With winter fast approaching, many people are putting away their camping gear until next summer. (Need tips on how to do that properly? We鈥檝e听got those.) But what if you鈥檙e not ready to be done with camping听just yet? This holiday season, you can still pitch a tent on the beach or among听red-rock deserts. We鈥檝e rounded up some of our favorite spots to do just that.
Beach
Harris Beach State Park, Oregon
During the winter months, the campsites at (from $35), just north of the Oregon-California border and outside the town of Brookings, are available on a first-come, first-served basis. It鈥檚 not exactly balmy on these northern shores of the Pacific in December,听but it is听peaceful and quiet. Just bring extra layers and your warmest sleeping bag. From the beach鈥攚hich is steps from the tent sites鈥攜ou can explore tide pools, spot听migrating gray whales, and bird-watch for species like the tufted puffin flying above Goat Island, a closed-to-the-public national wildlife sanctuary and the largest island off the state鈥檚听coast, visible from camp.
Grand Isle State Park, Louisiana听
Two hours south of听New Orleans, has 14 tent-camping sites (from $14) smack on the beach facing the Gulf of Mexico, as well as 45 paved, pull-through sites set back from the water听that are more suitable for vans or RVs. Mild winter temperatures, with highs in the sixties听and lows in the fifties, make beach camping here midwinter totally doable. The park has three miles of hiking trails, a 400-foot-long pier where you can fish for speckled trout, and great bird-watching.
Gaviota State Park, California
The 39 campsites (from $45) at , 30 miles west of Santa Barbara, are just steps away from a听secluded beach. During the winter, this site is only open on weekends and by reservation, so you won鈥檛 see the same crowds that the听park draws come听summer. The regional company听 will deliver a loaner RV to your site for you (from $750 for three nights). From camp, hike the six-mile round-trip trail to 2,458-foot Gaviota Peak in the Santa Ynez Mountains, or ramble听the听half-mile from the main trailhead for a soak in Gaviota Hot Springs.
Desert
Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah
You can pitch a tent or book a yurt year-round at听, 32 miles outside Moab, Utah. It鈥檚 chilly there in the winter, with daytime highs in the forties听and lows in the twenties, but also way less crowded. The park has extensive hiking and mountain-biking trails and 52 sites (from $40) spread between two campgrounds, as well as an array of yurts that opened in 2018. Recognized as an International Dark Sky Park, the stargazing here is stellar. The Colorado River cuts听through the park鈥檚 massive canyon and feels like a mini Grand Canyon鈥攎inus the throngs.听Moab鈥檚 endless trails, as well as the adjacent Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, are a short drive away.
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Texas
Most folks come for the day to visit听, 18 miles north of Fredericksburg. The main attraction is听a听massive pink granite dome that gave this state park its name. But staying overnight is well worth it. The park offers听55 campsites (from $14); some are accessed via an 100-foot walk, and others require hiking in a mile or two, making this听a good option for anyone interested in听a relatively easy-to-reach backpacking destination. The area, which encompasses听1,600 acres of desert landscape, has nine miles of hiking trails, plus rock-climbing routes and bouldering on the dome.听 leads climbing trips and courses here (from $85).
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona
At the sunny southern edge of the state, you鈥檒l find , an uncrowded expanse听near the Mexican border and two hours from Phoenix. Two campgrounds (from $12) reopened here in mid-October after a COVID closure. Alamo Campground has just four first-come, first-served tent sites in a rustic, remote setting, while Twin Peaks Campground has over 200 RV-friendly sites and requires reservations. There are听also backcountry sites a few miles in. Hiking trails that wander through the cacti-studded landscape leave right from the听camps.