Perfect Campgrounds for First-Timers
You want to be wowed with big views, yes, but not until you’ve had a hot shower.
Please note that although all these campgrounds are open as of April 2021, some may be operating at reduced capacity due to COVID-19 concerns, and not all services and amenities may be available.
Lake Powell, UT and AZ
Wahweap Campground Glen Park National Recreation Area: What better payoff for taking the camping plunge than the finger canyons of Lake Powell? A waterfront campground comes with basic creature comforts (hot showers, shaded picnic tables). After breakfast, the main event: Rent a boat or kayak at the marina to explore what looks for all the world like Zion National Park filled halfway with water.
Thomas J. Story
Mt. Hood National Forest, OR
Hoodview Campground: The name pretty much says it all: the shark’s tooth summit of Oregon’s signature peak rising from an alpine forest and mirrored in aquamarine. A prime position on the south shore of Timothy Lake makes Hoodview the most popular of the five campgrounds on this reservoir, where anglers, paddlers, swimmers, and water-skiers proliferate like mayflies. Newbies, wrap your hands around a steaming mug of cowboy coffee and just take in that surreal view.
J.P. Greenwood
Orange County, CA
Live Oak Grove Campground at Caspers Wilderness Park: Camp out under the oaks and sycamores in the Santa Ana Mountains without forgoing life’s little necessities—like flush toilets. Get oriented to the great outdoors at the Saturday night campfire talk or on the Sunday morning ranger walk. The 2.5-mile East Ridge Trail makes a great beginner’s hike.