Budget/backpacker: Campgrounds in USA

Wood Mountain Road Campground

• Hilltop site on the edge of the Summit Bechtel Reserve
• A 15-minute drive from downtown Fayetteville
• Rafting trips organised on site; lots of outdoor activities close by

Comfy Miramiguoa Home

• Peaceful Missouri country house on the Meramec State Park Boundary
• A 20-minute drive to Meramec Caverns, and roughly an hour to St Louis
• Firepit, wooden decking and garden; hiking and trout fishing close by

Sugar Creek Camp

• Back-to-basics site in a wooded area with a creek running through it
• Vestal town and the city of Binghamton within a 10-minute drive
• Watersports on the Susquehanna River; hiking trails

Valley View Camp

• Rural site with spectacular views of the Montour Falls Valley
• Within an hour's drive of nine of the 11 Finger Lakes
• Campfire areas with benches; direct access to hiking trails

Rustic Ridge View Farm

• Wild campground on a Kerhonkson horse farm with Shawangunk Ridge views
• 10 minutes’ drive to Minnewaska State Park Preserve; 20 to The Gunx
• Access to walking trails from the farm; climbing hotspots nearby

Mujeres Valley Campground

• BIPOC-friendly camping on a simple wilderness site in New Mexico
• An hour’s drive to Zuni Pueblo and to fishing in Quemado Lake
• Woodland walks on a back-to-basics site, hammocks to hire; fresh eggs

Barn Door Hostel and Campground

• Simple pitches in a nine-acre meadow at the base of Stinson Mountain
• In the White Mountain National Forest, close to lots of hiking trails
• Rumney Rocks Climbing Area within walking distance

Getaway Campground

• Adults-only simple pitches over 40 acres of private land in Tennessee
• A 45-minute drive to Discovery Park of America
• Two-acre pond and open-air pool on site; dogs welcome

Aarondale

• Wild camping site with dog-friendly pitches on the Santa Fe Trail
• A 45-minute drive to Trinidad Lake State Park; an hour to Vogel Canyon
• Barbecues and firepits allowed; under 45 minutes’ drive to shops

Short Mountain Distillery Campground

Camp Ikigai at Ikigai Animal Sanctuary

• Stay at a 72-acre California animal sanctuary and historic goldmine
• A half-hour drive to Kings Canyon National Park entrance
• Naturist-friendly site with hiking trails and a communal firepit

Bankersmith Campground and RV Park

• Scenic Texas site with hilltop views, water features and tall grass
• A 20-minute drive outside of Fredericksburg; an hour to Horseshoe Bay
• Direct access to hiking trails; a short walk from a historic saloon

Mystic Pass