Canoeing/Kayaking

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

Lake Tamarisk Desert Resort

19 RV Sites

Lake Tamarisk Desert Resort sits in the Chuckwalla Valley two miles north of Interstate 10 near Desert Center, California, approximately 70 miles east of Palm Springs in a stretch of the Colorado Desert that most drivers blow past on their way between Los Angeles and Phoenix without knowing what's here. The tamarisk desert resort is a member-owned, adults-only (55+) community of 150 spaces built around a private lake in one of California's most geographically isolated and undervisited corners—a place where the quiet is profound, the skies are dark, and the surrounding desert rewards those who look slowly. All 150 RV sites offer full hookups with 30 and 50-amp service, and the resort's facilities include a heated swimming pool and spa, air-conditioned clubhouse with television, WiFi, a lending library, games, and a pool table, and coin-operated laundry with hot showers. Catch-and-release fishing on the private lake, stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking on the water, and bird watching along the tamarisk-lined shore provide the primary on-site recreation, supplemented by off-highway vehicle access directly from the resort's perimeter—the Chuckwalla Valley terrain surrounding the property opens into extensive desert OHV areas without requiring a trailer and launch ramp. Well-behaved pets are welcome at no additional charge. Desert Center is one of the more quietly extraordinary spots on the Southern California desert map—a community of a few dozen residents in the Chuckwalla Valley, surrounded by Bureau of Land Management and preserve land, where the silence and the distance from ambient light create nighttime sky conditions that desert astronomers prize. The Chuckwalla Mountains rise to the south, the Eagle Mountains to the north, and the broad valley floor between them has the kind of unobstructed horizon that makes morning and evening light memorable rather than merely convenient. Resident and migratory birds—including raptors, wrens, and desert sparrows—populate the tamarisk and palo verde in numbers that surprise first-time visitors. Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, operating on the old Marine Corps Air Station desert floor nearby, hosts club racing, track days, and high-performance driving events that draw motorsport enthusiasts from across Southern California. Joshua Tree National Park is about an hour north, where the transition from the Mojave to Colorado Desert ecosystems creates the distinctive Joshua tree forests and rock formations that have made it one of the most photographed landscapes in the American West. The General Patton Memorial Museum at Chiriaco Summit preserves the history of the Desert Training Center where American forces prepared for the North Africa campaign in World War II across 18,000 square miles of this same desert. A 9-hole public golf course sits just a block from the resort property. Lake Tamarisk Desert Resort runs on the Sonoran Desert calendar, with winter from November through March delivering the mild, clear weather that makes the California low desert one of the premier snowbird destinations in the American Southwest. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 115 degrees, making the June through September period the least comfortable for extended outdoor time, though the resort's pool, shaded clubhouse, and air conditioning provide adequate relief for short summer visits. Early reservations are essential for the winter season, when the combination of warm days, cool evenings, and the resort's community atmosphere drives sustained demand from repeat guests who return year after year.

from $50/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

Arizona Oasis

42 RV Sites, 10 Cabins

Arizona Oasis RV Resort in Ehrenberg, Arizona, sits on the Colorado River at the Arizona-California border, directly across from Blythe and delivering a waterfront resort experience on one of the American Southwest's most iconic rivers in a location that combines year-round warm-weather camping with water-based recreation on the lower Colorado's broad, warm river channel. Positioned where the Colorado exits the narrow canyon stretches of the Mohave Desert and widens into the lower desert valley that marks the transition to the lower basin, the resort serves the large population of snowbird and water recreation visitors who make the lower Colorado River corridor one of the most active winter RV destinations in the western United States. The resort's amenities are oriented around the water-centric lifestyle that defines lower Colorado River camping at its best. A boat ramp provides direct river access for motorized watercraft, and the beach allows swimming and non-motorized water sports directly from the property. A pool, hot tub, clubhouse, playground, and dog park round out the on-site facility, while gated access and a laundry provide the security and practical services extended-stay guests need. The resort's full hookup utility connections and big-rig-accessible site layout accommodate the large motorhomes and fifth wheels that the snowbird population commonly travels in. The lower Colorado River's desert landscape around Ehrenberg is the quintessential Lower Sonoran Desert environment—sparse creosote bush and brittlebush flats broken by the river's dramatic green ribbon of tamarisk, cottonwood, and willow that supports the only significant riparian habitat for hundreds of miles in any direction. The river's warm water temperatures—reaching 80-plus degrees Fahrenheit in summer and remaining swimmable through much of the late fall season—create conditions ideal for water skiing, jet skiing, fishing, tubing, and the extended river float culture that defines recreation on this stretch of the Colorado. The lower Colorado corridor provides fishing for striped bass, channel catfish, largemouth bass, and bluegill in waters that receive significant year-round angling pressure from anglers targeting the river's productive warm-water fishery. Off-road recreation in the surrounding desert provides additional activities for guests with OHV equipment, and the Dome Rock Mountains BLM area east of Quartzsite offers miles of designated OHV routes through the desert landscape. Quartzsite, approximately 20 miles north on US-95, hosts the world's largest gem, mineral, and rock show each January and February, drawing hundreds of thousands of vendors and visitors to the desert community and creating peak demand in the lower Colorado corridor simultaneously with the snowbird winter season. Arizona Oasis operates year-round, with winter from November through March representing the peak season when warm Arizona desert temperatures draw snowbird residents from northern states and Canada. Summer brings extreme desert heat—temperatures exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit are common in July and August—that significantly reduces occupancy outside of water-focused guests who tolerate the heat for the river access. The resort's Colorado River frontage, water recreation infrastructure, and winter climate position make it one of the most appealing properties in the Ehrenberg-Blythe corridor for guests whose vacation centers on river life in the southwestern desert.

from $41/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.