The leaves might be turning and the mercury might be dropping, but that doesn’t mean that hordes of us out there aren’t still searching for fall and winter camping.
And while the patchwork of winter campground closures can seem daunting, there are actually many ways to find an RV campground when the seasons change.
On top of that, you could even have a rental RV delivered to some spectacular fall/winter campsites if you want to avoid winter driving.
Let’s dig into all the ways to find winter campgrounds as the seasons change.
RVs For Rent Near You
Avoid Winter Driving With Stationary/Delivered RVs
Even if you have your own RV, you might not want to drive it the distance to hit warmer pastures.
That’s why so many of our owners on Outdoorsy offer delivery of their RVs. Many owners will even drop it off and set it up for you at a campground so you don’t have to worry about road conditions or anything else.
And stationary rentals are a much better value too because you’ll save on RV rental insurance.
Here’s where you can filter for delivery RVs on our site:
What Style of Winter Camping Suits You?
Winter camping takes two main shapes: camping to enjoy the winter and camping to avoid it.
Winter camping at a spot like Thousand Trails Leavenworth, WA is epic in its own right because it puts 200 miles of groomed cross country skiing trails at your doorstep. You’d also be less than 30 miles from Stevens Pass Ski Resort.
That’s great if your RV is winter ready but not so great if you aren’t cold weather-ready.
Which brings me to my second point — winter camping for the purpose of avoiding winter. And there are many, many spots from Southern California to Southern Florida where you can do that (we’ll point you to a few of our favs in this article).
Finding Winter Campgrounds to Enjoy Winter
While many northern campgrounds close for the season, it’s still very possible to find spots where you can enjoy winter activities like skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. (Just be sure you follow these tips for winter RV camping).
For example, we put together this article on the best RV/campervan friendly ski resorts in the U.S. As you can see from that post, one easy way to find winter camping is to venture to certain ski towns.
And you don’t even have to drive your own rig — we’ve got deliverable rigs for rent in places like Breckenridge, Seattle, Lake Tahoe, and anywhere in between.
Then there are other spots like Thousand Trails Leavenworth or Thousand Trails Bend-Sunriver Oregon that stay open year round and feature all sorts of interesting winter activities like snow-shoeing and skiing (cross-country and downhill).
Here are some winter-ready RVs for delivery near Leavenworth and here are some near Bend.
Finding Winter Warm Weather Campgrounds
Some of us love snowshoeing and skiing while some of us want to roll south as soon as the first flakes start flying.
If you put yourself in the sunshine and seventies category, you’ll have a plethora of open campgrounds at your fingertips.
Thousand Trails has a tremendous network of sun-soaked winter camping spots from California to Florida. Take Encore Sunshine Key, a Thousand Trails spot in the Florida Keys that’ll get you about as far south as you can get in the U.S. It even has its own marina if you’re the boating type.
And these are some RV rentals you could have delivered right to Sunshine Key.
Outside of the Thousand Trails network, we put together this guide to the 10 best states for warm winter camping. Any of those states are loaded with options for winter camping where the RV parks are generally open and the temps are tolerable.
Top Destinations for Winter Camping
We put together this article on the top 8 winter RVing destinations. Interestingly, spots like Breckenridge and Jackson Hole made the cut as awesome places to enjoy the winter.
Then there are the other usual suspects like Tucson and The Keys on that list. That article will also show you a few of the best types of rigs for winter camping, while also staying warm in the sun.
When it comes to the 10 best states for winter camping destinations, it’s little surprise that states like California, Florida, and Arizona made that list.
But there are other places that might surprise you in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and even Northern Arizona.
Spots like Gulf Shores, AL, Baton Rouge, LA, and Cottonwood, AZ are a few unexpected spots that are gems for sun-shiny winter camping.
What About Campground Availability in the Winter?
RV spot availability is a hot topic these days. If you’re talking places like Orlando, South Texas, or The Florida Keys in January/February, it’s true that you’ll have to plan quite far in advance to snag a place for your RV.
But if you go a bit off the beaten path to other sun soaked southern spots, you’ll generally fare better. That’s where locations like Northern Arizona, Southern New Mexico, and the Gulf Coast zones of Louisiana/Mississippi/Alabama are great options for relatively abundant availability of RV sites.
And if you plan on RV camping where you get to enjoy the white stuff, you’ll usually have a plethora of availability to pick from at the winter campgrounds that are open.
—
Winter camping might seem like a scary idea no matter which direction you head. The reality is that, either way you roll, winter camping doesn’t have to stop you from planning an epic RV road trip; you just have to pick the route that fits your interests. The tips and destinations we’ve laid out above will help you get there.
