I’m a walking meat sack with little kids in the house, so my travel game sucks. When my friend sent me an article in Outside magazine on Mount Lassen it made my mind wander to some of the unreal places where I’ve had the fortune of camping out. Here’s my take on the top underrated campsites. All photos are from my actual trips
1) Lassen Volcanic National Park
No clue why so few people east of the continental divide know of @LassenNPS but I hope it stays that way. At least seven volcanoes to hike, several micro climates, and a molten wasteland called Bumpass Hell. A Hollywood location scout’s dream.
2) Jalama Beach in SoCal
#Jalamabeach in SoCal has made it onto a few “off the beaten path” top 10 lists & it deserves acclaim. It’s remote—25 miles off the 101 freeway on a jut of land into the Pacific. The way it sticks out into the ocean if you sailed due south you wouldn’t hit land until Antarctica.
There’s no cell service so you have to disconnect. The stars here are magnificent, offering views of the Milky Way cutting across the sky. I was there during a Meteor Shower peak—the Perseid Meteors. I saw an average of one shooting star per minute while staring into the firmament.
3) Villa Traful in Argentina
Rule #1 of a great campsite is that it must be hard to get there. The 2-hr alpine route from Bariloche to this spectacular outpost tested our rental car’s limits. Stunning vistas, cartoonishly glimmering water, and rustic camping pay it off. Check out @neuquentur.
4) Badlands National Park
The pride of South Dakota, @BadlandsNPS. What made it so special is that we drove into the park and arrived at our camp at midnight under cover of total darkness. All you could see were hulking shadowy suggestions of something jagged and ominous lurking in the void.
Upon unzipping the tent the next morning, we were literally taken aback by the landscape of Mordor confronting us in the daylight. Exploring the park and washed out surrounding areas gives off a lonely sense of forgottenness. I’m still kind of disturbed by this place.
5) Tayrona Park in Colombia
A large national park with the highest coastal mountain range on earth. Think 15k ft snowcaps overlooking tropical beaches. Also home to a fierce warrior tribe that to this day will kill your ass if you trespass on their land. Great hammock camping. Learn more at @parquetayrona1.
6) Mount Pisgah in N.C.
Pound for pound the eastern US doesn’t have the outdoor cred to compete on this list. But at around 5K feet elevation #mountpisgah is the closest I’ve seen to western camping anywhere east of the Rockies. Summer temps 20 degrees below sultry Atlanta.
7) Sea of Galilee in Israel
Camping on Susita Beach next to the #Kinneret was a bucket list event for cultural and spiritual reasons. There’s just something special about waking up to the sound of waves gently rolling off the lake where Jesus was alleged to have walked on water.
8) Gooseberry Falls in Minnesota
A revelation for me. I hadn’t spent time in the north woods until two siblings moved to Minnie in the past 10 yrs. My sister took us to this incredible hardwood forest campground on the rocky cliffs above Lake Superior. Majestic, misty, free. @mnstateparks
9) Koh Phi Phi in Thailand
Technically not traditional tent camping. More of a straw hut on the beach in Phak Nam Bay. Utterly ridiculous scenery that photographs cannot fairly replicate. A place where you can easily forget about real life and let a week pass by in a salty blink.
Originally tweeted by J Campbell (@jrok78) on March 4, 2021.