You will not find better places to camp than the places that are protected by federal and state governments around the country.

National park camping is open for anyone who would like to have the experience, but you need to make sure that you are ready for your trip before you head up into the mountains. You should be careful about where you are going on your little adventure, and you always need to make sure that you don’t get in over your head. You would not want to get lost in a national park because sometimes it’s nearly impossible to find your way back to civilization.

Finding the best places to go camping can sometimes be a problem because it’s hard to know where all of the best spots happen to be. National parks will help you know which areas are great for camping because you will be able to look at a map of the entire complex. Although national parks are relatively safe, you still have to remember that wild animals are easy to find out in the woods.

What does it mean to go national park camping?

When you are going camping in a national park, you are actually camping in some of the best scenery that you are going to find around the country. It really does not get much better than national park camping because these are the places that have been designated as areas of land that cannot be touched by future developments. You will really be breaking off from society and the modern world once you enter one of these amazing parks.

While many kids think of amusement parks when they think about having a good time, they should also be introduced to national parks at a young age. National parks contain the perfect ingredients for a great camping adventure, and they even have the perfect amount of danger for your full camping experience. You should try to find the closest national park to your current home so you can see what kind of adventure is awaiting you in the near future.

Get out to your park of choice

If you really want to go national park camping then you need to get your supplies and start putting a plan into action. You can’t just keep dreaming about something and hope that one day you will stumble into a fun, little adventure. Sometimes you have to create your own adventure in life to keep things a little interesting. If you are going to go camping with some friends and family anytime soon, you should definitely look into various national parks as possible destinations for your vacations.

It’s definitely not unpopulated though as the Porcupine caribou herd makes its home in the park and you’ll find about 500,000 migratory birds there. And yes, there are humans there too as the park is the cultural homeland to the Vuntut Gwich’in people. In their native tongue, vuntut means among the lakes.

(photo credit: ourmanitoulin)

Once there, you’ll soon realize why this is a very fitting name for this wonderful Arctic landscape. The park’s filled with rolling mountains, flowing rivers, and fertile wetlands.

Vuntut is one of Canada’s newest national parks and its goal is to preserve the way of life of the local residents. The Gwich’in people reside in approximately 15 different communities that are spread out across the North Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Northeast Alaska. They are united by their unique traditions, culture, and language.

The park sits north of the town of Old Crow, which is a small community of about 300 people that can be reached by small planes. The village was built at the confluence of Porcupine and Crow Rivers. There are other national parks in the region, such as Ivvavik and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The residents rely on the local caribou herds for food and clothing and Old Crow is a favorite stomping ground of the Porcupine herd. In fact, the yearly migration of the herd is one of the world’s largest when it comes to land animals. Some of the herd makes its home in the park at different times of the year.

The Old Crow Flats area is also home to thousands and thousands of migrating and nesting waterfowl as they stop by to visit the series of shallow lakes that can be found there. In addition, you’ll also be able to find muskrats, moose, wolves, grizzly bears, raptors, wolverines, and dozens of small mammals here. Oddly, some regions of Vuntut Park weren’t glaciated during the last Ice Age. These areas were then filled with animals and plants that were attempting to survive.

The only downside regarding Vuntut National Park is the access because it’s so isolated. The nearest road is over 100 miles away. The best way to visit is to get a plane into Old Crow. You can board in Whitehorse, Dawson City, or Inuvik. By air, the park is about 30 miles north of Old Crow. By river, it’s just over 115 miles and you should be able to rent a boat in Old Crow. You need a landing permit if you’re flying to the park and this means you need to get in touch with Parks Canada.

The summers don’t last too long in the Arctic Circle, and the best months to visit are from June to August. Make sure you take some insect repellant, as they’re quite active in the summer. You’ll find that many Old Crow residents visit in the spring and fall to hunt, fish, trap, and pick berries. If you’re hoping to see the caribou, the best time to visit is the spring or fall.

This park isn’t really one for beginners to visit. It’s ideal for self-sufficient adventurers. It’s about as remote as could be and it’s estimated that only about two dozen people visit each year, excluding the local residents. It’s a vast wilderness area, unlike any other on earth. If you visit, you’re basically on your own with Mother Nature.

However, it’s a trip you’ll never forget. You’ll be able to hike, camp, backpack, canoe, and ski to your heart’s content, but everything will need to be carefully planned out. There’s a visitor center to help you out in Old Crow and some residents even offer tours and lodging.

The glorious mountains and sea meet and kiss each other in the park and the majority of the land is located on Mount Desert Island. The island itself consists of parkland, charming seaside villages, and private property. As you may have guessed, the villages are quite popular once the warm weather arrives. Other sections of the park are located on a peninsula and some smaller islands.

(photo credit: nightthree)

Mount Desert Island itself used to be attached to the mainland as a large granite mountainous ridge that sat on the ocean’s edge. About 20,000 years ago, large, thick sheets of glacial ice traveled over top of the local mountains and rounded their peaks. The ice formed lakebeds and passes, and widened many of the area’s valleys.

When these glaciers finally melted, the seawater rose and the coastline and valleys were flooded. What used to be a mountain ridge before the glaciers arrived is now a lake-filled mountainous island which proudly sits in the might Atlantic Ocean.

The island was originally christened L’Isle des Monts Deserts by Samuel de Champlain when he explored Maine’s coastal region back in 1604. A rough translation means island of barren mountains. However, the island didn’t become popular with local residents until the middle of the 1800s. They fell in love with the mountains and sea and erected mansions there which were basically used as summer homes.

Residents wanted to preserve the area and donated a lot of the land to form a park, which was the first American national park to be established east of the Mississippi River and was originally named Lafayette National Park in 1919 until it was changed to Acadia in 1929. The government appreciated the donated land and took whatever parcels of it that were offered. It was hard to set out the park’s official boundaries because of the private property that still remained inside of it.

Acadia is known as one of America’s smallest national parks, but it’s also one of the most popular as about 2.5 million people visit it each year. There’s a shuttle bus on the island that can get you around if you become tired of hiking. It’s an ideal location to visit at any time of the year and the visitor center opens from April until the end of October.

However, remember this is a park that has homes and commercial establishments on it and the roads can get quite busy, especially in the summer and fall when the colorful foliage attracts thousands of people. While ice and snow may close some of the park roads during the winter, you can still enjoy an adventurous cross-country skiing trip.

If you’re driving, the best way to see the park is to take the 20-mile loop road in the park and visit Cadillac Mountain. You can explore the rocky coast of the island and get some great views of the mainland from the Schoodic Peninsula. If time permits, you may want to hike the trails and visit one of the park’s smaller islands. If you’d like to sleep under the stars there are 2 excellent campgrounds in the park.

There are a lot of diverse landscapes in the park from valleys to mountains. The tallest peaks of the local Teton Mountain Range reach about 7,000 feet in height. You’ll also find thick coniferous forest as well as wildflower-filled alpine meadows, granite pinnacles, crystal-clear lakes, mountain streams, and mighty glaciers.

(photo by byjuli)

Some of the animals you may run into here include elk, deer, grizzly and black bears, rabbits, beavers, otters, moose bison, pronghorn, and bats. There are also many different species of birds and plants on hand. There are plenty of water activities to enjoy such as boating, rafting, fishing, kayaking and canoeing in the lakes and the Snake River also flows past the park on its way from Yellowstone National Park to Idaho.

Some of the animals and birds you’ll often see lazing by the river include deer, moose, beavers, elk, ducks, trumpeter swans, Canada geese, and sandhill cranes. The mountains have been there for millions of years and the Tetons are known as Fault Block Mountains which were created approximately 13 million years ago when the earth’s crust started to move along a fault line.

The first settlers in the area were several different tribes of North American natives. They used to hunt on the land and gather plants until settlers from Europe started to arrive in the beautiful region. Early in the 19^th century, the area was popular with mountain men and they named the flat valley below the mountains as Jackson’s Hole in honor of a trapper named Davey Jackson.

The area’s original settlers were farmers and ranchers and some of the buildings they erected in the parkland are now regarded as historic sites. When Grand Teton National Park was first established, it consisted of just the glacial lakes and the mountains. Other areas were then added to it in the 1950s, expanding it in size.

The park’s 485 square miles in size today and it includes most of Jackson’s Hole as well as the Teton Mountain Range. The mountains are very popular with hikers and you’ll find several backcountry trails which climb high up into the mountains as well as behind them. You’ll find that some of the easier trails down in the valley will take you around the lakes and the wetlands.

There are several excellent campgrounds in the park and backcountry camping is also allowed with a permit in many areas. The park itself was actually established two times. It was originally established in 1929 to protect the lakes and mountains. Then 21 years later in 1950, the valley and Jackson Hole National Monument were added. As an added bonus, the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway connects the park with Yellowstone National Park.

Grand Teton is an ideal location for adventurists to enjoy their freedom and explore all this fabulous park has to offer.

The island park rises out Lake Superior and is a favorite destination for the region’s moose and wolves. It’s definitely located in an isolated area and that’s one of the reasons most visitors prefer to spend about three or four days here while they explore it in all its splendor. The island itself is about 45 miles in length and most travelers get to it via a park boat or by commercial vessel.

(photo by wlscience)

However, once you reach this vast wilderness area you’re basically on your own with your immediate traveling party, other visitors, and the wonderful wildlife.

Because of this, make sure you haven’t left any supplies at home and you have everything you need with you. You’ll also have to take your refuse with you when leaving the park. Isle Royale offers fantastic untamed and rough countryside. The trails might be muddy and the waterways could be foggy so be prepared.

Make sure you have something to fight off the insects too since mosquitoes and black flies aren’t shy about dining out on hikers and campers. You won’t be able to reserve campsites on the island and that’s just as well since you’re never certain where you may end up at the end of the adventurous day.

Before camping out you’ll have heard all of the rules and regulations when reaching the island. Park rangers will inform you all you need to know regarding low-impact camping and hiking before you head out on your own. For instance, you need to boil all water for two minutes and make sure you filter it to get rid of any possible tapeworm cysts.

When hiking through the wilderness and woods you may run into a wolf or moose. It’s believed that moose swam to the island early in the 20^th century and have remained and bred there ever since. As for the wolves, experts feel they simply walked to the island across the huge frozen lake around 1945 to 1950. Scientists have been studying them there since 1958.

If you stick to the hiking trails, you’ll likely just see the animal tracks, but the moose may sometimes surprise you as they graze quietly nearby, especially in the thick-forested areas and the swamps. You may also spot a few busy beavers as they go about building their dams and you could spot a fox or two close to the campsites as they look for a bite to eat.

However, even though you may feel sorry for them, it’s illegal to feed the animals since it’s unhealthy for them and they may start scavenging your campsite for more food.

The best way to visit Isle Royale National Park is to reserve a boat trip from Copper Harbor, or Houghton Michigan, or from Grand Portage, Minnesota. The park is about 56 miles from the mainland of Michigan and just 22 miles away from Grand Portage.

The park is closed between November and mid-April. The bugs are usually the worst in June and July, but the nights sometimes prove to be to cool for them as the temperatures on the island can drop to 40 degrees Fahrenheit at night.

To appreciate the true beauty and wildness of Isle Royale you really need to spend a couple of days there. Day trips are certainly possible, but you have to travel there and back by boat and it doesn’t leave much time for exploring. There are close to 165 miles of hiking trails and the best way to see the park is to camp out and walk the paths.

If you’re not a camping enthusiast, you will be able to find accommodations at most of the boat-launching communities.

However, when it became a national park, the swamp was dropped from the name and it’s no more popular than ever. Congaree isn’t technically a swamp though, since there isn’t standing water in it during most of the year. What it is, in fact, is a floodplain forest which floods approximately 10 times each year. It spreads out northeast from the winding Congaree River and the land is the biggest area of bottomland hardwoods in the nation.

(photo by miguelvieira)

You’ll find cypress trees dripping with Spanish moss and the backcountry is quite lush and is home to several types of animals such as deer, river otters, and bobcats. There are numerous species of birds in the park as well such as the yellowbellied sapsucker. These birds drill holes in the trees and come back a day later to suck the sap out of them. The other constant tapping noise you’ll hear in the forest will be the woodpeckers who are also keeping themselves busy by pecking holes in the tall trees.

In the spring and autumn months, the quiet night air is eerily broken by the calls of the forest’s barred owls. The bottoms of the trees are often covered in glowing fungi and local myths state that the region is filled with wood elves who come out at night and dance around the tree trunks throughout the forest.

The region was named Congaree back in the 18^th century after a tribe of Native Americans who used to live there hundreds of years ago. Unfortunately, the Congaree were decimated in the 1700s when a smallpox epidemic swept over the area after it was unknowingly brought over by settlers from Europe.

At the end of the 1800s, the American lumber industry was booming and it looked like the giant hardwood trees of Congaree would fall victim, but most of the forest was left alone since the area is so remote and there wasn’t really a way to transport the fallen trees due to non-navigable waterways. The forest was designated as a national monument back in 1976 and since it was established as a national park it’s named a national natural landmark, as well as a biosphere reserve, and an important bird area.

You’ll be able to enjoy several activities in this tremendous park, including kayaking, canoeing, hiking, and primitive camping. There are also a few guided canoeing and hiking tours available as well as educational and nature study programs.

Congaree National park is an ideal spot to visit at any time of the year, but is particularly pleasant in the spring and autumn time, especially for boaters, kayakers, and canoeists. Some of the most popular trails for hikers are the High and Low Boardwalk Trails, which are about 2.5 miles in length in total. The Weston Lake Loop Trail is about 4.5 miles long and the Kingsnake Trail, which is the best for bird watching is about 11.5 miles in length in one of the most remote areas of the park.

The park’s approximately 225 square miles in total size and was officially established back in 1987. This fascinating mountain has been in a state of constant eruption for close to 500,000 thousand years now. However, even though there have been numerous eruptions you’ll still find the area covered over by beautiful birch, beech, and pine forests.

(photo by Jonathan Edgecombe)

Mount Etna is Europe’s tallest active volcano as it reaches about 10,925 feet into the sky. The actual height of the volcano actually varies when the volcanic materials accumulate when it erupts and parts of the crater walls begin to collapse. It’s believed the mountain was named by using Greek and Latin translation which means ‘to burn.’ However, some linguists feel Etna may be named after the word athana, which means furnace in Phoenician.

The history of Mount Etna has been recorded like no other volcano. The first recorded data about the erupting mountain date all the way back to 1500 B.C. Since then historians have recorded about 200 more eruptions. Luckily, most of them have been pretty tame when it comes to resulting in destruction and death.

In fact, it’s believed the volcano has been responsible for just 100 deaths over the years. It’s been a bit worse where destruction is concerned though since the nearby township of Mascali was destroyed by Etna back in 1928.

The mountain possesses some very rich soil which is in local apple groves and vineyards. When visiting Etna National Park you’ll also find the lava has carved out over 200 caves in the surrounding area. These caves have been used by local Sicilians for several purposes over the years, such as food storage cellars and sacred burial grounds.

Centuries ago, large mammals used to roam the area, but these days you’ll likely run into wild cats, martens, foxes, mice, and rabbits. However, these small animals need to keep their eyes open at all times as they’re often the dinner of some of the area’s birds of prey such as golden eagles and peregrines.

One of the most popular scenic sites in the park is the Bove Valley, which is shaped like a horseshoe. This area consists of gullies, lava formations, and cliffs and spreads out for 14 square miles. The basin’s walls are close to 3,300 feet high. You can reach the park by train from Catania, which is the second-largest city in Sicily and lies in the shadow of the mountain, and get off at Rifugio Sapienza.

If you’re lucky, the best time to visit the park is when the mountain’s erupting. It’s quite a spectacle to see the red-hot lava shoot into the air and down the mountainside. However, it’s hard to predict when these eruptions are going to take place. Once the mountain starts to erupt though, the show can go on for days or even weeks and months.

You can get a great view of the park from the train that leaves Catania’s Borgo Station as it travels around Mount Etna. Many people also explore the park by booking jeep tours. The park’s headquarters are located in Nicolosi, and buses run here from local communities. Cable cars take you close to the summit and climbers can take guided tours. You’ll also find several campgrounds available in the local area.

This wonderful area of land was established as a national park back in 1971. It gets the name Arches due to the fact there are over 2,000 beautiful natural arches located in the area.

(photo credit: skinnylawyer)

These arches come in all shapes and sizes and they look magnificent standing beneath the clear blue sky. You’ll see a wide range of giant sized balanced rocks as well as pinnacles, spires, and slick rock domes. The park overlooks the mighty Colorado River below and belongs to the state’s extended canyon country, which was carved out over the years due to natural erosion and the weather.

It’s believed that inlands seas actually covered this part of the state approximately 300 million years ago. Scientists think that the land was filled by seas, which eventually evaporated, an incredible 29 times over the centuries. After the sea evaporated for the last time, it left behind numerous salt beds which are thousands of feet in thickness.

Boulders and sand later made their way down to the region from the uplands as they were carried there by fast-flowing streams. These buried the beds of salt underneath layers of stone. However, the salt is less dense than the rock that covers it and this enables the salt to rise up and form ridges and domes which are separated by valleys.

Most of the arch formations consist of soft red sandstone which was deposited there about 150 million years earlier. When the groundwater dissolved the salt deposits, the sandstone domes eventually collapsed. These formed a maze of rock slabs which created the amazing arches that you can see in the park today.

When visiting the park, you wouldn’t really know what era you were in since the scenery seems to be timeless and indestructible. The region has looked the same way for millions of years and hopefully will remain unchanged. However, the fragile desert ecosystem is threatened a little each year as over 700,000 people come to visit the park. Because of this, visitors are allowed to explore designated trails only or stay on the wash bottoms or slick rock.

The sheer number of spectacular arches in the park is a sight to behold and like snowflakes, no two are alike. If the rock formation has an opening of at least three feet wide then it can be classified as an arch. Landscape Arch is the biggest one in the park and is just over 300 feet from base to base. Some of the older arches collapse through natural conditions while new ones are formed.

You’ll find a small amount of water in Arches National Park and these are ephemeral pools. They range in depth from a few inches to a few feet and are mini-ecosystems which house insects, fairy shrimp, and tadpoles. The pools are created from rainwater that collects in the sandstone basins and potholes.

When hiking there, you’ll also notice that much of the ground appears to be black in color. This is because it’s actually alive as it’s made up of lichens, cyanobacteria, and algae. It’s an ideal foundation for many of the desert plants that can be found there.

The province is also home to some of the nation’s best and most popular national parks. One of these is Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.

(photo credit: scazon)

This piece of paradise is just over 15,300 acres in size and was established as a national park back in 2003. About 9,000 acres of the park are located on land while the rest of them are situated on the marine area which is adjacent to it. There are 15 islands in total and numerous reefs and islets what all sit in the Salish Sea.

The park is treated with a mild Mediterranean climate and is filled with a spectacular variety of plants, marine life, and rare birds. A lot of the parkland separates the city of Vancouver on the mainland from the city of Victoria, which is located on Vancouver Island. Some of the land is actually underwater and the bigger Gulf Islands you’ll find here are named Mayne, Saturna, South Pender, and North Pender.

The beauty, climate and marine life of the islands lie in the shadow of two different mountain chains and people have inhabited this area of Canada for over 5,000 years now. The first inhabitants lived off the abundance of plants, game, and shellfish that are found in the area. Spanish explorers later settled here and their names can be found on some of the local islands and waterways. British settlers and other Europeans soon followed as did numerous Hawaiians. They farmed the land and cleared some of the forest so they could graze sheep and plant several apple orchards.

These days, you’ll find a range of people living in the region, such as retirees, artists, and seasonal cottagers. There’s a demand for the local waterfront property and this is believed to be threatening the eco system as well as some of the marine life such as sea lions, killer whales, and seals. However, the Canadian government is adding existing provincial parks and ecological reserves to the park, making the reserve a work in progress.

To get to the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, you can take a ferry anytime of the year from Swartz Bay, which is located near Victoria. You can also take a ferry from Vancouver as they leave from the Tsawwassen terminal. The rest of the park can be accessed by private boats, ferries, water taxis, canoes, and kayaks etc.

The best time to visit is probably from June to October since it’s the driest and warmest then. Some of the services in the park are limited during the winter months and access may be limited as well. Since there aren’t any visitor centers, it’s a good idea to download information and maps from the Parks Canada internet site before visiting. This will also provide you with all boating, camping, and hiking information.

Saturna Island is the biggest of the park’s islands and you’ll find plenty to do here to keep you busy. Another popular spot is Sidney Spit, which sits on Sidney Island. This scenic area is filled with beautiful forests, sandy beaches and dewy meadows. It’s a good idea to take along a good supply of drinking water as well as garbage bags, as there aren’t many garbage receptacles to be found in the park reserve.

The scenery and landscapes in the park are simply fascinating. You’ll find the that the park is filled with a lot of diversity as there are steep ridges and peaks, with the highest point reaching just over 9,560 feet in the air, as well as evergreen stands, waterfalls, alpine meadows, and numerous glacial lakes. Over half of the parkland is blanketed in forests with the Macedonian pine being one of the most plentiful types of tree here.

(photo credit: nick_moise)

Some of these trees are quite old with the majority of them being close to 150 years old and a select few having been around for over 500 years. In fact, one of these trees, known as the Baykuchevata Macedonian pine, has been gracing its spot for about 1,350 years. Most of the lakes in Pirin National Park were created thousands of years ago during the last ice age.

Approximately six dozen of these glacial lakes were formed by melting ice. In addition, the ice carved out the surrounding cirques and valleys and can now be witnessed as granite and limestone relics of this past era. The Pirin Mountain Range in the park lies close to the Aegean Sea coastline and is a favorite spot for numerous species of rare and endemic birds.

The park is relatively secluded and along with the birds, you’ll find a wide range of larger animals who love to roam the land. These include jackals, brown bears, deer, gray wolves, chamois and wild boars. Among the approximately 160 species of birds are owls, hawks, eagles, woodpeckers, and grouse. There are also two nature reserves located inside of the park.

If you’re driving to this wonderful Bulgarian national park, you can access it from northern Bulgaria’s Mesta Valley and southern Bulgaria’s Struma Valley. The country’s capital city is historic Sofia, and if you travel about three hours from here, you’ll come to Bansko, which is where the information center for the park is located.

If you’d really like to explore the countryside while heading to the park though, you should think about taking a train to Bansko from the town of Septemvri. It’s quite a scenic route as it rolls through the nearby mountains. These mountains are snow-covered for approximately half of the year and you’ll find that Bansko is very popular with skiers during the winter months.

The summers are actually relatively short and cool in the park, especially in the northern region and in the higher elevated places. However, you’ll find the climate is basically sub-Mediterranean down in the southern foothills. Once you reach the park, you’ll find plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities.

The World Heritage Park is ideal for climbing, biking, and hiking. Also, because there are so many lakes you’ll find the fishing is excellent and there are several caves that are just begging to be explored. If you’d like to spend a few days in the park, overnight stays aren’t any problem as chalets and huts can be rented.