I never thought I would get into camping, but I am so glad that I am. I am still very much a beginner, but I am so lucky that I have found some amazing people to help guide me. One thing that I found shocking was how open the outdoor community is with sharing information. In the past, I have worked in industries that are very close with sharing information. Here’s a list of places that I use when finding a campsite.
There are so many places to camp that I had never thought of, but that’s the great thing about the algorithm and google searches is you’ll find more places. There are also so many Facebook groups for camping. I belong to a few, and have learned so much from places to camp to how I can improve my car camping setup.
Here is a list of places I use or at least review when finding a campsite:
- Recreation.gov – This is probably the one I use the most or at least go to first. This is a great place to stay and book on public land – state parks, national parks, blm, etc.
- AirBnB – There are some places for camping spots here. I have also researched out to some places in a bind asking if I could car camping on the property. For the most part, everyone has been receptive.
- Glamping Hub – This is similar to AirBnB but specific towards cabins, cottages, tree houses and unique tents. This website is dangerous because I have found new places I want to visit based on looking at this site.
- Harvest Hosts – I can’t wait to stay at one of these places. There are so many hosts that will let you stay at their location without any fees. You can stay at farm, winery, touristic attractions, breweries & distilleries. I could spend all day looking on here because there are so many unique places to stay.
- Hipcamp – This site is great for best campgrounds. The thing that I really like about hip camp is the amount of information and knowledge they share. During the eclipse, they had the line of totality with places around that were available for rent.
- Dyrt – This is like the other sites where you find places to camp for the night. To be honest, this is a site that I usually check last because the past few times the campsites were permanently closed. The dirt has both free and paid memberships. I have only used the free part.
Other Places I Found (from looking around)
I found the ones below from checking out sites from above. I knew there were tons of apps, but I can’t believe how many there are for finding a campsite.
- CampScanner – Find campsite openings at sold out national parks. I wish I knew about this site when I was looking for a place to say for the eclipse.
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) – From their website, the mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. This site is great for find dispersed camp sites.
- Campers Card – This is great for finding discounts at different campsites around the US.
- PitchUp – I don’t know how much I would recommend this site because I didn’t find a lot in Illinois. From the website, you can book campgrounds, RV parks, unique glamping opportunities.
- Campspot – From the site, you can book campgrounds, RV resorts, and glamping. From looking around on the site, it seems to be mostly campgrounds.
- Campendium – I can’t wait to use this site because you can search by city/state, National Park, National Forest, State Park, and campground site. I like this because it gives you so much information. There is so much information about the camp sites, camping in general, etc. This is definitely a resource I will be using in the future.
Recap
There are so many options. I would recommend finding a few that you like based on the type of trips you are going to take. Another option that I haven’t talked about is book at where ever you are staying. That is what I try to do first, and if I can’t then I’ll go to the apps. This strategy has worked for me in the past. It’s going to take some time to find what works for you. That has been the hardest part of camping for me is that it is a lot of trial and error. Each trip is going to be different and different things will work.
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