Skip to main content

Find the Most Unique, Undiscovered Campsites in the U.S. With Hipcamp

Şahin Yeşilyaprak/Unsplash

Anyone who’s tried to find and book a campsite on public land knows the struggle. Without an all-in-one metasearch engine — think Kayak or Expedia — for campgrounds, searching for campsites was a painful, time-consuming task. Now, with the release of its new mobile app, Hipcamp has streamlined the process, making it easier than ever to book right from your phone.

By the numbers, Hipcamp is impressive. With more than 300,000 sites available, it claims to be the largest resource of its kind in the United States. That number includes public park campsites and private campgrounds, making it easy to zero in on the site that fits your needs. Most impressive are the niche options available for specific types of camping. Hipcamp curates lists for lake camping, beach camping, pet-friendly campsites, and glamping (glamour camping) options. Like Airbnb, many of Hipcamp’s sites are unique and destination-worthy in their own right like this off-grid tiny cabin in Oregon, California’s The Sanctuary Treehouse, and this rustic campsite on a vineyard in Minnesota. 

For at least a decade, most campground-booking engines around the country were siloed, closed off from one another. That made it almost impossible to do a quick, location-based search for, say, all available campsites in Yosemite this weekend or the best beach camping near Savannah, Georgia. Instead, it usually involved an arduous process of searching dozens of sites, all with different layouts, requirements, contact forms, payment systems, and owners. Even today, some systems aren’t online at all, forcing would-be campers to pick up the phone and — brace yourself — call the reservation office (the horror!).

There’s no shortage of peer-to-peer options for campers looking to reserve a temporary stay on their own secluded patch of Earth. Most, however, tend to cater to a specific niche. GlampingHub, for example, is the country’s largest booking engine for upscale camping, where campsites typically offer most, if not all, the comforts of home. On the other end of the spectrum is FreeHouse — a site dedicated to disconnected, off-grid accommodations where nature-lovers can expect a proper digital detox far from civilization. Hipcamp is unique with a comprehensive catalog that offers luxury and barebones accommodations, plus everything in between.

The Hipcamp app is free to download for iOS, and the company promises an Android version is in the works. Users can also book through the Hipcamp website. It’s free for campers to register, and money only changes hands when a site is reserved.

Editors' Recommendations

Here’s Why a Sleeping Bag Liner Is a Camping Essential for Your Trips
Add Warmth and More With a Sleeping Bag Liner
Four-season sleeping bag

We would all love for our outdoor gear to last longer. After all, a camping or trekking setup can easily run hundreds, even thousands of dollars. Perhaps the most undervalued item in your pack is the one you rely on the most. Getting excited about sleeping bags can be difficult when you've got gadgets and gizmos galore in your pack. But what if there was a way you could make sure your trusty sleeping bag is still coming with you on trips in ten years' time?

Sleeping bag liners are one of the most overlooked and underrated pieces of camping equipment — so much so that many hikers and campers go for years without ever using one. For most, though, once they start to use sleeping bag liners, there's no going back. So what is it that makes these unassuming items worth their weight in gold?

Read more
In Review: Why My Go-To Ultralight Pack is the Montane Trailblazer LT
Find Out How I Liked This Ultralight Backpack
A close-up shot of a man running away from the camera. He is wearing blue jacket and carrying a blue backpack

Ultralight backpackers are taking over the trails, and the days of heavy canvas backpacks — complete with frames that look like medical contraptions — are behind us. Fortunately, you no longer have to forgo comfort and durability to cut down on weight. Even better, ultralight gear is now designed to last. The new Montane Trailblazer LT is the latest model in a line of ultralight backpacks from Montane, a manufacturer that specializes in fast and light equipment.

This backpack is available as either a 20-liter or 28-liter model and is designed to pack out for either single-day or multi-day lightweight trail running or hiking trips. I've been using both sizes for the past couple of months for treks, day hikes, trail runs, and fastpacking trips. If you need to carry more gear than you can fit into your usual running pack, or if you want to take your adventure further, the Trailblazer LT will fit everything you need.

Read more
The Best Places to Explore the Great Outdoors of Lake Tahoe
Check Out These Can't-Miss Areas of Lake Tahoe
A view of Lake Tahoe from Emerald Bay (California) State Park

Some might consider Lake Tahoe to be the crown jewel of the Sierras. But for locals and seasoned visitors, Lake Tahoe has plenty of hidden gems and highly treasured outdoor attractions that make this alpine lake on the California-Nevada border an ideal year-round destination for nature lovers. While there’s plenty to see and do at the lake shore, what makes Tahoe incredibly special is the wide variety of sights and activities across the region.

Today we’re climbing high up the mountains, diving deep into the lake, and even venturing into the golden desert to explore the great outdoors as you’ve never seen it before. At Lake Tahoe, there’s never really a bad time to head outside.
What Makes Lake Tahoe Special?

Read more