Take your furry friend and pitch your tent at one of these pet-friendly parks out West.
San Francisco, North Petaluma:
Nestled near the Napa and Sonoma wineries, this spot is rated one of the top campgrounds in California. Only thirty miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, you and your dog are welcome in most of the Bay Area parks and trails.
Pitch your tent at one of these popular campgrounds across the U.S. and enjoy everything from fishing to fall foliage. From Pawtuckaway State Park in New Hampshire to the Ohlone Wilderness in California, these are some of the best places to enjoy autumn's crisp air and vibrant colors.
Is one of your favorite sites missing from the list? Feel free to share your own secret spots.
Maine’s Classic Vacation Experience at Patten Pond.
The Setting
When is a pond not really a pond? When it’s a 749-acre lake! Choose a water-view campsite with a spacious pull-thru, a cottage right on the lake, or a cabin or lodge apartment.
Amenities Include
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Resort Features
Canoe, fish, swim, boat or just relax and watch the loons from our peaceful, private beach. There are lots of activities available to our landlubbers too! Enjoy a game of volleyball or explore the nearby sights at Acadia National Park and take a stroll through Historic Bar Harbor! There’s something for everyone at or near Patten Pond Resort!
Enjoy Ocean Views at Narrows Too!
The Setting
This newly renovated oceanfront campground features upgraded sites with 50/100 amp service, a new clubhouse and recreation building and rental cabins just a stones throw away from the ocean! Located in one of the most picturesque places in the U.S., Narrows Too is also one of the newest campgrounds in the country! Don't miss the spectacular view from Cadillac Mountain and the fabulous Maine lobster.
Amenities Include
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Resort Features
A new entertainment center with a 60-foot porch facing the ocean and our heated pool with expanded deck and our community fire circles are just some of the great resort features we offer! We also have some great sightseeing and hiking opportunities available nearby at Acadia National Park or Historic Bar Harbor.
Experience Mt. Desert Narrows.
The Setting
Do you love the ocean? Then you will love this resort! Pitch a tent or park your RV right by the water or back up a bit and enjoy the panoramic ocean view. Plus, don't miss a visit to Acadia National Park!
Amenities Include
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Resort Features
Enjoy our playground; horseshoe, volleyball and basketball courts; our heated pool, video arcade, and great in-season live-entertainment! We also have some great sightseeing and hiking opportunities available nearby at Acadia National Park or Historic Bar Harbor. We offer all the amenities and our friendly staff is ready to assist you to ensure your stay is perfect!
Use Promocode BAR020 to receive 20% off your stay!
Florida’s tallest waterfall.
The Setting
During the 1778 British occupation of Florida, Native Americans were still living on Falling Waters Hill and the surrounding area. Though they left no written records, artifacts are often found whenever a field is tilled for a new crop.
Two industries operated near the waterfall. A gristmill, powered by the waterfall, ground corn into grits and cornmeal during the Civil War period. In 1891, a legal whiskey distillery furnished spirits to a wine shop established to meet the demands of men working at the frontier railway construction site.
In 1919, one of the first oil wells in Florida was drilled at Falling Waters. Indian legends and a wildcat stock promoter’s claim of oil helped get the project going. A tall, wooden derrick and steam-driven rig were used to drill for oil, but the drillers had little luck. When a depth of 3,900 feet was reached, a blow of gas released from the drill site temporarily excited area residents with a false report of a gusher. Promoters continued to drill the oil well to a final depth of 4,912 feet. When all was said and done, no oil of commercial quantity was ever found. The well was capped in 1921.
At Falling Waters State Park visitors will find one of the most significant geological features in Florida. Climb down the wooden stairway into the mouth of a 100-foot deep, 20-foot wide cylindrical sinkhole and gaze up to see a waterfall cascade 73 feet, then disappear into a cave at the bottom of the sinkhole.
The Facility
Campers can spend the night on one of the highest hills in Florida. Situated in a pine forest 324 feet above sea level, it is one of the nicest campgrounds anywhere. Twenty-four campsites equipped with water, electricity, picnic tables and ground grills are available. Pets are welcome with proof of vaccination. The restrooms are well-maintained, as are other amenities found throughout the park.
Fireside chats with a park ranger are offered seasonally on Saturdays. Campers may reserve a youth camping area set aside for organizations and youth groups.
Camping Tips
Park Features
One of Florida’s hidden treasures, a 73-foot waterfall, awaits visitors at Falling Waters State Park. Fern-covered sinkholes line the boardwalk that leads visitors to Florida’s highest waterfall.
This park has something for everyone, so visitors can leave the busy world behind and explore nature at its finest. Nature lovers can walk the other trails in the park and see what Florida looked like over 400 years ago when the Spaniards first arrived in La Florida.
Visitors can picnic among the towering pines or reserve one of two pavilions with wheelchair accessible restrooms, playgrounds, picnic tables and grills. They can take a cool dip in the two acre lake or work on a tan on the white sand beach. Fishing is also permitted with a Florida freshwater fishing license.
Address
1130 State Park Road
Chipley, Florida 32428
(850) 638-6130
Paintsville Lake offers great fishing, boating, and full service camping all nestled in the beautiful Appalachian Hills.
The Setting
Paintsville Lake provides 1,140 acres of boating, skiing, and fishing pleasure. After a day of fun on the lake, relax in the family atmosphere of the Campground. Visit the nearby Mountain Home Place. This living history farm recreates Appalachian farm life as it was in the 1850’s. A 1.6 mile Kiwanis Walking Trail is located near the Park and offers an easy to moderate walk with a beautiful view of the lake and resident wildlife. Located near Paintsville Lake is the U.S. 23 Country Highway Museum.
The Facility
The Campground features 32 developed sites with 20-30-50-amp service, water/sewer hook-ups. Four pull through and two handicap accessible sites are available. Ten tent sites are available in a beautiful wooded setting. Full service bathhouse, laundry and playground are located in the Campground. A full service Marina near the Campground, offers houseboat, pontoon, and fishing boat rentals as well as a four lane-launching ramp. The Park also offers two single and two double picnic shelters that are available for rent.
Camping Tips
Located at the entrance to the Campground is a Recreation Area, including a playground, horseshoe pits, sand volleyball court and basketball court.
Park Features
A variety of wildlife can be found. Black bears are once again making their home in the area. There is an abundance of deer, squirrels, rabbits, turkeys, skunks, raccoons and ruffled grouse in the woods surrounding the park. The scenic beauty of the Paintsville Lake region is the perfect destination not only for sportsmen and naturalists but also for the whole family.
Address
1551 KY RT 2275
Staffordsville, Kentucky 41256
Phone: (606) 297-8486
With spectacular views, diverse wildlife and an extensive trails system, Cheyenne Mountain State Park is the perfect place for a mountain getaway. Located just outside downtown Colorado Springs, this state park is a convenient destination to escape and enjoy the best in hiking, biking, wildlife viewing and picnicking.
The Setting
Nestled between mountains and the Colorado Springs skyline, Cheyenne Mountain State Park is an outdoor sanctuary that offers plenty of opportunities for people to slow down and enjoy nature. The park’s panoramic scenery, quiet picnic areas, extensive trails and diverse wildlife offer year-round activities for all types of outdoor enthusiasts.
Wildlife watchers will notice a variety of different species as deer, elk, black bears, cougars, coyotes, red foxes, and prairie dogs make their home in the park. Along with a diverse bird population that includes wild turkey and golden eagles, bobcats and badgers can also seen on a regular basis.
There is an interesting historical background to the land in and around Cheyenne Mountain State Park. Nearby archaeological sites and tribal histories provided by the Colorado State Historical Society suggest that the Ute Native Americans used this area a brief stopping point as they traveled along their seasonal migration routes between winter and summer hunting lands.
The Facility
Cheyenne Mountain State Park Campgrounds are set into the hillside with Cheyenne Mountain on one side and an overlook of the Colorado Springs skyline out to the plains on the other. Campers can enjoy the views and take advantage of a variety of camping options available at the park.
There are 48 full-hookup and tent campsites available, as well as 12 group camp sites. All of the sites include electrical, water, and sewer hookups, a tent pad, picnic table, emergency water hydrant, and fire ring. Tent sites, located in the Swift Puma Heights Campground and the Meadow Campground, have one parking space big enough to hold one passenger vehicle and include all of the amenities mentioned above except the electrical, water and sewer hookups.
There are a number of services available in the camper service building, including camper registrations, park information, a camp store with grocery and gift items, restrooms, coin-operated showers and laundry, playground, activity room, and educational displays.
Camping Tips
• Be sure to stop by the Visitor Center, which provides park information as well as maps and other resources.
• Check out geocaching as you explore the park’s trails and open space. Several caches are hidden in the park with clues. GPS users can use the parks cache coordinates found at www.geocaching.org. GPS units are available to rent at the Visitor Center.
Park Features
• Sixteen trails to explore 20 miles of hiking, biking and wildlife viewing
• Scenic picnic sites nestled within scrub oak and trees.
Address
410 JL Ranch Heights
Colorado Springs, CO 80926
A Recreational Haven – Hope We’ll See You There!
The Setting
The Campground – open from April 17-September 30 – is located within the 544 acres that comprise Hopeville Pond State Park. Visitors can take advantage of the vast recreational opportunities - fishing, swimming, boating, camping, biking, hiking, and picnicking – that abound on the serene shores of Hopeville Pond.
The Facility
Hopeville Pond State Park Campground features 80 sites with access to the shower and toilet buildings, the campground’s dumping station, and the campground’s beach and boat launch. There is also a concessionaire located within the campground. Please not that pets are not allowed.
Park Features
The Pachaug River was a major fishing ground for the Mohegan Indians who constructed stone weirs along the banks to herd fish. In the early 18th century mills were constructed along the river (one by the name of Hope Mill from which Hopeville was derived) and eventually the river was damned in 1828 which resulted in the creation of Hopeville Pond. The parks’ suitability for recreational activities was recognized in the 1930’s when the Federal Government purchased considerable acreage in Eastern Connecticut. These lands were managed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) with evidence of much of the work done by the CCC still visible in the pine plantations, forest roads, and fire control ponds. Most of these federally purchased lands now comprise portions of nearby Pachaug State Forest which is the state’s largest forest.
Address
Route 201
Griswold, CT 06351
(860) 376-0313
