{"id":968,"date":"2020-05-12T17:27:52","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T17:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/detouron.com\/blog\/?p=968"},"modified":"2020-05-17T17:19:33","modified_gmt":"2020-05-17T17:19:33","slug":"campgrounds-types-southwest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/detouron.com\/blog\/campgrounds-types-southwest\/","title":{"rendered":"Explore America: Campground types in the American Southwest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As we’ve mentioned in a prior article<\/a>, the exact boundaries of the American Southwest are vague. You’ll know you’re there when you notice the dry air, see wide open spaces, and experience little pollution. One way to experience these wide open spaces is by camping out under the stars. In this article, we’ll focus on the campground types of the American Southwest that you can drive to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this will be your first time to America, make sure to familiarize yourself with these common practices<\/a> before setting out. Should you need it, we have car camping gear rentals in Las Vegas<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Southwest roughly refers to the arid area between the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The region stretches all the way south to the border with Mexico, and north into Wyoming and Idaho. As soon as the population grows, the air becomes more humid, and forests and smog block your view, you know you’ve left the Southwest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Map of major national parks and cities of the American Southwest<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There are a few types of campgrounds in the Southwest. They vary tremendously between one another in their comfort, size, and amenities. That being said, once you try a few different ones, you’ll start to see some similarities. Before embarking on your adventure, we recommend looking into the options on your route. This will help you better prepare and manage your expectations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Established campgrounds on public land<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Also known as NPS (National Park Service<\/a>) campgrounds, these are administered by the federal government. Established Bureau of Land Management<\/a> (BLM) and National Forest (NF) campgrounds<\/a> also fall under this category. Caretakers of these campgrounds may be the park rangers themselves or volunteers who choose to live for a season in the park. In a few rare instances, such as Morefield Campground<\/a> in Mesa Verde National Park, the campground operations is contracted to an authorized concessioner<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All national parks and monuments in the American Southwest offer overnight camping facilities. They are very well-designed to fit the topography of the park in which they are located. Individual campsites have at least two parking spots for regular passenger cars or one long spot for recreation vehicles (RV’s). Many campsites have a cleared flat tent area that can fit two or more tents, depending on their size. Each campsite is usually spacious enough to make you feel like you have privacy from your neighbors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These campgrounds are usually the cheapest options (aside for the free dispersed camping<\/a> discussed below). They are also the closest locations to the most popular Southwest attractions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Campsite at Mather Campground, Grand Canyon National Park – Photo by Grand Canyon National Park<\/a> \/ CC BY<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Common amenities in established campgrounds on public lands<\/h3>\n\n\n\n