Campgrounds in Yosemite and other popular national parks can be booked up months in advance. Luckily, there are several online platforms that make it easy to find alternatives. Hippie camp offers tent sites on private farms, ranches and camps, as well as sites on public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies. It also offers longer-stay accommodations, such as an A-frame cabin in Oregon with a swimming hole and a creekside farm in Mississippi where guests can gather eggs for breakfast. Pitchup.com lists about 100 campgrounds in the United States, including West Beach Resort on Orcas Island, Washington, which offers safari-style tents and whale watching. Based in France Huttopia has a handful of glamping sites in Canada and the United States that feature sturdy wood and canvas tents and plenty of amenities. Huttopia in Southern Maine, for example, about a half-hour drive from Kennebunkport, there's a cafe, a camp store, a swimming pond, and hammocks strung among the pines.
Discover the new arrivals.
Several new hotel brands are targeting nature lovers by offering properties near national and regional parks. Many also offer rental equipment, including bikes and baby backpacks. Lodge has 17 locations open or under development, including one near Montana's Glacier National Park, which puts guests within an impressive 700 miles of hiking trails. Field station now has two locations, one in Moab, Utah, and one in California, near Joshua Tree National Park; each has a selection of quadruple rooms, an equipment store and a swimming pool. Trailborn in the Rocky Mountains is close to Rocky Mountain National Park; a sister property is expected to open in Highlands, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this summer.
Create your own hotel.
RVs are another option to consider, even if you've never driven one before. Most of the RV rentals listed on Outdoors can be delivered by the owner to a campsite or driveway of your choice, and many who register on RV sharing will do the same. If you're willing to drive yourself, one of the best ways to find quality parking spaces is to go through Harvest Hosts, which tracks pick-your-own farms, breweries, drive-ins and other businesses that welcome overnight visitors.
Improve your search terms.
Use filters to find some of the most interesting options on AirbnbClick on “Domes” to narrow your selection to geodesic homes, including one overlooking the Potomac River in the mountains of West Virginia. “Play” offers a Colorado cabin with an indoor climbing wall and an outdoor children’s fort. “Treehouses” offers an off-grid home on a wooded farm in rural Ohio.
Rethink the extended stay hotel.
Often considered no-frills, these properties can be surprisingly well-appointed, with family-friendly amenities including private kitchens, playgrounds and swimming pools. Atwell Suites, for example, is an IHG Hotels & Resorts brand with locations in Austin, Denver and Miami that serves free breakfast — including churro doughnuts — and offers games and puzzles in the lobby; more than 40 locations are in the works. Choice Hotels launched the Pet Welcome Program Everhome Suites, with eight locations slated to open in 2024, including one in Bozeman, Montana.
A version of this story first appeared in the July 2024 issue of Travel + Leisure under the title “How to have an affordable summer getaway”.