Camping guides

Camping on PickRV — The Complete Guide

Campgrounds, gear, cooking, safety, backcountry and van-life — with per-state fire rules and wildlife notes cited to NPS, USFS, BLM and state DNR.

8 sub-categories32 per-state guides500 campgrounds

Why PickRV camping content is different

Real .gov citations on every page. NPS, USFS, BLM, state DNRs, NOAA, CAL FIRE, IGBC. No affiliate spam, no fabricated URLs.
Per-state fire-restriction context. California's CAL FIRE pattern differs from Colorado's USFS-stage system. Each state page surfaces the rules and where to check current status.
Anti-template per-state insider moats. What NPS doesn't tell you about Yosemite reservations. Where BLM dispersed is the actual win. Where bear canisters are mandatory by federal order.
Integrated with PickRV vehicle catalogue. Pick the camping style, then pick the right RV / van / off-road vehicle from one platform.

What "camping" covers on PickRV

Camping is the activity. The vehicle is the enabler. PickRV covers the entire camping ecosystem:

Established campgrounds. NPS, state parks, KOA-equivalent private, BLM developed — pair with RV or towable for hookup-friendly stays.
Dispersed + backcountry. Free BLM/USFS sites, wilderness overnights — pair with off-road, van, or backpacking gear.
Car-camping + overlanding. Drive-to camping with rooftop tents, ground tents, or vehicle sleep platforms — multiple vehicle options.
Van-life. Stealth camping, dispersed van travel, full-time van conversions — pair with van category.

Explore the vertical

Camping Sub-Categories on PickRV

Eight distinct camping topics — each with its own deep editorial page, real .gov citations, and cross-vertical CTAs.

Campgrounds

Established sites · NPS · state · BLM · private — reservation reality

Most first-time campers don't realize the US has five distinct campground systems — each with its own reservation portal, fee structure, and culture. NPS campgrounds book six months ahead on recreation.gov. State parks use ReserveAmerica or a state-specific system. BLM dispersed sites are free first-come. Private parks (KOA equivalents) book directly. Harvest Hosts farm-stays use a membership. This guide breaks down which to use when.

Gear

Tent · sleeping bag math · stove fuel matrix · honest gear list

Most camping gear guides are SEO-optimized affiliate-link farms. This one isn't. PickRV's gear guide gives you the math behind temperature ratings, R-values, stove fuel choice, and bear-canister volume — so you buy once, correctly.

Cooking

Campfire · propane · RV galley · food safety + bear-country rules

Camp cooking spans four formats — open campfire, propane stove, RV galley, backpacking stove — each with different fuel logistics, food-safety realities, and per-park rules. This guide is the honest version: what works at 8,000 ft, what works in 110°F desert, and where ranger fines come from.

Safety

Bear country · lightning · flash flood · navigation · wilderness first aid

Camping safety isn't just bear spray. It's understanding the difference between grizzly and black-bear encounters, recognizing the 30-30 lightning rule, knowing when an arroyo turns into a flash-flood deathtrap, and packing the right first-aid for the trip you're actually doing.

State Rules

Quick reference to per-state campfire, permit, alcohol, firearm rules

Camping rules vary state-by-state — California's fire-restriction calendar changes weekly, Wyoming requires IGBC bear canisters in grizzly country, Florida requires alligator-distance compliance. This index links to all 30+ per-state pages with quick-reference summaries.

Backcountry

Wilderness permits · LNT principles · navigation · wilderness first aid

Backcountry camping — wilderness areas, off-trail dispersed, multi-day backpacking — is the deep end of the camping pool. Permits, food storage, navigation, and pack-out-everything-including-human-waste rules require preparation that car-camping doesn't.

Car Camping

Overlanding · rooftop tents · vehicle prep · weekend car-camping

Car camping splits between weekend casual (drive to a campground, set up a ground tent, cook over the picnic-table grill) and overlanding (multi-week self-supported travel via 4WD vehicle, rooftop tent, fridge, recovery gear). Both formats overlap on vehicle prep and gear discipline.

Van Life

Stealth-camping legal landscape · dispersed etiquette · van-specific systems

Van-life camping is its own discipline — different rules, different rigs, different logistics than RV camping or tent camping. This guide covers the legal landscape of urban overnight parking, the etiquette of dispersed camping, and the unglamorous reality of cassette toilets.

Every state

Browse camping by state

Open a state for its camping guide, the full campground directory, and every individual campground guide — agency, RV-fit, fees, season windows, and the official reservation link on each one. Ten hand-picked campgrounds per state across National Park Service, USFS, BLM, state parks, US Army Corps of Engineers and private operators.

Pacific

Alaska12

California12

Hawaii10

Nevada12

Oregon12

Washington12

Rockies

Colorado12

Idaho12

Montana12

Utah12

Wyoming12

Southwest

Arizona12

New Mexico12

Plains

Iowa10

Kansas10

Minnesota12

Missouri12

Nebraska10

North Dakota10

Oklahoma12

South Dakota12

Great Lakes

Illinois10

Indiana10

Michigan12

Ohio10

Wisconsin12

South

Alabama10

Arkansas12

Florida12

Georgia12

Kentucky12

Louisiana10

Mississippi10

North Carolina12

South Carolina10

Tennessee12

Texas12

Mid-Atlantic

Delaware10

Maryland10

New Jersey10

New York12

Pennsylvania12

Virginia12

West Virginia12

New England

Connecticut10

Maine12

Massachusetts10

New Hampshire12

Rhode Island10

Vermont12

Source coverage: Recreation.gov, ReserveAmerica, state-park portals, agency-canonical .gov pages. PickRV does not handle campground bookings — we link you to the official channel.

Good to know

Camping FAQ

How is PickRV's camping vertical different from other camping sites?

Three things. First, real .gov citations on every page (NPS, USFS, BLM, state DNRs) — not affiliate-spam recommendations. Second, per-state content written by hand (specific fire-restriction patterns, bear-canister rules, wildlife callouts) — no two state pages are copy-paste. Third, integrated with the PickRV vehicle catalogue — pick a camping style, pick the right RV / van / off-road vehicle in one platform.

Do I need a permit to camp in a national park?

For developed campgrounds, you need a reservation via recreation.gov (flagship NPS units book 6 months exact). For backcountry overnights, you need a wilderness permit from the specific park. For day-use, some flagship parks (Mt. Rainier, Arches, Rocky Mountain) require timed-entry vehicle reservations. The per-state pages cover each park's specifics.

What's the difference between car-camping and overlanding?

Car camping is broadly: drive to a campground (developed or dispersed), set up gear, sleep within walking distance of the vehicle. Overlanding is self-supported vehicle-based multi-week travel — typically 4WD vehicle, rooftop tent or ground tent, recovery gear, fridge, water tank. The car-camping sub-category covers both formats; the van-life sub-category covers the van-specific overlap.

Is dispersed camping free?

On BLM and USFS land, generally yes — 14-day stay limit per location, no facilities, pack-out everything. On NPS land, dispersed camping requires wilderness permits (often free but sometimes fee-based). On state-park or private land, fees vary. The per-state pages cover each state's dispersed-camping landscape.

What about safety — bears, snakes, weather?

The safety sub-category covers bear protocols (grizzly vs. black bear), lightning (30-30 rule), flash floods (desert SW monsoon awareness), and the 10 essentials packing list. Per-state pages flag the specific wildlife and weather hazards for each state. Bear spray and a PLB (personal locator beacon) are recommended for backcountry travel.

Pair a vehicle

Pick the right vehicle for your camping style