60 Campsites With the Best Views Across the United States

Camping in the United States is as much about the landscapes as it is about the experience of being outdoors. The country’s diverse geography and sheer size give it some of the most striking natural views in the world, from towering mountain ranges to vast desert expanses, dense forests, remote coastlines, shimmering glaciers, and even tropical rainforests.

Below, we’ve rounded up 10 of the prettiest places to camp in each region of the US, where you’ll have stunning views from the moment you peek outside your tent flap. Of course, every region of the US has thousands of beautiful places to camp, but the 60 selected below represent the variety of experiences and landscapes available in each region. As any backpacker or camper knows, some of the best places to pitch a tent have no official name and are hard to find on a map — and we wouldn’t want to take away the thrill of discovery by giving away every one of our favorite spots.

To create this list, Matador Network touched based with our friends at The Dyrt, a website for finding, reviewing, and booking public and private campsites. We also relied on the experience of our team members scattered throughout the US, and asked various parks organizations and tourism boards across the country which campsites they thought deserved a special shoutout.

How to use this guide

Finding and booking the best sites

Each campsite below has a reservation link in its listing, which is among the most important piece of information to have about any campsite. Not only will it have all the information on making a reservation, but it’ll also have need-to-know details, such as:

• What amenities are available, including whether potable water is available
• Seasonal information, closures, when certain amenities (like water) stop being available, and changes in booking procedures
• A campground map, to help choose your preferred site
• Rules and regulations about everything from fires to how to store food and scented items

If you’re dead set on getting the best view possible, trying pulling up the campground on Google Maps and use Street View to see the campsite. It’s not always available, but when it is, you may be able to virtually “walk” around the campground and see which tent site has the view you want.

Each of the best camping sites in the US listed below also has a few other key bullet points: site access, amenities, and what kind of views you can expect.

• Access: You’ll have one of four options for access. Walk-in sites are only accessible on foot, and can vary from campsites that require a 10-mile hike to reach, to campsites that are only half a mile from the parking area. Boat-in sites are usually on beaches or rivers, and may require anything from a short kayak paddle to a multi-hour ferry ride you’ll need to book months in advance.
• Amenities: All of the best camping sites in the US we’ve included are divided into one of four categories. Primitive sites have no amenities, aside from perhaps a designated tent area or two, so you’ll need to carry in and out everything you need, including water or a water filter. Most backcountry sites, including those in national parks, are listed as primitive. Basic sites will have potable (drinkable) water, as well as some type of pit or composting toilet. Developed sites have restrooms, potable water, and sometimes showers and infrastructure such as picnic tables and fire pits at each site. Last are full-service campgrounds, with amenities such as a camp store within walking distance, a camp host, electrical hook ups, and perhaps even WiFi. Many private campgrounds are full service, though popular campgrounds in national parks will sometimes meet this category, too.
• Views: This one is self explanatory. Get ready to start checking some of the prettiest places in the US off your camping bucket list.

Finally, note that all the sites below are focused on tent camping. While some have sites that can accommodate RVs, you won’t find any glamping tents or cabin rentals on this list. Sometimes you need to go a little deeper into nature to find great views, which means you’ll need to hike or walk to many of the locations below. Fortunately, it’s not always a long walk. One of my favorite places to camp in California are the forest sites in Van Damme State Park, near Mendocino. They’re only about a two-mile walk from the parking area along a flat, well-developed trail, ensuring that you get the feeling of camping under the redwoods with the convenience of being 30 minutes from your car in a pinch.

See you out there!

Suzie Dundas, commissioning editor (and camping enthusiast)

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The East Coast | The West Coast | The Mountain West | The Midwest | The South | Alaska, Hawai’i, US Territories

Camping on the East Coast means waking up to mist rolling over the Blue Ridge Mountains, ocean breezes drifting through coastal pine forests, or the scent of damp earth deep in the Northeast’s old-growth woodlands. Unlike the wide-open deserts and sprawling plains out West, the East’s campgrounds are often nestled in dense forests, along craggy shorelines, or beside still, reflective lakes. The fall foliage is unmatched, transforming ordinary campsites into something almost cinematic, while summer brings thick green canopies that turn even the hottest days into cool, shaded retreats. Beachside camping is another uniquely East Coast experience, with sites tucked behind dunes where the Atlantic hums just beyond your tent. Whether you prefer the quiet isolation of a backcountry site or the convenience of a well-kept campground, the East Coast offers some of the most picturesque places to sleep under the stars.

The West Coast offers some of the most gorgeous campgrounds in America — even if you’re not on the actual coast. While Oregon, California, and Washington all have lovely beach-view campsites, the states also have just as much to offer inland, from the dense redwood forests of northern California to the high-elevation glacial summits of northern Washington. Beach camping is available in all three states, and with so many phenomenal state parks spread up and down the coast, you can have an amazing camping trip without fighting for a competitive national park reservation.

Camping in the Mountain West is a pilgrimage to landscapes of towering peaks, vast deserts, and shimmering alpine lakes. It’s a deeply rewarding experience, but one that requires planning. While dispersed camping on BLM land is usually readily available, the most popular sites in national parks and on national forest land usually require reservations, and often fill up months in advance (unless you’re willing to stand in line at 4 AM to try for a last-minute spot). Fortunately, you usually don’t have to drive too far to find an amazing place to camp, as many of the Mountain West’s states are home to the country’s most unusual landscapes. (Looking at you, Utah.)

Camping in the Midwest means pitching a tent beneath the towering pines of Minnesota’s Northwoods, along the shore of a Great Lake, or in the rolling prairies where the horizon seems endless. Unlike the dense forests of the East or the dry, arid landscapes of the Southwest, the Midwest’s campgrounds are often just steps from wide rivers, vast plains, and open grasslands, ensuring you can find both wooded seclusion or big-sky views. Fall brings golden aspen groves and crisp, cool nights, while summer camping means long daylight hours and fireflies flickering over the fields. Whether it’s a remote backcountry site in the Badlands or a lakeside campsite in the Upper Peninsula, the Midwest offers a quiet, unhurried kind of camping—where the scenery is vast, the wildlife is abundant, and the pace of life slows down just enough to really appreciate your time in the Great Outdoors.

Camping in the South is an immersion into a landscape defined by dense forests, winding rivers, and humid, star-filled nights. It’s an experience where it feels like time stands still, with campgrounds tucked beside cypress swamps, beneath live oaks draped in Spanish moss, or along barrier islands shaped by both tide and time. The South’s relatively mild winters make it a year-round camping destination, but summer heat and humidity can be intense, especially in the Deep South.

Camping in Alaska, Hawai’i, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands is a chance to sleep in some of the most extreme and diverse landscapes in the US. In Alaska, campsites sit beneath towering peaks, along glacial rivers, or deep in the tundra, where its easy to stay awake late under the shine of the midnight sun. In Hawai’i, tent sites are tucked beside volcanic craters, black sand beaches, and rainforest cliffs where waterfalls plunge into the sea. Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands offer camping with a classic Caribbean backdrop: white sand, turquoise waters, and rows of palms. Each destination feels wild, remote, and completely unlike the others.