Stargazing

Nashville Shores Lakeside Resort

49 RV Sites, 23 Cabins

Nashville Shores Lakeside Resort offers 49 RV sites and 23 cabins on Percy Priest Lake in Nashville, with 20, 30, and 50-amp full hookups, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 45 feet, behind a gated entrance. Lakefront premium and lake view categories join a water park, zip line, lazy river, and marina. Forty-nine sites span standard, lake view, lakefront premium, and pull-through categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 45 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. The lakefront premium category is worth requesting early. Twenty-three cabins round out the lodging. A general store, boutique shop, laundry, restrooms, showers, firewood, and boat storage handle the practical side. Recreation is extensive. A full water park, lazy river, and zip line anchor the summer, with a marina, beach, boat rentals, and kayak rentals putting guests on the lake for boating, fishing, paddle boarding, and water sports. A library, walking trails, sports courts, volleyball, horseshoes, corn hole, a playground, pavilion, dog park, on-site dining, and a snack bar fill the rest, with live music and planned activities through the season and strong stargazing over the water. Pets are welcome. One practical note for RV arrivals: GPS often routes you onto Mills Road after Exit 221 (Old Hickory Boulevard). Avoid that turn and follow the resort's posted RV directions instead. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $82/night

Timber Ridge Resort

Timber Ridge Resort in Traverse City, Michigan, offers RV sites, cabins, cottages, and yurts in Grand Traverse County's cherry orchard and vineyard countryside along the Lake Michigan shore — a four-accommodation-format resort in the heart of one of the Midwest's most desirable travel destinations, where the cold-water bay scenery, the nationally recognized wine and culinary industry, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and Traverse City's genuinely excellent arts and dining culture combine to make this stretch of northwestern Lower Michigan one of the most broadly appealing regional destinations in the Great Lakes. The resort's accommodation range from full-hookup RV sites to basic and deluxe cabin configurations to yurts gives it the flexibility to serve the full spectrum of Traverse City-area visitors. Full hookups for RV travelers and a range of cabin, cottage, and yurt options give Timber Ridge Resort the accommodation diversity to serve groups of different sizes, equipment situations, and comfort preferences across the cherry blossom, summer, fall color, and ice wine seasons that define Traverse City's four-season appeal. The resort's Traverse City location gives guests the immediate access to the town's downtown breweries, restaurants, galleries, and farmers markets that makes TC one of the few small Michigan cities consistently drawing visitors from Chicago, Detroit, and Columbus specifically for its locally produced food and drink culture. Pets are welcome. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 22 miles west of Traverse City, is a National Park Service unit protecting 71,000 acres of Lake Michigan shoreline, perched dunes up to 400 feet above the lake surface, hardwood forest, and the offshore Manitou Islands — one of the most scenically varied National Lakeshore units on the Great Lakes and the site of the Dune Climb, where visitors ascend 130 feet of loose sand for a Lake Michigan viewshed that ABC's Good Morning America viewers voted "the Most Beautiful Place in America" in 2011. The North and South Manitou Islands, accessible by ferry from Leland, provide backcountry island hiking and camping in a Great Lakes wilderness setting. The Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula wine regions surrounding Traverse City have emerged as nationally significant producers of Riesling, Pinot Grigio, and cool-climate white varieties in a viticultural region whose 45th parallel latitude and Lake Michigan microclimate create growing conditions directly analogous to Alsace and the Mosel — a comparison that serious wine consumers have validated through consistent critical recognition since the 1990s. The peninsula tasting room circuit, accessible by bicycle from downtown Traverse City, gives guests the wine tourism experience integrated into the cherry orchard and Bay scenery landscape rather than separated into a discrete industrial wine district. Timber Ridge Resort operates from spring through fall in northern Michigan's Great Lakes climate, with the National Cherry Festival in early July representing Traverse City's highest-demand tourism week and the August color transition beginning the fall foliage season that peaks through October in the maple and beech hardwood forests of the Sleeping Bear and Leelanau country. Ice wine production from frozen Riesling grapes in January and February gives wine enthusiasts a winter-season reason to visit that the summer tourism economy obscures. Reserve accommodations months ahead for the Cherry Festival and peak August weekends, when Traverse City accommodation across all categories fills from the Midwest's established Traverse City visitor market.

Outdoorsy Yosemite

141 RV Sites, 4 Cabins, 10 Tent Sites, 6 Glamping Sites

Outdoorsy Yosemite in Bass Lake, California, offers 141 full-hookup RV sites, four cabins, 10 tent sites, and six glamping sites in the Sierra foothills, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 40 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, open all year. Superior back-in, premium pull-through, and standard back-in categories join a pool, clubhouse, boat and kayak rentals, and lake access. One hundred forty-one sites run in standard back-in, superior back-in, and premium pull-thru categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with cable TV, sized to 40 feet, with picnic tables. Note the 40-foot cap before booking a larger rig. Four cabins, 10 tent sites, and six glamping sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills, restrooms, showers, and RV storage handle the practical side. Reservation holders must be at least 18, and guests of all ages are welcome. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with boat rentals, kayak rentals, and bike rentals opening the lake for boating, paddle boats, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing. A clubhouse, game room, billiards, ping pong, basketball, horseshoes, sports courts, walking trails, hiking, mountain biking, a playground, community fire pit, dog park, and on-site dining fill the rest, with strong stargazing and birding. Eighteen miles from Yosemite's South Entrance with Bass Lake's warm water immediately adjacent, this works as both a park basecamp and a lake destination. Summer fills both Yosemite and Bass Lake. Reserve well ahead.

from $41 $35/night

Flat Creek Marina and RV Camping

37 RV Sites, 2 Cabins

Flat Creek Marina and RV Camping in Chandler, TX, offers 37 RV sites and 2 cabins, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 62 feet. The site categories are all about the water: creek waterfront water-and-electric, deluxe creek waterfront water-and-electric, island waterfront full-hookup, and deluxe island waterfront full-hookup. Full-hookup sites carry water, sewer, and electric with a fire pit and picnic table. The grounds are gated and open all year, with laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, boat storage, and golf cart rentals for getting around. Portable toilets supplement the bathhouse near the water. Pets are welcome. Checkout fees are charged to the card on file unless you arrange otherwise. A full marina with boat docks, a boat ramp, kayak rentals, fishing guides, a beach, and a snack bar makes this a fishing and boating destination first, with swimming, paddling, birding, biking, and stargazing alongside. Chandler sits on Cedar Creek Lake in Henderson County, one of East Texas's busiest recreational lakes. Rates by site type are on the booking page. Island waterfront full-hookup sites are the premium spots and book earliest.

from $26/night

Smiley Creek Lodge

6 RV Sites, 7 Cabins, 2 Yurts

Smiley Creek Lodge in Blaine County, Idaho, offers six full-hookup RV sites with 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 40 feet, alongside seven cabins and two yurts on the Sawtooth Scenic Byway. A lake, beach, and general store serve guests near Sun Valley and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Six back-in sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 50-amp service, sized to 40 feet — note that all sites are 50-amp, and the 40-foot cap suits mid-size rigs rather than the largest coaches. Seven cabins and two yurts round out the accommodations. A general store, laundry, restrooms, showers, and WiFi handle the practical side. With six RV sites, reserve well ahead. Pets are welcome. A lake and creek run near the property with a beach for swimming, and canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, boating, and fishing all available. Hiking, biking, and stargazing run from the site, with a playground for families and live music through the season. Wine and beer tasting is nearby. The byway position is the advantage. This is one of the most scenically extraordinary mountain routes in the American West, where the Wood River Valley's cottonwood corridors open into the granite peaks and alpine lakes of the Sawtooths. The lodge gives the most direct access to the Sawtooth Wilderness trail network and the Stanley Basin's fly fishing on the upper Salmon. Directions: from the north, drive 22 miles south from Stanley on Highway 75; from the south, 37 miles north from Ketchum. Summer is the season at this elevation. Reserve well ahead.

from $100/night

Hidden Lakes Family Campground

28 RV Sites, 4 Tent Sites

Hidden Lakes Family Campground in Montville, OH, offers 28 RV sites and 4 tent sites, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service. Sites come in five categories — back-in 30-amp, back-in 50/30-amp, lakeside back-in 50/30-amp, pull-thru 30-amp, and pull-thru 50/30-amp — each carrying water and electric with a fire pit and picnic table. There's no sewer at the site, so plan on the on-site dump station. Maximum rig length isn't reliably published, so call with your dimensions before booking. The campground is gated, with a bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, and a recreation center. Check-in runs 2pm to 6pm with a noon checkout, and late arrivals can't always be accommodated and may incur an additional fee. Pets are welcome. An outdoor pool, a beach, a pavilion, a playground, basketball, horseshoes, and natural lakes fill the grounds, with swimming, fishing, kayaking, boating, stargazing, and themed event weekends through the season. Montville sits in Geauga County between Ohio's Lake Erie wine country and the outer suburbs of Cleveland. Rates for sites and tent spots are on the booking page. Note the check-in window before you plan a long driving day.

Smith Mountain Campground

18 RV Sites, 2 Tent Sites

Smith Mountain Campground in Penhook, VA, offers 20 full-hookup RV sites and 2 tent sites, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 50 feet. Sites come in three categories — back-in 30-amp water-and-electric, back-in 30/50-amp, and pull-thru 30/50-amp — with full-hookup sites carrying water, sewer, and electric plus a fire pit and picnic table. A bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, a dump station, a recreation center, and cabins cover the rest. Pets are welcome. A stocked fishing pond, private hiking trails, a pavilion, sport courts, bocce, corn hole, horseshoes, a playground, and creek frontage fill the family-owned grounds, with boating, picnicking, and dark-sky stargazing. Penhook sits on Liberty Road in the Blue Ridge foothills of Franklin County, less than five miles from the nearest public boat launch on Smith Mountain Lake, with the Booker T. Washington Monument, The Homeplace Vineyard, and The Coves Amphitheater all close. Rates for sites and cabins are on the booking page. Twenty sites near Smith Mountain Lake fill quickly in summer, so reserve ahead.

from $35/night

Dell Pines Campground

141 RV Sites, 13 Cabins

Dell Pines Campground in Baraboo, Wisconsin, offers 141 RV sites and 13 cabins in a pine forest setting in Sauk County, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 44 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Six categories cover 30-amp and 50-amp back-ins and pull-throughs in both full-hookup and water-and-electric configurations, with an outdoor pool and mini-golf. One hundred forty-one sites span 30-amp and 50-amp back-ins, water-and-electric back-ins, and 30-amp and 50-amp pull-throughs, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted, sized to 44 feet, with fire rings and picnic tables at every site. Thirteen cabins round out the accommodations. A general store, laundry, dump station, RV storage, boat storage, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with mini-golf, a game room, craft room, and snack bar besides. Sports courts, pickleball, tennis, basketball, volleyball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, and corn hole spread across the grounds, with walking trails, a playground, and a pavilion. Planned activities run through the season, and the pine cover makes for good stargazing. Pets are welcome. Baraboo carries a dual identity — historical winter headquarters of the Ringling Brothers circus, and gateway to Devil's Lake State Park's geological splendors. The Wisconsin Dells waterpark corridor is also within striking distance, giving one wooded base an unusual depth of day-trip options. Directions: from I-90/94 take Exit 92 toward Baraboo onto Highway 12, then Exit 214 east on North Reedsburg Road to the stoplight, left north on County Highway BD one mile, left onto Shady Land Road, and three-quarters of a mile on.

from $40/night

Copano Bay RV Resort

Copano Bay RV Resort in Rockport, TX, offers full-hookup back-in RV sites carrying water, sewer, and electric, with site-delivered WiFi. Contact the resort for site count, amp service, and maximum rig length, since those specifics aren't published here, though the resort is rated big rig friendly and open all year. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a business center, a library, a clubhouse, a recreation center, a community fire pit, a pet washing station, and boat storage cover the practical side. Pets are welcome, with a dog park. The amenity list is one of the deepest in this batch: an outdoor pool, a fitness center, a game room with billiards and ping pong, a fishing pier, boat docks, a boat ramp, a beach, a pavilion, sport courts, volleyball, basketball, corn hole, walking trails, and a lake, with fishing, boating, kayaking, swimming, birding, stargazing, and planned activities. Rockport sits on Copano Bay in Aransas County on the Texas Coastal Bend, near the whooping crane wintering grounds of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, the Fulton Mansion, Rockport Beach Park, the Connie Hagar refuge, and the Big Tree. Rates and availability are on the booking page. Call ahead to confirm your rig's fit; winter fills with snowbirds and birders.

from $69/night

Mountain Valley Lodge and Campground

60 RV Sites, 16 Tent Sites

Mountain Valley Lodge and Campground in Thompsonville, MI, offers 60 full-hookup RV sites and 16 tent sites, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 60 feet. Sites come as back-ins and pull-throughs, each carrying water, sewer, and electric with a fire pit and picnic table. A bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, a recreation center, and cabins for guests without a rig cover the essentials. Pets are welcome. An outdoor pool, sport courts, basketball, ping pong, billiards, a playground, and dark northern-Michigan sky for stargazing fill the grounds, with swimming and picnicking on site. Skiing, snowboarding, off-roading, golf, a lake, a beach, and a river are all nearby. Thompsonville sits three miles from Crystal Mountain Resort in Benzie County, in the northwestern Lower Peninsula where the Betsie and Crystal Rivers and a chain of spring-fed lakes define the region. Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Huron-Manistee National Forests are close. Rates for sites and tent spots are on the booking page. Ski season and summer both run busy here — reserve ahead either way.

from $50/night

Ohana Celebration Park

9 RV Sites, 1 Cabin, 5 Tent Sites

Ohana Celebration Park in Vilonia, Arkansas, offers nine RV sites, a cabin, and five tent sites on a lake in the central Arkansas countryside, with 30 and 50-amp full hookups on a big-rig-friendly layout. Premium lake-front and lake view pull-throughs join group RV sites, with a beach, boat and kayak rentals, and on-site dining. Nine sites run in group RV, lake view pull-through, and premium lake front pull-through categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp, with fire pits and picnic tables. The lake front and lake view categories are worth requesting early. A cabin and five tent sites round out the accommodations. A general store, laundry, personal mailboxes, restrooms, and a pavilion handle the practical side, and the group sites suit families or clubs traveling together. The lake carries the recreation. A beach gives swimming access, with boat and kayak rentals on site and fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boats from the shoreline, plus inflatable water toys in season. Walking trails, hiking, biking, a playground, community fire pit, and on-site dining fill the rest, with planned activities through the season and strong stargazing over the water. Pets are welcome. The park has been reborn since 2021 under the Mize family's stewardship from the historic Lester Flatt Memorial Park site, welcoming both short and extended stays. Vilonia sits in Faulkner County between Conway and Little Rock, with the Central Arkansas Karting Complex and Precision Paintball nearby. Summer lake season drives demand. With nine sites, reserve well ahead.

from $25/night

Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground

39 RV Sites, 79 Tent Sites

Joshua Tree Lake RV Campground in Joshua Tree, California, provides a lakeside and desert camping experience at the gateway to Joshua Tree National Park—the 800,000-acre California desert preserve where the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts converge and the iconic twisted Joshua trees create the alien landscape that has made this park one of the most photographed national parks in the American West. The campground's pond and lake, wedding venue, live music programming, and exceptional dark-sky stargazing access distinguish it from the park's own developed campgrounds, providing resort-amenity camping with the Joshua Tree character—moonlit boulder piles, star-filled desert skies, and the haunting silhouettes of Yucca brevifolia in the desert night—that defines the high-desert camping experience at the edge of one of California's most beloved national parks. The campground's facility reflects the desert environment and destination event character: a private lake and pond for fishing and desert water recreation, planned activities and live music and entertainment programming that takes advantage of the dramatic desert landscape setting, a wedding venue for celebrations in the Joshua Tree destination event market, bird and wildlife watching in the desert tortoise and roadrunner habitat, a general store, pavilion, showers, bathrooms, dump station, pet-friendly policies, Wi-Fi, and mountain and desert views that frame every camping site with the park scenery that brought guests to Joshua Tree in the first place. Stargazing events and the campground's exceptional night-sky access provide the evening programming that no facilities can improve upon in this dark-sky desert. Joshua Tree National Park's Wonderland of Rocks—a concentration of massive rounded granite monoliths that rose from magma intrusions 100 million years ago and were exposed by erosion to create the boulder-pile landscape that defines the park's distinctive visual character—contains over 8,000 documented rock climbing routes that have made Joshua Tree the most visited and most iconic rock climbing destination in North America. The Skull Rock Nature Trail, Keys View's panoramic Coachella Valley overlook, and the Cottonwood Spring oasis in the Sonoran Desert section provide the representative national park experiences accessible on day hikes from the campground's Joshua Tree gateway position. The town of Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms, and the High Desert arts and culture community that has grown around the national park's western gateway have developed a distinctive creative culture of galleries, music venues, and the annual Joshua Tree Music Festival that reflect the desert landscape's effect on artistic practice in the creative community that has colonized the Morongo Valley's high desert terrain. The Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum in Joshua Tree—a free outdoor sculpture garden of assemblage art created by Purifoy from the debris of the 1965 Watts Riots—is one of the most significant and unusual outdoor art installations in California. Joshua Tree Lake RV Campground operates year-round in the high Mojave Desert's four-season climate, with the fall and spring seasons from October through April delivering the most comfortable desert temperatures for hiking, rock climbing, and boulder exploration in Joshua Tree National Park—the summer months above 100 degrees Fahrenheit make the park's sun-exposed terrain genuinely dangerous for unprepared hikers in the heat of the day, while the mild winter nights create extraordinary stargazing conditions when the desert air's low humidity and the campground's minimal light pollution combine with the Milky Way's winter arc over the park's boulder silhouettes. The spring wildflower season in February and March after winter rains creates the desert bloom that brings maximum visitor volume to Joshua Tree.

from $15/night