Guest post by Rob Fusili
Camping doesn’t always have to be out in the middle of the wilderness. There are a lot of campers that enjoy camping on the beach. It’s a whole different camping style and if you haven’t tried it yet, you totally should!Other than getting another type of camping experience, the needed gear is also different when you go beach camping. You can even enjoy open camping on the beach and use pop up canopy tents right on the beach instead of a traditional tent. Not sure where to go? Here are 10 awesome destinations in the US to go beach camping.
1 Wright’s Beach, Sonoma Coast, California
Photo by ejbSF
What better place to start than sunny California? You can pack up in the RV or meander your way with tent and supplies. This beach is gorgeous and you are right on the coast for a unique camping experience.
This camping site has 27 sites and you can bring your pets for camping as well. The limited number of sites helps to keep the area from being overrun. You can book up to 7 months ahead of time for this beautiful area as well.
2 Kalaloch Campground, Washington
This beach campsite is located in Olympic National Park in Washington. This happens to be a very popular campground in the area because it has wilderness-type terrain that sits right next to a beach so you really get the best of both worlds with camping style and a beach at your front doors.
The campsites are inexpensive and you might just have the chance to see a lot of ocean wildlife from whales to bald eagles flying around the area. You can book at Kalaloch using the National Park service site.
3 Hoffmaster State Park, Michigan
Photo by churl
Right off of the shores of Lake Michigan lies Hoffmaster State Park. It’s about 3 miles from Lake Michigan’s shore and the campsite offers nearly 300 total sites to choose from. This campground has plenty of activities, including hiking, skiing, and gorgeous views. You’re so close to local attractions and so close to that beautiful great lake area as well.
4 Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina
Photo by IvoKee
South Carolina has quite the reputation for beautiful beaches that lie near clear waters. Hunting Island State Park is no exception. This is a stunning location that is situated between Charleston and Savannah so you are close to two well-known areas.
The campground is right next to the beach and you get simple, quiet seclusion so you can simply enjoy the outdoors without huge crowds. This campground houses about 100 sites at which you can hook up an RV or set up a tent. They offer water and electric at all of the sites.
The site also has plenty of activities like fishing, hiking, biking, and even crabbing. You certainly won’t find all of those options at some of the other locations listed. The best thing about this campsite location? You can camp for less than $10 per night, which is a super-low rate!
5 Assateague Island, Maryland
What could possibly be better than camping on a beach? What about beach camping that can boast wild horses in the area? It’s certainly a unique offering but Assateague State Park is located on a small Island off the coast of Maryland and the Island is known for herds of wild ponies that take up residence there.
The campsites for this park are ALL right next to the beach and it’s a gorgeous location and setup. They offer more than 100 campsites but you won’t feel like you’re all jumbled too close together. The rates are decent but a bit higher than some of the options here. For the experience, the cost is really pretty great.
6 Wai’anapanapa State Park, Hawaii
Unless you’re native to Hawaii, you probably won’t be able to just drive to this campground but if you’re looking for a unique experience on the most beautiful coasts available, you will want to consider this option. If you’re in the Hawaii area, this is an idea beach camping solution.
This beach has black sand that you probably won’t find at most beach camping locations. Then, you can enjoy the freshwater caves nearby and the tide pools in the water. It’s absolutely stunning and the camping areas are perfect! It does take a permit to camp but the cost is reasonable and if you’re a tourist that wants to enjoy the location, you can rent a camping van or check out a cabin to enjoy the location.
7 Homer Spit Campground, Alaska
Photo by momo go
Here’s another beach campground that really is best for the locals or if you’re planning a trip you can fly in. This campground is located in Alaska and the timing of your trip could make a difference considering their weather and daylight patterns.
This is a beach camping location that gives you the perfect view of the nearby mountains. It’s not very often that you can get beach and mountains in the same camping location. This campground has 100 RV locations and 25 tent locations. It’s close to nearby areas that have shops, bars, and restaurants so you will have plenty of available activities to enjoy Alaska.
8 Apostle Islands, Wisconsin
Clear blue waters and a unique locale certainly make a great offering. This beautiful camping space is on an island arm of Wisconsin at Lake Superior called Devils Island.
The Apostle Islands include 21 different islands and you can camp on almost all of those. You can choose from beach side or wilderness camping even and the fees are really reasonable as well.
9 Grand Isle State Park, Louisiana
Photo by Lousiana Travel
Louisiana is mostly known for New Orleans and Bourbon Street but they have some really other gorgeous locations as well. The Grand Isle State Park is one of those. It’s only a couple hours from New Orleans so you can enjoy a tourist day and peaceful camping in the same trip. These rates are as low as $3 per night.
10 Bahia Honda State Park, Florida
We couldn’t finish off the beach camping locations without offering you a Florida beach camping spot. On this site, you can literally camp with the palm trees.
This spot is right in the heart of the Florida Keys and it is utterly perfect. You can enjoy all of the beach activities like snorkeling and fishing. This would be the perfect romantic camping option. The site costs a little more but the experience is well worth it.
If you need inspiration on where to go beach camping in the US, take a look at our post on fabulous beaches in US national parks.
Keep an eye on the wind forecast too. First and only time I went beach camping the wind was 20-30mph which made it almost impossible to keep the tent from flying away.. also lots of sand was getting blown into our tent.
Despite the bad experience, I’d like to try it again with the lis above!