The 10 Prettiest Places for Camping in Alaska, Hawai'i, and US Territories

What to know about camping in Hawai’i

Camping in Hawai’i is an experience unlike any other, offering a chance to immerse yourself in the islands’ diverse landscapes, from volcanic deserts to lush rainforests. However, it’s not as simple as pitching a tent on a beach. Seasonality plays a crucial role, with warmer and dryer summer months (May-October) and more rain and cooler temperatures in winter (November-April). The island of Hawai’i (the Big Island) generally has the widest range of camping options, though Kaua’i also has nice sites, particularly in state parks and forest reserves.

Weather can be unpredictable, with microclimates varying drastically across the islands as well as what side of the island you’re on. Be prepared for sudden downpours, intense sun, and even chilly nights, depending on your location. It can also be more hazardous, partially due the heavy rainfall. Potential threats you likely wouldn’t encounter in the mainland US include flash floods and mudslides, strong currents and unusually high surf conditions, and volcanic activity. Sun exposure, too, should be mitigated, especially if you’re spending days on end outside. Make sure your sunscreen is reef safe.

But the tradeoff is breathtaking scenery, days spent hiking along tropical coastlines, and evenings spent stargazing under a canopy of constellations far from city lights. It’s always important to camp responsibly, pack out everything you pack in, and respect the local culture and customs. But it’s especially important in Hawai’i, given the state’s fragile environment and ongoing overtourism issues.

What to know about camping in Alaska

Camping in Alaska is a sprawling adventure, where trips are journeys into a land of extremes. Alaska offers a dramatic shift in scale and environment, and seasonality isn’t just a factor, it’s the defining characteristic of your trip. Summer (June-August) is the peak season, offering a brief window of ideal weather where daylight can last for 20 hours or more. But even in summer, temperatures can fluctuate wildly, from balmy afternoons to freezing nights, especially at higher elevations or near glaciers. You’ll want a reliable down jacket year-round when camping in Alaska. You can still camp in winter (September-May), but it’s an experience only for the hearty, and requires serious winter camping knowledge.

Alaska’s sheer variety of landscapes is staggering, and the state’s immense size means you can easily find solitude. Backcountry camping is a way of life in Alaska, with vast tracts of public land open to responsible exploration with fewer restrictions that most everywhere else in the US. But that freedom comes with responsibility. Navigating the Alaskan wilderness requires meticulous planning, self-reliance, and a deep respect for the environment. Unlike a developed campground in a popular national park, you may be on your own for days, and help may not be nearby.

Rain, snow, and wind can arrive unexpectedly, and temperatures can plummet without warning. Compared to most other places in the US, Alaska has increased risks of wildlife encounters (bears, moose, caribou), glacial hazards (crevasses, calving), and river crossings. Proper bear safety is essential, and you should know how to use bear spray and store food properly. Navigating rivers can be treacherous, and mosquitos — often called the state bird of Alaska — can be relentless. Understanding Leave No Trace principles is paramount, especially given the fragility of Alaska’s ecosystems. Respecting wildlife and their habitat, as well as local landowner customs and cultures, is critical. It’s a place that demands respect, but rewards campers prepared to embrace those challenges with life changing outdoor experiences.

Camping in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands

Campsites in both Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands ensure tropical beauty, with similar warm-weather climates. Both have with a distinct wet season (May-November) and dry season (December-April), though rain can come in bursts year-round. Fortunately, it makes packing relatively straightforward: bring light, breathable clothing, and a waterproof jacket. Also make sure your tent flap is waterproof.

Puerto Rico, with its mountainous interior, plentiful waterfalls, and coastal plains, offers more diverse camping experiences among the two. You can find campsites in lush rainforests like El Yunque or along the coast, where you can fall asleep to the rhythm of the waves. Puerto Rico has a mix of developed campground, primitive camping areas, and privately owned camping zones. The USVI, comprised of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas, has fewer options, though the ones available are lovely. There’s only one place to camp within US Virgin Islands National Park, and most other campgrounds are privately owned.

Whether you’re in Puerto Rico or the USVI, it’s important to stay aware of all the usual tropical hazards: strong currents, sun exposure, and the occasional hurricane between June and November. In Puerto Rico especially, you should be aware of insects, snakes, and other small creatures when you’re camping inland, especially those that can cause injury, like fire ants or scorpions.

The 10 prettiest places in camp in Alaska, Hawai’i, and US Territories

Planning a camping trip to Alaska, Hawai’i, or any of the US territories isn’t as easy as packing up your car and driving a few hours down the road (unless you’re lucky enough to live in one of those places). You’ll likely want to confirm your camping reservations before booking flights, and you may need to purchase some gear when you arrive. For example, you’ll need to buy or borrow bear spray when you arrive in Alaska (as you can’t bring it on a plane), and may find that flying with larger camping items like tents and hiking poles is a bit cumbersome. Fortunately, many of the campgrounds below also offer cabin rentals, or you can rent camping and outdoor gear online or in person from companies like REI.

Jump to:

Homer Spit, AK | Spencer Beach Park, HI | El Yunque National Forest, PR | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, AK | Sun Bay, PR | Auk Bay, AK | Cinnamon Bay, USVI | K’esugi Ken Campground, AK | Kalalau Beach, HI | Prince William Sound, AK

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Homer Spit Campground

• Location: Homer, Alaska
• Campground type: Car camping
• Facilities: Developed
• View: Kachemak Bay and driftwood-strewn beaches

The public campgrounds on the Homer Spit offer camping experiences unlike anywhere else in Alaska, with tent sites stretched on a narrow four-mile strip of land extending into Kachemak Bay. Visitors can pitch their tents directly on the rocky beach, separated from the water by nothing other than the occasional piece of driftwood. In the distance, you’ll see the Gulf of Alaska, the snow-capped Kenai Mountain Range, and even the occasional bald eagle. Visit in June or July, and you’ll have epic views of Alaska’s famous midnight sun. Campgrounds are first-come, first-served and have basic amenities – though you can always walk to all the restaurants, bars, and stores on the Homer Spit. There’s also a private campground on the Spit. Read more at The Dyrt.

Spencer Beach Park

• Location: Waimea, Hawai’i
• Campground type: Car camping
• Facilities: Developed
• View: Quintessential views of the Pacific Ocean

On the Kohala Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island is Spencer Beach Park, where campsites provide unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean. From the tent sites, campers will have panoramic views of the turquoise water, swaying palms, and stunning sunset views. Unlike many Hawaiian beaches known for strong currents and rough surf, Spencer Beach Park usually has calm, reef-protected waters, making it a safer option for swimming and snorkeling. And the ample shade of the native palms means there are plenty of places to relax in a beach chair during the hottest parts of the day. Reservations are recommended, but walk-up space may be possible if online reservations aren’t all claimed.

El Yunque National Forest

• Location: Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
• Campground type: Walk-in
• Facilities: Primitive
• View: Sleep in the only tropical rainforest in the US

Puerto Rico’s El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest System, creating a camping experience you can’t find anywhere stateside. While there are no official campgrounds or numbered tent sites, there are designated dispersed sites such as Molindero or Dos Quebradas, which provide campers with the chance to camp in a rainforest. You’ll fall asleep to a serenade of coquí frogs and wake up to views of mist drifting through towering tabonuco and palo colorado trees. Campsites closed in August 2024 following Tropical Storm Ernesto, but in 2025, the National Park Service announced plans to reopen a limited number of them. Reservations will be required.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

• Location: Chitina, Alaska
• Campground type: Walk-in
• Facilities: Primitive
• View: A massive glacier and Alaskan peaks

Backcountry camping in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is a chance to sleep in the picture-perfect Alaskan wilderness of America’s largest national park. There are few formal trails across the park’s 13 million acres, so campers can pitch a tent with views of just about anything like they’d like: alpine meadows, hanging glaciers, panoramic mountain range views, or high-elevation tundra. Seeing wildlife like grizzlies, black bears, and Dall sheep is always possible. One of the most beginner-friendly camping areas is along the Root Glacier Trail, where tent areas have views of the massive Root Glacier and greater Wrangell Mountain Range. Reservations are not required, but if you need to rent gear or want to use a park guide, you may want to book that trip in advance, as summer is the busy season.

Sun Bay Campground

• Location: Esperanza, Puerto Rico
• Campground type: Car camping (with a small walk)
• Facilities: Full service
• View: Wild horses and the Caribbean Sea

Sun Bay Campground is on the southern coast of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, known for being a quiet, gorgeous escape from the busier mainland. Sun Bay Beach is a mile-long, crescent-shaped beach with islands in the distance and enough space that it’s never crowded (as is the case with almost all of Vieques). The camping area is set back from the shoreline to protect sea turtle nesting sites, but still offers views of the turquoise waters and surrounding landscape. No reservations are needed, but you’ll need to check in with the campground office to pay the $10 fee in advance.

Auk Village Campground

• Location: Juneau, Alaska
• Campground type: Car camping
• Facilities: Standard
• View: Forest, coastline, distant mountains, and rocky shore

Auk Village Campground is one of the best places to camp in Alaska near Juneau, where Tongass National Forest gives way to the shimmering water of Auke Bay. The campground has just 11 sites beneath towering Sitka spruce and western hemlock, each with basics like a picnic table and fire ring. From the sites, it’s just a few steps to the shoreline, where you might spot sea lions, humpback whales, or bald eagles. Though it’s forested, some sites provide access to scenic views — site numbers three and five are especially gorgeous. Reservations are on Recreation.gov. Read more at The Dyrt.

Cinnamon Bay Campground

• Location: Great Cinnamon Bay, US Virgin Islands
• Campground type: Car camping (with a small walk)
• Facilities: Full service
• View: Caribbean beaches and tropical foliage

Camping in Virgin Islands National Park is a way to be truly immersed in a tropical paradise, and there’s only one place to do it: Cinnamon Bay Campground. You can reserve a bare campsite with just a raised tent platform, or choose a booking that comes with a tent, sleeping pads, and some basic amenities. The area around the campground is a lush tropical forest, ringed by mangroves and pristine white-sand beaches. If you’re lucky, you’ll see mongoose or wild donkeys walk by your camp. Reservations are required and managed by a licensed third-party national parks concessionaire.

K’esugi Ken Campground

• Location: Trapper Creek, Alaska
• Campground type: Car camping
• Facilities: Basic
• View: The majestic Alaska Range, including Denali

K’esugi Ken Campground sits in the heart of Denali State Park — separate from the state park — and offers amazing front-row views of Denali, North America’s tallest peak. It sits just off the Parks Highway and is a modern campground with established tent sites (and RV spots), many of which have clear, unobstructed views of the Alaska Range. Walk-in sites one through five have exceptionally good views, though given the scale of the surrounding landscape, there’s not a single one that hurts for pretty surroundings. Unlike the more rugged backcountry camping of nearby Denali National Park, K’esugi Ken has amenities like bear-proof food lockers, picnic tables, and vault toilets. Reservations for some sites are available in June, July, and August; otherwise, it’s first-come, first-served.

Kalalau Beach Camping

• Location: Lihue, Hawai’i
• Campground type: Walk-in
• Facilities: Primitive
• View: Endless ocean and the famous Nā Pali Coast

There are only two places to camp along Hawaii’s Nā Pali Coast, and Kalalau Beach is generally considered the most impressive one. It’s reachable only by the challenging 11-mile Kalalau Trail, with tent sites along the tree line above the beach. From your tent, you can chill out and rest your sore legs with views of the Pacific Ocean and have the lush, canyoned cliffs (the ones featured in Jurassic Park) on the coastline just behind you. This remote paradise requires a valid camping permit, which you can reserve up to 90 days in advance. The trail has had issues in the past related to overtourism and irresponsible camper behavior, so read up on how to be a good steward of the fragile environment before even thinking about making plans.

Prince William Sound

• Location: Chugach National Forest, Alaska
• Campground type: Boat-in
• Facilities: Primitive
• View: Glaciers, beaches, whales, forests — take your pick

Prince William Sound looks pretty hard to reach on a map, and it’s certainly a tricker place to go camping in Alaska than an established RV site. But thanks to its proximity to Anchorage (home to the state’s largest airport, and stores where you can rent camping gear), it’s easier than you’d think. There are several campgrounds spread throughout the watery paradise, where you can camp on rocky cliffs overlooking the sound (Crafton Island), next to glaciers (Mears Glacier Campsite), on pebbled beaches where you’re the only tent in site (Brilliant Beach), or on raised tent platforms tucked into the trees (Decision Point). All sites are accessible by a quick water taxi from Whittier, and you can book them on your own through Recreation.gov, or go with local guiding companies. It’s mostly only cabin rentals that require reservations, though a few popular campgrounds throughout Chugach National Forest are also available.