaborate
facilities. These are available in a limited number of parks. National Park
Service rangers offer evening campfire and interpretive programs at most
campgrounds, especially on weekends and during busy summer months. The programs
which generally begin at dusk are nearly always enjoyable and informative. Go
early and enjoy talking with a ranger or singing songs with other campers.
The majority of national park campgrounds are operated on a first-come,
first-serve basis. This means you should attempt to arrive relatively early in
the day to assure yourself a campsite, especially during a park's busy season.
If you expect to arrive in the late afternoon it is often best to set up in a
nearby U.S. Forest Service campground (many of which are quite nice)
the first night and then enter the national park early the following morning.
Several very busy parks such as Shenandoah
National Park, Grand
Teton National
Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite
National Park, and Acadia National Park
accept reservations for one or more campgrounds. Reservations work well if you
know the exact dates you will arrive and depart. The reservation system is a
headache for travelers who do not wish to be on a schedule. To make camping
reservations at parks that accept them, call Spherix
at 800-365-2267. Reservations are generally advised if you plan to camp in very
busy parks such as Yosemite National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Reservations are also available online at
http://reservations.nps.gov.
Nightly camping fees range from $10 to $20 depending on the park and the
particular campground you choose. In general, busy parks and campgrounds with
better facilities charge at the high end of this range. Most parks accept
checks or cash, but not credit cards. Senior citizens with a Golden Age
Passport and handicapped citizens with a Golden Access Passport camp for half
the regular fee. Both passes can be obtained at any national park visitor
center or entrance station. The Golden Access Passport is free while the Golden
Age Passport has a one-time $10 fee. These two passports also provide free
entrance to any areas in the park system. The annual National Parks
Pass ($50) and Golden
Eagle Passport ($65) are available to anyone and provide free park admission
but no reduced fees for camping or other activities. Some parks impose a limit
on the number of vehicles and the number of people who can occupy a single
campsite. All parks have a limit on the length of time you can stay although
the limit may be waived if the campground isn't full.
National Park Areas with Campgrounds
Alaska
Denali National Park and Preserve
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Katmai National Park and Preserve
Kenai Fjords National Park
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
Arizona
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Chiricahua National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Grand Canyon National Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Navajo National Monument
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Saguaro National Monument
Arkansas
Buffalo National
River
Hot Springs National
Park
California
Channel Islands National Park
Death Valley National Park
Devils Postpile National Monument
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Joshua Tree National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lava Beds National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument
Point Reyes National Seashores
Redwood National Park
Sequoia National Park
Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area
Yosemite National Park
Colorado
Black Canyon
of the Gunnison National
Monument
Colorado National
Monument
Curecanti National Recreation
Area
Dinosaur National
Monument
Great Sand
Dunes National
Monument
Mesa Verde
National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Florida
Biscayne National Park
Everglades National Park
Fort Jefferson national Monument
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Georgia
Chickamauga and Chattanooga
National Military
Park
Cumberland Island
National Seashore
Hawaii
Haleakala National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes
National Park
Idaho
Craters of the Moon
National Monument
Kentucky
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Mammoth Cave
National Park
Maine
Acadia National
Park
Maryland
Assateague Island
National Seashore
Catoctin Mountain park
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical
Park
Greenbelt Park
Michigan
Isle Royale National Park
Pictured Rocks National Seashores
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Minnesota
Grand Portage
National Monument (backcountry only)
Voyageurs National Park (backcountry only)
Mississippi
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Natchez Trace Parkway
Missouri
Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Montana
Bighorn Canyon
National Recreation
Area
Glacier National
Park
Nevada
Great Basin National
Park
Lake Mead National
Recreation Area
New Mexico
Bandelier National Monument
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
El Morro National Monument
New York
Fire Island National Seashore (walk-in only)
North Carolina
Blue Ridge Parkway
Cape Hatteras National
Seashore
Cape Lookout National Seashore
(boat-in only)
Great Smoky Mountains
National Park
North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt
National Park
Oklahoma
Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Oregon
Crater Lake National
Park
Pennsylvania
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Fort Necessity
National Battlefield (walk-in only)
Gettysburg National Military
Park (group campground
only)
South Carolina
Kings Mountain
National Military
Park (backcountry only)
South Dakota
Badlands National
Park
Wind Cave
National Park
Tennessee
Big South Fork
National River
and Recreation Area
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Texas
Amistad National Recreation
Area
Big Bend National
Park
Guadalupe Mountains
National Park
Lake Meredith
National Recreation Area
Padre Island
National Seashore
Utah
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Cedar Breaks National Park
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Hovenweep National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument
Zion National Park
Virginia
Blue Ridge Parkway
Cumberland Gap National Historical
Park
Price William
Forest Park
Shenandoah National
Park
Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands National
Park
Washington
Coulee Dam
National Recreation
Area
Mount Rainier National
Park
North Cascades
National Park
Olympic National Park
Wisconsin
Apostle Islands
National Lakeshore (backcountry only)
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
Wyoming
Bighorn Canyon
National Recreation
Area
Devils Tower
National Monument
Grand Teton National Park
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial
Parkway
Yellowstone National
Park