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The Most Beautiful Beach Campsites in the USA

If you love a day at the beach, why not spend the night there too? You can drift off to sleep to the sound of waves after enjoying your campfire and s’mores.  In the morning after a quiet and restful night’s sleep, you’ll wake up on the sandy shores, eat your breakfast, go for your morning walk and do the whole thing all over again.

Here are some of the most beautiful beach campsites:

Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

Plan an amazing camping vacation just a few steps from Fort Jefferson, a 19th-century fort near the Garden Key Campground in Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park.  It’s remote with clear water and coral reefs, and the scenery will blow you away.  Come fully prepared, there are no resorts or restaurants here, just wilderness, wildlife, water and sunshine.  Bring your camera and snorkeling gear!

The Most Beautiful Beach Campsites in the USA
Joe Parks via Flickr

Oceanside Campground, Assateague Island, Maryland

You really can’t beat the views and rustic feel of oceanfront camping on the Maryland side of Assateague Island.  Watch the wild ponies, collect seashells, or just play in the surf all day long.  The campsites are located on a sand barrier island and it can get a little windy at times, but you’ll have access to picnic tables, grills, restrooms, showers and clean water.

The Most Beautiful Beach Campsites in the USA

Twelvemile Beach, Pictured Rocks Lakeshore, Michigan

If you find yourself near Lake Superior, try booking one of the 36 rustic campsites that look out over the water.  The beach is covered with colored rocks which give it a lovely glow and there are numerous trails nearby for you to hike.  There are overlooks and waterfalls as your reward on many of the trails.  Three that stand-out are Empire Bluff, Miners Castle and Log Slide.

The Most Beautiful Beach Campsites in the USA
Kate Sumbler via Flickr

Cape Perpetua Campground, Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon

Oregon has some of the most breathtaking and jaw-dropping coastline anywhere in the world.  Should you stay in hotel?  No way!  Park your camper at one of the 40 sites near the 101 highway.  The campground sits along a small creek providing soothing background sounds while you sleep.  A hiking path from the campground leads to the Visitor Center where you can see down the cliffs to the ocean and beach below.  Get to know the rugged and rocky coast by staying in this lovely campground.

The Most Beautiful Beach Campsites in the USA
Scott Smithson via Flickr

Portsmouth Island, North Carolina

If you are looking for an island where you can camp right on the beach, then look no further than Portsmouth.  Just a few miles south of Ocracoke, you will find this remote and abandoned 13-mile long barrier island with limited restrictions and miles and miles of shoreline.  You can camp wherever you like as long as you follow National Park Service rules.  You and your vehicle will arrive by ferry (have reservations) and camping spots are available on a first come, first serve basis.

The Most Beautiful Beach Campsites in the USA

More from Samantha Brown:

Stargazing: Light Up Your Summer Nights

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This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Excellent choice in picking Michigan’s Twelve Mile Beach at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. That is easily one of my favorite camping places in the US. However, if you want the best-of-the-best views while hiking that area, you are going to want to hike the “Chapel Loop” all the way through Grand Portal Point – the trail will lead you through unbelievable vistas atop the 200 foot high area of the dazzling oil-painting-esque cliffs over Superior, down to gorgeous white sand beaches & inlets, take you atop beautiful waterfalls that drop into Superior, and lead you through rich red & jack pine forests full of gorgeous trilliums and other wildflowers.

    Added bonus: if you continue west along the North Country Trail along of the shoreline of Pictured Rocks, you will come across hundreds of thousands of blueberries and wild roses left & right. The 300 foot high sand dunes to the east are really cool too. And lastly, you can always cool off from all that hiking by heading down to Superior, a river, or waterfall at any time.

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The Most Beautiful Beach Campsites in the USA
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