Our Favorite Waterside Campgrounds in the U.S.

Whether you’re seeking sleeps by the sea, RV campsites on the beach, or tent sites within steps of paddle launches, we’ve got you covered.

Spending time by a lake or ocean can do wonders for our mental and physical health—but waking up at a waterside campground? That takes the awe up a level, and Hipcamp has plenty of waterfront campgrounds to partake.

We narrowed down 15 of our favorite waterfront Hipcamp sites in the U.S. based on their amenity offerings, location, and reviews.

If you have a particular water feature in mind, say a lake, river, beach, a nearby hot spring, or even a swimming hole, Hipcamp lets you filter by location type. 

Spruill Farm Conservation Project

• Location: Roper, North Carolina
• Price: From $35/night
• Number of campsites/type: 3 RV/tent sites
• Cool off: Paddling on the Albemarle Sound

Nature is the star of the show at Spruill Farm, a quiet waterside campground on the Albemarle Sound. This tranquil and conservation-driven property, set in a protected swath of hardwood forest, swamp, and farmland, is home to red fox, river otter, and nearly 100 species of birds, including bald eagles.

Musick Creek Falls

• Location: Sacramento, California
• Price: From $68/night
• Number of campsites/type: 3 RV/tent sites
• Cool off: Chasing not one, but three on-site waterfalls

Go hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, or waterfall chasing straight from camp at 40-acre Musick Creek Falls, a wildflower-speckled getaway in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Private Beach Farm

• Location: Goleta, California
• Price: From $200/night
• Number of campsites/type: 1 RV/tent sites
• Cool off: Camping along the Pacific coast

Farming meets beachcombing at this waterfront Santa Barbara-area getaway. Guests camp near water in a tent, campervan, or an ocean-view glass greenhouse, with a private bathroom and shower.

Glacier Park Hipcamp

• Location: Coram, Montana
• Price: From $42/night
• Number of campsites/type: 1 lodging site, 20 RV/tent sites
• Cool off: Boating among beavers on a tranquil pond

The 40-acre Glacier Hipcamp, a waterside campground with ponds, a creek, and forested trails, provides a less-crowded overnight option—as well as one glamping pod—for Glacier National Park travelers. It’s only 6 miles from the national park entrance, and a short bike ride from local restaurants, with e-bike rentals available across the street.

Cowlitz River Rentals

• Location: Lewis, Washington
• Price: From $68/night
• Number of campsites/type: 25 RV/tent sites
• Cool off: Rafting on the Cowlitz River

River adventures abound at this 70-acre collection of forested campsites on the water, with nearly every site offering a river view—not to mention access to beaches, walking and cycling trails, and Cowlitz float trips.

Waterfall Camping Close to CLT

• Location: Bessemer City, North Carolina
• Price: From $72/night
• Number of campsites/type: 1 RV/tent sites
• Cool off: Swimming in a waterfall

Pair camping with swimming at this waterfall-adjacent property, a forested and private campsite with a firepit, water views, and you can add on bookable family experiences like goat feeding.

Bakers Island Light Campsite

• Location: Beverly, Massachusetts
• Price: From $60/night
• Number of campsites/type: 3 tent sites
• Cool off: Sound-view snoozing beneath a lighthouse

A night at Bakers Island Light Campsite is about as remote as New England waterfront campgrounds can get. This three-tent property, reachable only by boat or kayak, lies in the shadow of a historic and still-operational light station, with views across the Salem Sound.

The Pines Lakeside Canoe & Camping

• Location: Stony Creek, New York
• Price: From $98/night
• Number of campsites/type: 1 tent site
• Cool off: Canoeing on a pine-flanked lake

Go paddling from this Upstate New York escape, a beloved camp near water with complimentary canoes and standup paddle boards, as well as two lake access points. The secluded lakeside campground is within minutes of scenic Adirondack hiking and biking trails.

Verde River Vortex

• Location: Clarkdale, Arizona
• Price: From $132/night
• Number of campsites/type: 2 lodging sites
• Cool off: Swimming in a Wild and Scenic River

It’s hard to beat riverside camping at Verde River Vortex, where visitors can enjoy miles of low-crowd waterways. Come for the river dips, stay for the hiking, mountain biking, and on-site wood-fire sauna with cold-water dips beneath the stars.

Happy Camper!

• Location: Beaufort, South Carolina
• Price: From $40/night
• Number of campsites/type: 2 tent sites, 2 lodging sites
• Cool off: Wildlife watching in a serene marshland

Enjoy the sights and sounds of South Carolina’s untamed nature at Happy Camper!, a campground situated beside a marshland with hammocks, a community fire pit, and some of the best sunset views in the state. This 6-acre property offers two glamping suites and two primitive campsites. 

The Point

• Location: Gouldsboro, Maine
• Price: From $99/night
• Number of campsites/type: 2 lodging sites; 2 RV/tent sites
• Cool off: Camping by the bay

Snooze to the sound of lapping water, rise to the call of birds: this is The Point, a waterside campground and lodging site with views of the bay and Hog Island in Downeast Maine. In addition to nearby boating, fishing, and hiking, visitors can drive 30 minutes to reach Acadia National Park.

Sparrow Bend River Retreat

• Location: Pipe Creek, Texas
• Price: From $61/night
• Number of campsites/type: 6 tent sites, 2 RV sites, 2 lodging sites
• Cool off: Tubing on the Medina River

Don’t just camp near the water; at 8-acre Sparrow Bend River Retreat, enjoy a private 300-yard stretch of South Texas’ shimmery Medina River, with options for floating, paddling, tubing, and swimming, followed by an evening of stargazing by the firepit.

Unique Bay Front Camping

• Location: Aberdeen, Washington
• Price: From $50/night
• Number of campsites/type: 5 RV sites
• Cool off: Sunbathing on a private beach

The 6-acre Unique Bay Front Camping provides all sorts of water access, from nearby boat launches to a harbor for freighter watching, plus a quiet beach to catch the sunset within steps of the RV sites.

Floating Campground Private Island

• Location: Big Coppitt Key, Florida
• Price: From $150/night
• Number of campsites/type: 3 tent sites
• Cool off: Camping on the water—literally

This isn’t your average waterside campground—it’s camping on a 10-acre private island, with the chance to upgrade to a floating tent on the water ($150 for two people). Accessing the island requires a paddle or boat trip; guests here enjoy private beaches, sandbars, mangrove forests, and tidal flats, not to mention sleeping literally on the water. 

Lake Superior Beach Perfection

• Location: Lake Linden, Michigan
• Price: From $52/night
• Number of campsites/type: 1 RV/tent site
• Cool off: Sleeping on the largest Great Lake

This getaway offers private camping by Lake Superior, with beach access, a fire ring, and a calm and paddle-friendly backyard slough that shows the beauty of the Keweenaw Peninsula—the northernmost stretch of Michigan’s remote and untamed Upper Peninsula.

More ways to enjoy the water this summer

• Top Public Hot Springs in California
• The Best Swimming Holes in the Bay Area 
• The Best Springs In Texas 
• What Beaches Can You Camp on in Texas? 
• The Best Natural Swimming Holes in Texas
• 7 Wild East Coast Beaches for Campers Who Hate Crowds