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

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
Where will the next U.S. national park be?
Did you know we're about to get another National Park? Here's a breakdown
Night Sky Over Idaho's Craters of the Moon

Most of us know that Yellowstone was the first National Park in the U.S. But do you know what the newest National Park is? Well, the 64th park in America is about to be named and there are several worthy candidates throughout the land. Here's what to know.

Presently, there are seven areas within the country vying to be named the next great National Park. The locations span the U.S. map from Idaho to Maine, and while they are all worthy in their own right -- thanks to unique landforms, incredible wildlife, singular environments, etc. -- just one will be selected.

Read more
Report: These are the best stargazing spots in the U.S.
Where should you go to stargaze this summer? Here's the list!
A man stargazing.

If you're eager to witness the beauty of the night sky, this summer is the perfect time to go on a stargazing adventure. However, choosing the right stargazing spot can make or break your experience. If you're sick of searching for "best places to stargaze near me," check out this list by HomeToGo, a vacation rental booking site. These experts have analyzed a bunch of data to help uncover the best places to stay and stargaze this summer.

From cloud cover, solitude, and accommodation availability and price, here are the top five stargazing locations in America, according to HomeToGo.
Westcliffe & Silver Cliff, Colorado
Clear skies: 8.40

Read more
The U.S. airports with the shortest (and longest) security wait times
These are the TSA wait times to know if airport security gives you anxiety
A busy airport with people getting in line at check in.

 

We all start to feel the sweat bead up when we walk up to that security line at the airport and see how long it is. We start to calculate how long we could stand in that line before we would miss our flight or until we'll have to run to our gate. Before you book that ticket, see which US airports have the shortest TSA wait times to help you keep your calm, and which ones will have you clench your fist in frustration. (And remember — some airports have reservations for security screenings so you can cut the line.)

Read more