Canoeing/Kayaking

Lake Tamarisk Desert Resort

19 RV Sites

Lake Tamarisk Desert Resort in Desert Center, CA, offers 19 full-hookup RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 70 feet. Sites come as back-ins and pull-thrus, each carrying water, sewer, and electric. At 70 feet the pull-thrus take a long coach. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a clubhouse, a library, RV storage, recycling, and WiFi cover the essentials, and pets are welcome. Plan your arrival around the office hours: Monday through Saturday, 10am to noon and 2pm to 4pm, closed Sundays and major holidays. An outdoor pool, a hot tub and sauna, billiards, and a lake fill the grounds, with fishing, kayaking, hiking, birding, and the kind of desert night sky that makes stargazing the main event. Golf is next door. Desert Center sits in the Chuckwalla Valley two miles north of Interstate 10, about 70 miles east of Palm Springs, in a stretch of the Colorado Desert most drivers pass without knowing what's there. Rates and availability are on the booking page. Note the office hours — they're narrower than most parks.

from $50/night

Arizona Oasis

42 RV Sites, 10 Cabins

Arizona Oasis RV Resort in Ehrenberg, Arizona, offers 42 full-hookup RV sites and 10 cabins on the Colorado River at the California border, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 68 feet behind a gated entrance. Covered pull-through and riverside back-in categories join premium and standard tiers, with a marina, boat ramp, pool, and hot tub. Forty-two sites span covered pull-thru, premium back-in, riverside back-in, and standard pull-thru categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with cable TV, sized to 68 feet. Two categories stand out: the covered sites put a shade structure over the pad, which in the Arizona desert is worth more than almost any other upgrade, and the riverside tier puts you on the water. Ten cabins round out the lodging. A laundry, showers, and a gated entrance handle the practical side. A marina and boat ramp open the Colorado for boating, water sports, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing, with an outdoor pool, hot tub and sauna, beach, clubhouse, game room, playground, dog park, horseshoes, hiking, and biking filling the rest. Offroading is nearby. Ehrenberg sits directly across the river from Blythe on one of the most iconic waterways in the American Southwest, which makes this a genuine waterfront resort in a desert setting — year-round warm weather, river recreation, and I-10 right there. Quartzsite's winter gem shows are 20 miles east. Winter is the season in the low desert, with summer river traffic drawing a second wave. Reserve well ahead for January through March.

from $40/night

The Palms at River Edge

The Palms at River Edge in Ehrenberg, Arizona, delivers a family-friendly waterfront resort experience on the Colorado River in the Sonoran Desert where the Arizona-California border is defined entirely by the river's course, providing direct beach, boating, and water sports access on one of the American Southwest's most iconic waterways in a gated community environment suited to both seasonal stays and active water recreation enthusiasts. Positioned in La Paz County where the lower Colorado River corridor has developed as a winter snowbird and warm-weather water sports destination, the resort combines resort amenities with the Colorado River's recreational resources. The resort's facility is designed around the water-centric lifestyle that the Colorado River enables—a beach for swimming and launching non-motorized watercraft, a pool for independent aquatic recreation, paddle boarding, canoeing and kayaking access, fishing directly from the property's river frontage, and boating opportunities on the Colorado's broad lower channel. A gated entrance, clubhouse, recreation center, dog park, playground, general store, propane fills, and laundry serve the comprehensive residential and recreational needs of extended-stay guests, and the shuffleboard and swimming pools provide social recreation alongside the river's more active opportunities. The lower Colorado River at Ehrenberg flows through a landscape that represents the Sonoran Desert at its most dramatic geographic expression—a narrow, intensely green riparian corridor cutting through a stark, tan-and-rust desert environment where temperatures regularly exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and the river's presence defines the zone of habitability in a landscape that would otherwise be entirely uninhabitable. The river's warm water—heated by the desert sun across hundreds of miles of Arizona and Nevada before reaching Ehrenberg—creates excellent conditions for water skiing, jet skiing, and tubing that have made the lower Colorado one of the country's most popular motorized water recreation destinations. Quartzsite, approximately 20 miles north on US-95, is one of the American Southwest's most fascinating community phenomena—a small desert town that swells from a few thousand permanent residents to several hundred thousand during the January and February gem show and winter RV rally season, creating one of the largest temporary human gatherings in the western United States in a remote desert location. The Dome Rock Mountains to the east and the Trigo Mountains to the west provide off-road recreation terrain for guests with OHV equipment, and the BLM land surrounding Ehrenberg contains extensive open desert camping and exploration opportunities. Joshua Tree National Park is accessible approximately 45 miles west through the Palo Verde Valley. The Palms at River Edge operates year-round with dramatically different seasonal characters—winter's mild desert temperatures from November through April make it ideal for snowbirds and casual water recreation, while summer's extreme desert heat concentrates activity in the early morning and evening hours with midday retreat to the pool and air-conditioned facilities. The resort's full-service infrastructure and Colorado River access give it competitive advantages over simpler Ehrenberg riverside campgrounds, and the combination of gated security, resort amenities, and direct river frontage makes it one of the more complete water recreation destinations in the lower Colorado corridor. Reservations during the Quartzsite show season fill early.

River Sands RV Resort

River Sands RV Resort in Ehrenberg, Arizona, is your new go-to destination for camping on the Colorado River. This luxury resort spans 51 acres and features spacious pull-through and back-in RV sites with full hookups, a resort-style pool, and a modern clubhouse with a fitness center and game room. Whether you’re here for outdoor adventure or resort-style relaxation, this place has you covered. Take advantage of private river access for kayaking, paddleboarding, or fishing. Explore nearby Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, known for its trails and incredible birdwatching. A quick 20-minute drive brings you to Quartzsite Arizona camping, where you can explore gem shows, flea markets, and RV culture at its best. River Sands RV Resort combines comfort and convenience, with clean facilities, a dog park, and an active events calendar to keep things lively. Whether you’re relaxing by the pool, hitting the river, or heading to Quartzsite, this resort delivers an unforgettable stay. Book your trip today and experience camping in Ehrenberg like never before!

from $46/night

Lake Hemet Campgrounds

245 RV Sites, 10 Cabins, 19 Tent Sites, 1 Glamping Site, 3 Onsite RV/Trailers, 1 Park Model

Lake Hemet Campgrounds in Mountain Center, California, offers 248 RV sites, 11 cabin and park model units, 19 tent sites, and a glamping site on a reservoir at roughly 4,340 feet in the San Jacinto Mountains. Sites run full hookup, partial hookup, dry, and lakeview dry, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 50 feet, open all year. Two hundred forty-eight sites span full hookup, partial hookup, dry RV, and lakeview dry categories carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 50 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. The tiering by hookup level lets self-contained rigs take a dry or lakeview dry site at a lower rate. Named rental units — Eagle's Crest, Lakeside, and Trout Pines among them — plus cabins and park models round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, dump station, boat storage, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side, with a gated entrance controlling access. The reservoir is managed for recreational fishing and non-motorized boating, with a marina, boat ramp, and boat and kayak rentals on site. An outdoor pool and splash pad, sports courts, volleyball, basketball, hiking, biking, paddle boarding, and picnicking fill the rest, with a bar on the property and a wedding venue besides. Pets are welcome. Mountain Center sits where the Pacific Crest Trail passes and climbers drive up from Los Angeles and San Diego, on the winding Highway 74 escape from valley heat. The elevation makes this a genuine four-season destination. Summer is peak — reserve ahead.

from $57/night

Surf Outpost

95 RV Sites, 35 Tent Sites

Surf Outpost in Malibu, California, offers 95 full-hookup RV sites and 35 tent sites on the Pacific coast, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 45 feet. Ocean view, premium ocean view, and XL categories join no-view back-in sites, with beach access across Pacific Coast Highway. Ninety-five back-in sites span no view, no view XL, ocean view, ocean view XL, and premium ocean view categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with site WiFi, sized to 45 feet, with picnic tables. The category structure is refreshingly plain about what you are paying for — an ocean view or not, and extra length or not. Thirty-five tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills, dump station, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. Beach access is on foot: down the driveway, right on PCH, then to the signal and crosswalk at the gas station. Stays of four nights or more in September run 20% off, applied automatically. The beach carries the recreation, with surfing, paddle boarding, swimming, hiking, and horseback riding all available. A dog park sits on the grounds. Pets are welcome. The Malibu coast's surf breaks and the Santa Monica Mountains meeting the Pacific make this one of the most photographed coastlines on earth — and full hookups here are genuinely scarce. Summer is peak on the Southern California coast. Reserve as far ahead as you can.

from $75/night

Lake Piru Recreation Area

228 RV Sites

Lake Piru Recreation Area in Piru, California, offers 228 RV sites on a 1,200-acre reservoir in Ventura County, with 30 and 50-amp service, ADA-accessible sites, and rigs accepted to 55 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Full-hookup, electric-only, and no-hookup back-in categories serve every budget, with a marina and boat rentals on site. Two hundred twenty-eight back-in sites span full-hookup, electric-only, and no-hookup configurations, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 55 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and site WiFi. Accessible sites are available. The tiering by hookup level is genuinely useful — self-contained rigs can take a no-hookup site at a lower rate. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. The reservoir carries the recreation. A marina and boat rentals put guests on the water, with boating, water sports, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing all running from the property. A disc golf course, walking trails, hiking, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, a playground, and a dog park fill the grounds, with planned activities through the season. Pets are welcome. Lake Piru sits where the Santa Felicia Dam impounds Piru Creek in the Topatopa Mountains, surrounded by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and Los Padres National Forest — one of Southern California's most scenic accessible mountain lakes, roughly 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Summer draws heavy demand from the LA metro. Reserve well ahead for warm-weather weekends.

from $32/night