The Most and Least Expensive National Parks To Camp

Above, RV camping at Trailer Village at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Camping used to be an economically cheap way to vacation. Well, it is turning out to be even less so these days.

Granted, camping is still, on average, cheaper than hotel vacations. 

If one wants to plan a camping vacation (provided one can get a campsite) in a national park, expect to find some "sticker shock" costs involved. I last camped in a national park in 2017. It was in Grand Canyon National Park's Trailer Village at the South Rim.

Time Out has posted an article on the most and least expensive national parks to camp in this summer.

Above, my RV at Grand Teton National Park, which tops the list of priciest national parks. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

They begin it with:

Camping has long been sold as the affordable alternative to pricey hotels and resort fees. But if you've tried booking a campsite lately, bought a bundle of firewood at a national park camp store or filled up your gas tank for a road trip, you already know that roughing it doesn’t always come cheap.

A new study from Casino.org compared the costs of camping across America’s 15 most-visited national parks and found that a weekend under the stars can vary wildly depending on where you pitch your tent this summer. Researchers looked at average costs including campsite fees, park entry and permit charges, meals and drinks, gas, firewood, ice and popular outdoor activities to figure out which parks will drain your wallet fastest—and which still deliver a relatively budget-friendly escape.

Topping the list as the most expensive national park for campers is Grand Teton National Park, where a weekend camping trip now averages a hefty $439. Between campground fees, fuel costs and pricey activities, the Wyoming park proved significantly more expensive than many travelers might expect from a tent-based vacation.

To read more, go here.