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Rhode Island
7.09
Utah
6.85
Maryland
6.79
New Hampshire
6.7
New Mexico
6.64
Minnesota
6.57
Colorado
6.52
South Carolina
6.49
Texas
6.38
Vermont
6.38
Virginia
6.32
Massachusetts
6.22
New York
6.17
Maine
6.14
New Jersey
6.1
Oklahoma
6.07
Wisconsin
6.03
Michigan
6.01
Arizona
5.98
Connecticut
5.96
Arkansas
5.95
Oregon
5.91
West Virginia
5.86
Missouri
5.79
Washington
5.73
South Dakota
5.72
Iowa
5.64
Kentucky
5.57
Nebraska
5.54
Alabama
5.52
Alaska
5.51
Delaware
5.5
Pennsylvania
5.39
Georgia
5.38
Ohio
5.36
North Dakota
5.31
Louisiana
5.29
Illinois
5.21
Florida
5.14
Kansas
5.05
Mississippi
5.02
Hawaii
4.91
Tennessee
4.91
California
4.78
North Carolina
4.71
Idaho
4.66
Indiana
4.5
Nevada
4.35
Montana
4.14
Wyoming
3.81
Best States for Camping 2024
- Each state's overall camping rating was determined by compiling the results of 9 specific indicators: National Parks per 1,000 square miles, species diversity, forest coverage, campsite quality, rainfall, fuel prices, internet access, crimes per national park, and accidents per national park.
- Most indicators displayed use a 10-point rating scale in which 10 is the most favorable rating.
- Rankings that evaluate different criteria may result in alternate rankings.
State | Overall Camping Rating (1-10) | Best Place to Camp | # of National Parks | National Parks List | National Parks per 1k mi² | Species Diversity (1-10) | Forest Coverage (1-10) | Campsite Quality (1-10) | Rainfall (1-10) | Fuel Prices (1-10) | Internet Access (1-10) | Accidents Per National Park (1-10) | Crimes Per National Park (1-10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 7.09 | East Beach, Charlestown | 0 | 8.9 | 3.09 | 6 | 8.24 | 2.92 | 7.94 | 6.76 | 10 | 10 | |
| Utah | 6.85 | Devils Garden Campground, Arches National Park | 1 |
| 0.86 | 5.79 | 3.73 | 9.42 | 9.5 | 6.66 | 9.93 | 7.89 | 7.84 |
| Maryland | 6.79 | Assateague State Park | 0 | 10 | 4.68 | 4.29 | 5.57 | 3.54 | 7.31 | 6.19 | 9.88 | 9.65 | |
| New Hampshire | 6.7 | Pawtuckaway State Park | 0 | 1.29 | 3.46 | 9.41 | 4.91 | 3.75 | 8 | 9.71 | 9.99 | 9.81 | |
| New Mexico | 6.64 | Gallo Campground at Chaco Canyon | 2 |
| 0.65 | 6.82 | 3.45 | 9.51 | 9.06 | 7.56 | 3.02 | 9.91 | 9.73 |
| Minnesota | 6.57 | Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness | 1 |
| 0.19 | 4.19 | 3.69 | 8.75 | 6.72 | 8.06 | 7.99 | 9.91 | 9.66 |
| Colorado | 6.52 | Piñon Flats Campground, Great Sand Dunes National Park | 4 |
| 0.66 | 5.35 | 3.73 | 6.33 | 8.82 | 5.4 | 10 | 9.32 | 9.1 |
| South Carolina | 6.49 | Edisto River Treehouses | 1 |
| 1.32 | 5.51 | 7.58 | 7.4 | 2.56 | 9.37 | 4.89 | 9.96 | 9.82 |
| Texas | 6.38 | Chisos Basin Campground, Big Bend National Park | 2 |
| 0.15 | 9.34 | 4.06 | 6.58 | 6.42 | 9.62 | 2.45 | 9.55 | 9.29 |
| Vermont | 6.38 | Smuggler’s Notch State Park Campground | 0 | 1.25 | 3.38 | 8.67 | 7.39 | 3.87 | 8.88 | 4.17 | 9.99 | 9.81 | |
| Virginia | 6.32 | Big Meadow Campground, Shenandoah National Park | 1 |
| 3.41 | 5.66 | 6.98 | 5.57 | 3.58 | 7.82 | 5.32 | 9.46 | 9.12 |
| Massachusetts | 6.22 | Boston Harbor Islands | 0 | 9.79 | 4.11 | 6.71 | 3.95 | 2.95 | 7.64 | 2.01 | 9.48 | 9.37 | |
| New York | 6.17 | Camp Orenda | 0 | 2.88 | 4.96 | 6.97 | 7.15 | 4.04 | 8.63 | 1.37 | 9.8 | 9.73 | |
| Maine | 6.14 | Flood’s Cove | 1 |
| 0.58 | 3.5 | 10 | 7.86 | 3.97 | 7.98 | 3.31 | 8.79 | 9.29 |
| New Jersey | 6.1 | Worthington State Forest Campground, Delaware Water Gap | 0 | 7.05 | 4.5 | 4.56 | 4.79 | 3.06 | 8.11 | 5.04 | 8.98 | 8.84 | |
| Oklahoma | 6.07 | Chickasaw National Recreation Area | 0 | 0.09 | 5.38 | 3.09 | 5.75 | 5.02 | 9.49 | 6.4 | 9.91 | 9.49 | |
| Wisconsin | 6.03 | Apostle Islands National Seashore | 0 | 0 | 4.27 | 5.39 | 6.09 | 5.74 | 7.74 | 5.97 | 9.77 | 9.31 | |
| Michigan | 6.01 | Chapel Beach, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore | 1 |
| 0.15 | 4.66 | 6.14 | 7.33 | 5.7 | 7.6 | 3.6 | 9.5 | 9.43 |
| Arizona | 5.98 | Havasupai Campground, Havasupai Reservation | 3 |
| 1.14 | 7.08 | 2.73 | 2.8 | 9.24 | 9.65 | 5.61 | 8.75 | 6.84 |
| Connecticut | 5.96 | White Memorial Conservation Center | 0 | 2.33 | 3.71 | 6.1 | 7.64 | 2.47 | 7.52 | 4.03 | 9.99 | 9.81 | |
| Arkansas | 5.95 | Buffalo National River | 1 |
| 0.71 | 5.08 | 6.22 | 10 | 2.42 | 6.34 | 4.75 | 9.46 | 8.59 |
| Oregon | 5.91 | Cape Blanco State Park | 1 |
| 0.14 | 6.15 | 5.33 | 5.11 | 6.7 | 4.39 | 7.05 | 9.6 | 8.7 |
| West Virginia | 5.86 | Thorny Mountain Fire Tower, Seneca State Forest | 1 |
| 1.53 | 4.27 | 8.81 | 6.61 | 3.41 | 7.26 | 2.16 | 9.71 | 8.99 |
| Missouri | 5.79 | Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park | 1 |
| 0.39 | 4.97 | 3.81 | 6.57 | 3.97 | 10 | 4.53 | 9.4 | 8.44 |
| Washington | 5.73 | Second Beach, Olympic National Park | 3 |
| 1.27 | 5.02 | 5.81 | 9.27 | 4.67 | 3.45 | 4.32 | 9.55 | 8.26 |
| South Dakota | 5.72 | Blue Bell Campground, Custer State Park | 2 |
| 0.33 | 3.58 | 0.25 | 8.65 | 8.04 | 7.94 | 3.96 | 9.67 | 9.06 |
| Iowa | 5.64 | Maquoketa Caves State Park | 0 | 0.04 | 3.77 | 0.76 | 5.61 | 5.48 | 7.89 | 7.19 | 9.99 | 10 | |
| Kentucky | 5.57 | Daniel Boone National Forest | 1 |
| 0.66 | 4.85 | 5.43 | 6.26 | 2.73 | 8.27 | 3.02 | 9.45 | 9.42 |
| Nebraska | 5.54 | Fort Robinson State Park | 0 | 0.24 | 3.85 | 0.17 | 4.64 | 7.4 | 8.43 | 5.11 | 10 | 10 | |
| Alabama | 5.52 | Outpost at Gulf State Park | 0 | 0.99 | 6.75 | 7.85 | 5.75 | 1 | 5.23 | 4.17 | 8.45 | 9.48 | |
| Alaska | 5.51 | Bartlett Cove Campground, Glacier Bay National Park | 8 |
| 0.04 | 2.73 | 3.81 | 5.3 | 7.6 | 9.57 | 1.8 | 9.76 | 8.97 |
| Delaware | 5.5 | Cape Henlopen State Park | 0 | 2.61 | 3.34 | 2.91 | 7.31 | 3.32 | 7.66 | 2.88 | 9.96 | 9.54 | |
| Pennsylvania | 5.39 | Cherry Springs State Park | 0 | 2.69 | 4.66 | 6.48 | 5.23 | 3.84 | 5.64 | 1.8 | 9.32 | 8.83 | |
| Georgia | 5.38 | Cloudland State Park | 0 | 1.09 | 0 | 7.47 | 6.22 | 2.4 | 8.82 | 3.67 | 9.91 | 8.86 | |
| Ohio | 5.36 | Hocking Hills State Park | 1 |
| 1.04 | 4.69 | 3.33 | 5.47 | 4.54 | 7.64 | 2.88 | 9.54 | 9.16 |
| North Dakota | 5.31 | Juniper Campground, Theodore Roosevelt National Park | 1 |
| 0.08 | 2.81 | 0 | 5.12 | 8.47 | 6.98 | 4.53 | 9.87 | 9.9 |
| Louisiana | 5.29 | Lake Bistineau State Park | 0 | 0.46 | 5.2 | 5.87 | 4.6 | 0.66 | 9.83 | 1.44 | 9.93 | 9.65 | |
| Illinois | 5.21 | Starved Rock State Park Campground | 0 | 0.03 | 4.85 | 1.36 | 3.08 | 4.52 | 6.28 | 6.83 | 9.99 | 9.96 | |
| Florida | 5.14 | Cayo Costa State Park | 3 |
| 0.96 | 6.5 | 5.58 | 3.76 | 1.7 | 7.99 | 2.16 | 9.69 | 7.96 |
| Kansas | 5.05 | Wilson State Park | 0 | 0.21 | 4.13 | 0.35 | 2.64 | 6.42 | 9 | 2.73 | 10 | 10 | |
| Mississippi | 5.02 | Davis Bayou Campground, Gulf Islands National Seashore | 0 | 0.95 | 5.33 | 7.22 | 2.76 | 0.87 | 9.56 | 1.15 | 8.18 | 9.15 | |
| Hawaii | 4.91 | Malaekahana Beach Campground | 2 |
| 4.94 | 2.11 | 4.65 | 8.92 | 0 | 0 | 5.04 | 9.62 | 8.94 |
| Tennessee | 4.91 | Elkmont Campground, Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 1 |
| 1.79 | 5.61 | 5.83 | 2.71 | 1.75 | 9.22 | 1.37 | 7.79 | 8.16 |
| California | 4.78 | Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park | 9 |
| 0.99 | 10 | 3.53 | 8.61 | 7.66 | 0.95 | 2.52 | 6.72 | 2.04 |
| North Carolina | 4.71 | Big Creek Campground, Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 1 |
| 1.09 | 6.15 | 6.61 | 8.23 | 2.47 | 4.27 | 0 | 6.62 | 6.94 |
| Idaho | 4.66 | Point Campground | 1 |
| 0.37 | 4.77 | 4.43 | 7.32 | 8.27 | 8.04 | 6.76 | 1.08 | 0.89 |
| Indiana | 4.5 | Brown County State Park | 1 |
| 0.36 | 4.61 | 2.2 | 0.92 | 4.06 | 6.12 | 4.46 | 9.72 | 8.01 |
| Nevada | 4.35 | Arch Rock Campground, Valley of Fire State Park | 2 |
| 0.04 | 5.76 | 1.61 | 0 | 10 | 8.01 | 2.52 | 8.43 | 2.74 |
| Montana | 4.14 | Many Glacier Campground, Glacier National Park | 2 |
| 0.17 | 4.34 | 2.93 | 6.24 | 8.93 | 7.37 | 5.04 | 0.8 | 1.44 |
| Wyoming | 3.81 | Jenny Lake Campground, Grand Teton National Park | 2 |
| 0.29 | 4.74 | 1.9 | 6.6 | 9.37 | 7.89 | 3.45 | 0 | 0 |