REI is supplying gear from several top brands designed for sleeping, cooking, and relaxing around camp. Trip winners will enjoy a stay at any available Hipcamp camping site, including Mooseshroom, where one GearJunkie staffer stayed while visiting Glacier National Park.
The #SaveASpot sweepstakes launches on April 3, with 25 daily gear prizes up for grabs.
Hipcamp Outdoor Getaways
Hipcamp is your gateway to booking private campsites through its website or app. There are more than 500,000 campsites, cabins, yurts, RV lots, and even treehouses to stay in.
Because the #SaveASpot sweepstakes includes loads of camping gear, we’ve rounded up some standout tent sites to give you inspiration. They show off the variety of locations and experiences available when you book an outdoor trip through Hipcamp.
National Park Neighbor: Creekside-Kolob Gate Gardens, Utah
This private camping location sits on 53 acres of red-desert sandstone with a green belt of habitat thanks to the nearby creek, which flows year-round. The property boasts multiple trails and hosts four tent sites and two glamping tents.
It’s arguably an extension of Zion National Park, which is only 9 miles away. Just up the road is the Lava Point Overlook, which provides a view of Zion from 8,000 feet. Of course, a quick drive into the park gets you access to some of its less-traveled destinations, like the West Rim Trail, Kolob Reservoir, and Kolob Arch.
The creekside sites keep you in the shade and close to swimming or fishing. Also, the sites have toilets and campfire rings, both of which can be hard to find inside the park.
Open Space: Primrose Meadows, Montana
Situated on 200 acres of farmland, Primrose Meadows lets you camp under the state’s namesake Big Sky and take in views of nearby mountains and wildlife. This campsite will let you stay outside, surrounded by nature while acting as a base for day trips to surrounding sights and activities. The town of Missoula is just a 15- to 20-minute drive away.
In the summer, the site puts you close to Council Grove and Frenchtown Pond for swimming.
In the winter, the hosts can tell you where to cross-country ski, or you can head up to Snowbowl for downhill skiing.
Farm Livin’: Snow White Sanctuary, Louisiana
Set up camp amid 24 acres of forested land that includes five ponds and an island of goats. You can use the property’s paddleboat or kayak to explore more habitats, where you’re likely to see plenty of birds and other wildlife.
Snow White Sanctuary is a gated private property that’s home to a pack of rescue dogs, elderly horses, and a herd of goats. Consequently, portions of the land are manicured while others are left wild.
Guests can enjoy private entry access to a renovated bathroom with a shower and tub.
Bonus fun: The hosts offer a $20 “Forest Foraging Tour with Goats” to learn about the medicinal plants and mushrooms that grow in Louisiana forests and even harvest some. The sanctuary’s 10 trained pack goats will lead the tour.
Riverside Ranch: C2T Ranch on the Saline River, Kansas
C2T Ranch is a working regenerative cattle ranch with more than 4 miles of Saline River running through it. Campsites are set up along the river, where spring-fed creeks add to its flow and border 150-foot limestone cliffs.
Besides fishing the river, the property offers hikes through canyons and the native prairie above the cliffs. Bird watchers and fossil hunters will find plenty to look out for around this campground.
Hipcampers can enjoy its primitive or powered campsites, and getting here is roughly 20 minutes from the town of Hays.
Bonus fun: The hosts offer a $50 “Float the Saline River” package. They’ll set you adrift with an 8-foot stock tank, an inflatable couch, and deck chairs down a mile stretch of river by to take in a different view of the cliffs. (Life jackets are required and floats are dependent on river conditions.)
Dark Skies: Star Gazer Ranch, New Mexico
This campsite is in the middle of nowhere, and that’s the point. Here, you can set up camp and soak up the high desert views of nearby mountains by day, a sky full of stars by night. Additionally, the weather changes fast, so you’ll want to pack layers.
You’ll be camping by yourself, so you can make yourself at home and enjoy the desert solitude.
Albuquerque is 22 miles away, which can be its own day trip, or check out Petroglyph National Monument. The monument is home to hundreds of petroglyphs amid a landscape of extinct volcanoes and basalt boulders.
There are several trails to explore the area, where you could spend a few hours or all day. Remember to bring plenty of water and sunscreen!
Win a Trip & Bundles of Gear
These are just five of the Hipcamps and some of more than 500,000 tent camping sites, glamping stays, cabins, treehouses, and RV sites available to book through Hipcamp. The website (and app) offer plenty of ways to camp on private lands and enjoy different activities and amenities.
Here is the full list of top 50:
- Argo’s Camp & Trails, Alabama
- Valdez Adventure Alliance, Alaska
- Kerouac’s Vistas Retreat, Arizona
- Red Fern, Arkansas
- Separate Star Point, California
- FFF Urban Campsite, Colorado
- Vernal Heights, Connecticut
- Historic Blueberry Lane Farm!, Delaware
- Glenn Farm, Florida
- Secluded Waterfall Haven, Georgia
- Hawaii Island’s Best Campsites, Hawaii
- La Breeza Homestead, Idaho
- Quiet Countryside Camping, Illinois
- Marick Acres, Indiana
- Draco Hill Farm, Iowa
- C2T Ranch on the Saline River, Kansas
- Newton’s Nook, Kentucky
- Snow White Sanctuary, Louisiana
- The Howling Woods, Maine
- Fiddlers Green Farm, Maryland
- Blueberry Orchard By The Pond, Massachusetts
- Mulln-Heim Vineyards, Michigan
- Quarry in the Mississippi Bluff, Minnesota
- Creekside Farm Co., Mississippi
- Savanna Spring, Missouri
- Primrose Meadows, Montana
- Andersen’s Rustic Farm Paradise, Nebraska
- Desert Paradise with Mountain Views, Nevada
- Sacred Nectar Sanctuary, New Hampshire
- Paradise Valley Homestead, New Jersey
- Star Gazer Ranch, New Mexico
- The Mountain Top @Wright’s Farm, New York
- Barnhill Mountain in Fletcher, North Carolina
- Rugged Prarie Paradise, North Dakota
- Riverside Camping, Ohio
- lazy H alpaca ranch, Oklahoma
- Forested creekside campsite, Oregon
- The Lookout, Pennsylvania
- Milk Thistle Farm, Rhode Island
- Heirloom Hamlet, South Carolina
- BK Produce Farm, South Dakota
- Cumberland Mountain Vista, Tennessee
- El Cosmico, Texas
- Creekside – Kolob Gate Gardens, Utah
- Louella S.’s Land, Vermont
- Private Paradise on Rivers Bend, Virginia
- Hidden Acres Orchards, Washington
- Creekside Camp, West Virginia
- 🦫 Flutterby 🦋 Farm 👩🏽🌾, Wisconsin
- Harvest Family Campsite, North Dakota
- Ten Sleep Brewing Co., Wyoming
We’ve focused on camping sites, but Hipcamp offers a range of overnight options including glamping yurts and fully furnished cabins.
Don’t forget: There are dozens of gear prizes to win beyond the grand-prize bundles and trip. Enter below!
This post is sponsored by REI, Hipcamp, and GearJunkie. Learn more about our collaborative #SaveASpot sweepstakes online.
