By Nanci Dixon
There are many great national parks to visit in an RV, but the best one for you will depend on your interests, the type of RV you have and the type of experience you’re looking for. Here are a few of the most popular options. My husband and I have visited all of the ones below and loved each one, all for different reasons.
RV size matters
While most of the national parks have campgrounds that accommodate RVs, there are various size restrictions, so before you book, make sure to read the size restrictions carefully. If your RV is over the size limit, you may be turned away or, even worse, find that you cannot make the tight turns necessary to get to the campground and have nowhere to turn around. (I had that experience once…)
Reserve early!
National parks are popular and usually have large crowds. Book campsites early. There are usually a number of campgrounds available just outside the national parks that can also accommodate RVs.
Popular national parks for RVers
Yosemite National Park
Located in California, Yosemite is known for its stunning granite cliffs, waterfalls, and diverse plant and animal life. The park has several campgrounds that can accommodate smaller RVs.
Grand Canyon National Park
This iconic park in Arizona is home to one of the most famous natural wonders in the world. RVers can stay at the Mather Campground or the Trailer Village RV Park. Trailer village offers RV hookups.
Yellowstone National Park
Located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, Yellowstone is home to geysers, hot springs, and a variety of wildlife. The park has several campgrounds that can accommodate large RVs. Fishing Bridge RV Park and the Madison Campground are two beautiful, popular campgrounds.
Arches National Park
Located in Utah, Arches National Park is known for its red rock formations and more than 2,000 natural stone arches. The park has one campground that can accommodate small to medium RVs, the Devil’s Garden Campground.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Located in Colorado, Rocky Mountain is known for its majestic peaks and diverse plant and animal life. The park has five campgrounds that can accommodate RVs.
More great national parks
These are just a few examples, but there are many other great national parks to visit in an RV as well. Check out the National Park Service website for more ideas and details about the amazing national parks.
Only been to 4 of the 5, but I agree with comments on the 4 I have visited.
Been to all five. Yes reserve early but isn’t that the case everywhere. I’ve seen them at least once and am glad I did. Nothing beats stepping out of your rig and being in the midst of it. Would not want a steady diet of National Parks though. They are overcrowded. I prefer state parks for a more laid back camping experience.
Been there, done these and more. Yup they are nice, and now days very overcrowded; miss the old days in Grand Canyon before the darn busses, Love the North Rim! not yet crowded and much more peaceful. (Opps. Maybe I should not have mentioned that!)
My favorite park (or historic site or museum or whatever) is always the next one I get to visit!
The information about RV friendly National Parks is incorrect for the Grand Canyon. Mather Campground can handle RVs up to 30 feet, but has no hookups of any kind, although there is a dump station. The Mather Campground also has flush toilets, but no showers. There are showers available, but they are run by a Concession and there is a charge.
If you want hookups, the only option in the park is Trailer Village.
Thanks for your comment! Corrected. We stayed at Trailer Village in a 34 ft motorhome with hookups.
I’ve been to all five of the national parks and they are beautiful and unique. I worked for three seasons in Yellowstone for Xanterra , and seven months on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. I also worked in Death Valley NP and Big Bend NP during the winter seasons. Wonderfull experiences. Lots of perks.
Acadia National Park the Schoodic side has a great campground with hook ups and plenty of space between sites. I highly recommend it. We have been to the ones you listed in our 31 ft class c and had no issues and liked them all, except we could not get a site at Yosemite and had to use a commercial site outside.
Don
Mesa Verde NP has 267 campsites at the Morefield campground and most can accomodate RVs. But only 15 of those sites have electric hookups. If your RV is a trailer, bring a generator to run your AC because SW Colorado can get to 100+ degrees in summer! We don’t stay at Morefield when at MVNP. We stay at McPhee Recreation Area where there are more electric hookup sites for half the price!
Thank you, Nanci! I haven’t a favorite national park, but two we stayed near with our RV were the Smoky Mountains and Denali. We had RV #1 (43′ DP) and stayed outside both. There is a wonderful campground near the Smokies called “Pigeon River Campground.” As the name implies, it is on the Pigeon River and about 30 miles from the national park. There is a great state campground (K’esugi Ken) in Denali State Park, which is just south of Denali National Park. It can accommodate much large RVs than any of the campgrounds in the national park. Safe travels! 🙂
The overly short article lacked quality information. Lava Beds National Monument is another interesting place to visit where one can explore ice caves and see various types of lava in this extinct volcanic area. Park roads are paved as is the campground loop. There are no hookups as the campground was designed when most camping was in tents. Type B van campers would work. There are two adjacent RV campgrounds just outside the park. Tule Lake a few miles north, just a few miles below the Oregon border, has the remains of a Japanese internment camp. I don’t know if there is RV camping there.
Sequoia national park