Bronte Creek Provincial Park
When it comes to camping near Toronto, Bronte Creek is as easy as it gets. This is one of only two true urban parks located within the Greater Toronto Area. Accessible right off the QEW Highway, the park is hidden among the city’s suburbs.
Despite its urban location, the park is an oasis of calm and quiet. The campground has just over 140 campsites. The camping area is large and well laid out, with room for even the largest of RVs and all your gear.
Four loops, all with electricity, offer well spread out sites. The Savannah loop is radio free.
Bronte Creek Provincial park is a wonderful place to explore. Twelve Mile Creek is a short stroll away, just perfect for a morning or after-dinner stroll. A short drive from the camping area is a 1.8-acre pool, a farm with animals happy to be petted, and a museum showing early life in Ontario.
Bring your bikes or walking shoes, over 10 kilometers of trails wind their way through the park.
Sycamore Canyon Campground Point Mugu State Park
Get all the natural beauty associated with the Malibu hills without the opulent price tag.
Beautiful Point Mugu Beach is just a short walk from the campground.
Distance from San Diego: 3 hours | | Destination Website | Amenities: RV access and dump stations, no RV hookups, flush toilets, hot showers , fire pits, picnic tables
Why Camp Here: Located in the rugged Santa Monica Mountains, Sycamore Canyon Campground offers access to the rolling hills and is also within walking distance to Point Mugu beach. The campground, dotted with sycamores and oaks, is a quiet and less crowded camping option than the more popular Malibu campgrounds farther south.
Pro Tip: Head down to Point Mugu beach for sunset and bring firewood to take advantage of a fire pit on the beach.
South Carlsbad State Beach Campground
Epic views and access to a secluded beach make this campground a family favorite.
Wooden staircases allow quick access to the beach from South Carlsbad State Beach Campground.
Distance from San Diego: 35 minutes | | Destination Website | Reservations: Online, 6 months in advance | Amenities: RV hookups, showers, flush toilets, wheelchair accessible, camp store, potable water, dogs allowed
Why Camp Here: My family used to camp at South Carlsbad State Beach each year and I remember yearning for that summer week we would spend at the beachside campground. The sites sit perched atop the cliffs that tower over the secluded beach where my friends and I would swim, surf, and boogie board in the waves. Nothing beats waking up with those spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.
South Carlsbad is a perfect spot to camp in groups or with family because its near enough to town to go grab dinner or necessities but also private enough to feel like youre away from the bustle.
Pro Tip: Carlsbad is also one of my picks for the best areas of San Diego to to stay in.
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Best Camping Spots In Southern California
When you feel the need to shake off your city shackles and head into the Great Outdoors for some family fun, you will find a wealth of wonderful places to go camping in Southern California. The San Bernardino State Forest boasts several popular campgrounds offering access to lakes, forests, and hiking trails. Dotted along the Pacific coastline you will find some brilliant spots to park your RV or pitch a tent and enjoy all the activities of a beach resort. It is always wise to check amenities before you book, particularly if you prefer not to sacrifice your home comforts many of the listed campsites do not offer RV hook-up or showers. Be sure to call the attractions and restaurants ahead of your visit to confirm current opening times.
Paso Picacho Campground Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
The best home base for exploring the trails in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
Nighttime views from Paso Picacho Campground.
Distance from San Diego: 1 hour | | Destination Website | Amenities: RV dump station, no RV hookups flush toilets, showers , potable water, picnics, fire rings, pets allowed only in campground.
Why Camp Here: Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is a giant playground for any outdoor enthusiast! The state park, which lies east of San Diego has tons of hiking trails and is one of the premier mountain biking areas in the county. The most popular hikes, Stonewall Peak and Cuyamaca Peak , have trailheads right in Paso Picacho Campground!
Read Next: Check out this article for more hikes in and around San Diego!
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Best Places For Camping Near Toronto
Written by Michael LawDec 11, 2020
Ontario has thousands of campsites spread out over provincial, national, and private campgrounds in truly spectacular settings. Deciding where to go camping can be overwhelming for the seasoned or novice camper. The best place depends on what you like, how far you want to travel, and how experienced a camper you are.
Fortunately, the campgrounds near Toronto are excellent options and a good starting point. They are also well equipped to handle the large number of visitors that descend on them each summer.
Camping areas near Toronto have their own set of unique attractions like giant swimming pools, beautiful sandy beaches, bike routes, and hiking trails just to name a few. The campgrounds in the provincial parks also offer evening talks in the amphitheater areas on topics like animals, plants, and the environment.
Demand can be high in the prime months, so it pays to plan ahead. Most provincial park campgrounds can be booked online five months in advance. The campsites at the three conservation area campgrounds are released in March each year and can also be booked in advance.
The campgrounds listed below are generally 1.5 hours or less from the Greater Toronto Area.
Note: Some businesses may be temporarily closed due to recent global health and safety issues.
Planning Your Next Vacation
Why not consider staying in one of New York’s beautiful state parks? Imagine pitching a tent near the St. Lawrence River or one of the beautiful lakes or waking up in your recreational vehicle surrounded by the majesty of the woods or cooking breakfast in a cabin overlooking the “Grand Canyon of the East.”
Did you know you save 15-20% by reserving a weeknight* campsite?
For information about camping in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks visit
Recommended Reading: Easy Food To Bring Camping
Other Public Lands In The United States And Canada
While national forests and BLM land are the most common places to find free camping, other types of public lands in the United States and Canada offer up pockets of campsites in different states and regions. State parks, city parks, and county parks sometimes maintain free camping areas. So do entities like water management districts, trust lands, conservation areas. Smaller US federal agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation have a few campsites, too.
Stay limits, access, amenities, permitting requirements, and the types of camping that are allowed at these sites vary greatly. Reading reviews on Campendium, and contacting the agency that manages these free campsites, will help to determine whether they are right for you.
Little Red Barn Campground
Bucks County
Make wonderful family memories and friends that last a lifetime at the Little Red Barn Campground. Offering both a variety of tent campsites and clean, spacious, grassy and wooded RV sites, the campground is a scenic and serene place to spend your vacation. Swim in the pool, enjoy a rousing game of volleyball, basketball, or horseshoes, and have safe get-together in their all new pavilion. There are so many ways to make amazing family memories during your camping vacation!
Read Also: Mount Rainier National Park Camping
What Is Free Camping
Free camping is camping overnight in your RV or tent at a location where you do not have to pay. Most free campsites are not in developed campgrounds. Free camping is sometimes called boondocking, primitive camping, dry camping, and dispersed camping.
Free camping areas appeal to some campers simply because it doesnt cost money, but others may find additional benefits to a free camp site, including the pleasures of camping without amenities, the option to camp farther away from other people than can be found in a campground, and the remote nature of many free campsites.
Palomar Mountain State Park San Diego County
Located at an altitude of 5,000 feet above sea level and surrounded by beautiful forests and meadows, Palomar Mountain State Park in San Diego County offers campers a delightful place to set up camp and get back to nature. The park offers 31 family campsites at Doane Valley Campground, each of which has a picnic table, fire ring, and running water as well as access to flush toilets and hot showers. Trailers and RVs up to 27 feet can be accommodated. You will find plenty of activities to keep you busy during the day hiking, fishing, swimming, and wildlife watching are all good, and when the sun sets you can gather around the campfire and count the stars.
Palomar Mountain State Park, 19952 State Park Drive, Palomar Mountain, CA 92060, Phone: 760-742-3462
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Mineral Bar Campground Auburn State Recreation Area
Auburn State Recreation Area encompasses incredible beauty surrounding the North and Middle Forks of the American River, accessible from Sacramento with an hour-long drive. Over 100 miles of hiking trails span this long, linear recreation area, as well as three campgrounds.
The most popular of Auburn’s campgrounds, Mineral Bar Campground, features 18 sites available on a first-come, first-served basis. The narrow road leading to the Mineral Bar campground typically deters RVs and trailers from accessing the sites. All sites have picnic tables, fire pits, and pit toilets available. Visitors need to bring their own drinking water or filtration method.
Auburn State Recreation Area also features a campground only accessible by boat on Lake Clementine, where visitors find a boat launch, marina, and day-use swimming area. Auburn’s third campground, the Ruck-a-Chucky Campground, features five popular sites also available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Shady Oaks Family Campground
Lebanon County
Shady Oaks Family Campground is the ideal place for your whole family to enjoy the great outdoors. Nestled in the small community of Newmanstown and surrounded by Amish heritage and the peaceful countryside, the campground offers tent sites with and without electricity and RV sites. Enjoy swimming in the pool, sand volleyball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, or simply hiking at this beautiful and serene spot.
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Discover Pass Free Days
Discover PassView a list of operational changes related to COVID-19 and get recreational information here.
DNR CAMPING TIPS
- Always practice the seven Leave No Trace principles. Garbage services arent provided. If you pack it in, pack it out.
- Please be respectful of other visitors and observe quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Always check for burn bans before you light your campfire.
- Don’t Move Firewood: Help protect Pacific Northwest forests by preventing the spread of invasive species. Firewood can carry insects and diseases that can threaten the health of our western forests. Please purchase your firewood near your campsite. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for more information.
- Dont forget your Discover Pass! The annual Discover Pass is transferable between two vehicles and must be displayed in your front windshield while parked at DNR sites. A Discover Pass is not needed if you just want to drive through an area and dont plan to leave your vehicle. It is also not required for our campgrounds only accessible via boat. Visit the Discover Pass website to learn more or purchase yours: www.discoverpass.wa.gov.
Understanding campfire restrictions
Camping Closures
Parc Des Campeurs De Ste
This campground is located just outside the quaint Laurentian village of Ste-Agathe-des-Monts. Ideal for family vacations, there is a recreation centre on site for mini-golf, pétanque , tennis, badminton, billiards, ping-pong, basketball and more, as well as a large beach with boat rentals. Youll feel like a kid at summer camp. There are sites for tent and RV camping here as well in addition to rustic chalet rentals.
Driving time from Montreal: 1.5 hours
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Alerts Closures And Warnings
Check for important alerts and closures that may affect your plans to visit a recreation site or recreation trail.
Learn about RSTBC’s ongoing response to COVID-19. If you are travelling to B.C. from another province or territory within Canada you are expected to follow the same travel guidelines as everyone else in B.C.
Eagle Point Campground Emerald Bay State Park South Lake Tahoe Campground
Lake Tahoe is a stunning body of water and a shimmering destination in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It entices millions of visitors each year with sandy beaches, luxurious resorts, and crisp air at an elevation of over 6,200 feet. And this world-class vacation destination is less than a two-hour drive from Sacramento.
Numerous campgrounds surround the southeast side of the lake. One such campground, the Eagle Point Campground, is within one of the best state parks in California Emerald Bay State Park. This stunning state park showcases the splendor of this Sierra Nevada hot spot.
Eagle Point Campground features nearly 100 sites able to accommodate tents and RVs. It also features access to a unique underwater preserve and shipwreck, fabulous hiking trails, as well as the historic Vikingsholm vacation home. All overnight users have access to flushing toilets and coin-operated showers.
Directly north of Emerald Bay, D.L. Bliss State Park offers over 160 similar spots to spend the night. Other campgrounds at South Lake Tahoe include the nearby Fallen Leaf Campground and Meeks Bay Resort and Marina.
Address: 138 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe, California
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Camping In Socal: Mesa Campground Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area
Reserving a camp site in the Mesa Campground is one of the best ways of ensuring that you get to enjoy all the recreational activities in the very popular Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area . Your campsite at Mesa Campground is suitable for tents or RVs and includes a picnic table, grill, and fire pit and you can have a hot shower at the nearby restrooms. The recreation area offers a wide range of water activities, including boating, water-skiing, swimming, fishing, hiking, and cycling. From January to March you can join a Bald Eagle Barge Tour, and wildlife watching is a popular activity all year round.
Mesa Campground, 14651 Cedar Circle, Hesperia, CA 92345, Phone: 760-389-2303
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Campgrounds In Southern California: Frandy Park Campground Kernville
Frandy Park Campground is located in the California High Desert region, occupying a very scenic position along the banks of the Kern River, surrounded by old oak forests and steep hillsides. The campground is ideal for families and groups and there are suitable sites to pitch a tent or park your RV, including pull-through sites for trailers or campers. You can spend your time relaxing or enjoy a host of activities, which include hiking, cycling, kayaking, whitewater rafting, boating or trout fishing. The nearby town of Kernville is worth exploring and boasts several golf courses, antique shops, and quaint restaurants. If you dont have your own RV, you can rent one on-site or have some fun renting the pioneer-style covered wagon.
Frandy Park Campground, 11252 Kernville Rd, Kernville, CA 93238, Phone: 760-531-4151
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Cowan Lake State Park
Located north of Cincinnati in Wilmington, Cowan Lake State Park is known for its scenic inlets full of the American Lotus water lily. While many try to stayunplugged while camping, I dont think anyone will blame you for snapping some pictures on your phone to capture some of the parks beauty!
The campground has 200+ campsites, including:
- 237 electric campsites
- Cottages with shower, screened porch, color TV, cooking utensils, bed linens, and towels
- Campers beach
- Bike rental and basketball courts
Cowan Lake State Park Website
Whitewater Memorial State Park
Whitewater Memorial State Park is located in eastern Indiana about 60 miles northwest of downtown Cincinnati. The park is known for its 200-acre man-made lake, which is just a 1-mile hike from the campground. If youre a hiker, you can also trek through the parks other marked trails ranging from 1.2-2.7 miles .
The campground has over 300 campsites, including:
- 236 electric campsites
Whitewater Memorial State Park Website
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Earl Rowe Provincial Park
Earl Rowe is a good midsize campground with a pleasant lake and pool. The campground has nearly 400 sites, with a mix of tent only with no electricity right through to fully serviced electrical pull-through sites.
The campground is divided into two areas: Westside and Riverside. Each area has a further four subsections within each. If you are looking for a shady site right near the water, consider a spot in Riverside. For peace and quiet, try out the Blue Heron loop.
The lake water at the two beaches gets nice and warm. Should you wish to get out on the lake, boat and canoe rentals are available at the camp store. If you’d rather swim in a pool, Earl Rowe Provincial Park has you covered. On-site is a one-acre pool complete with lifeguards there is an additional fee to use the pool.