Soothe Your Soul, Camp by the Water
According to biologist and author Wallace J. Nichols, living near or just spending time near a body of water can increase our mental health and happiness. Of course, we RVers have known this for quite some time. There is something very calming about spending a few days near the sounds and sights of a beautiful lake, river, or the ocean.
Our Top 10 Campgrounds with Lakes (with Awesome Amenities, Too!)
There are thousands of campgrounds around the U.S. that take advantage of this psychological benefit, but we are just going to concentrate on just a few of the available RV parks and campgrounds with lakes.
1. Sunset Bay RV Resort & Campground
If we are going to camp near lakes, let’s camp near the largest lake first. Sunset Bay RV Resort & Campground is located right on the shores of the massive Lake Superior in Michigan.
Pictured Rocks National Seashore on Lake Superior. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Operating since 1944, this campground has 23 partial hookup RV sites and 11 tent sites. The campground also has shower facilities, campfire pits, and a laundry room. Best of all, most of the sites either sit right on or have views of the lake.
2. Alamo Lake State Park, Arizona
If you love the desert and want some year-round lake views, check out the Alamo Lake State Park campground. With six loops, this large campground has both full hookups and dry camping sites. The park also has cabins for rent with views of the water.
Fishing in the desert. Photo: Arizona State Parks
Lake Alamo is nicely remote. It’s located about two hours from Parker and the RV-centric town of Quartzsite.
3. Stillwater Campground, Colorado
Located near Lake Granby in central Colorado, Stillwater Campground is close to everything the Centennial State has to offer. This large campground has 129 sites, some with electrical hookups.
Granby Lake in the fall – One of the best campgrounds with lakes in Colorado. Photo: Pixabay
The campground has both flush and vault toilets, drinking water, and a dump station. Lake Granby has 40 miles of shoreline and several boat docks where you can launch your own boat for fishing or exploring.
4. Woahink Lake RV Resort, Oregon
Located near the famous Oregon Coast and Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area, the Woahink Lake RV Resort has direct access to both. The resort has large, level pull-thru sites, full hookups, and free WiFi.
Woahink Lake dock. Photo: Rick Obst
Woahink Lake itself is a joy. Sometimes shrouded in fog, the lake is wonderful for boating, fishing, and swimming. In addition, Woahink is also located next to another lake, Siltcoos Lake, which is the largest lake on the Oregon Coast.
5. Mile Creek Park, South Carolina
This RV resort is located on one of the purest, cleanest lakes in South Carolina, Lake Keowee. The Mile Creek Park has 69 sites with either waterfront access or water views.
Lake Keowee. Photo via Wikipedia Creative Commons
The boat launch is available for fishing or you can rent one of the resort’s kayaks and explore the 300 miles of shoreline. The resort also has heated comfort stations with showers, a volleyball court, and several playgrounds.
6. Lake Siskiyou Camp Resort, California
While Lake Tahoe gets the award for the most beautiful lake in California (and Nevada) it can be difficult to get a campsite there. Another under-the-radar lake in the Golden State is Lake Siskiyou near beautiful Mount Shasta.
At this end of the lake is the Lake Siskiyou Camp Resort with room for large rigs and plenty of water fun on their private beach and splash park. They have 360 sites with full hookups as well as cabins, tent sites, and retro trailer rentals.
7. Paugus Bay Campground, New Hampshire
There are many places to go camping in the New Hampshire Lakes region. However, on the largest lake, Lake Winnipesaukee, is the RV-friendly Paugus Bay Campground.
Lake Winnipesaukee – Wikimedia Commons
Located on Weirs Beach, this resort has both long and short term sites. It also has a dock, a swimming area, shuffleboard, and a path through the woods.
8. Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, Kentucky
The serpentine Lake Cumberland looks more like a river, but this lake is Kentucky’s largest when it comes to volume. It’s also a great lake for fishing, swimming, boating, and even whitewater rafting.
Lake Cumberland. Photo via Wikipedia Creative Commons
Brian Stansberry, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Lake Cumberland State Resort Park is open seasonally and features 129 campsites, two dump stations, and a grocery store. They also have a bathhouse, playground, and laundry facilities.
9. Caddo Lake State Park, Texas
Full of cypress trees, Spanish moss, and even alligators, Caddo Lake in east Texas is an exciting place to do some kayaking or canoeing.
Canoeing on Caddo Lake – Texas Parks & Wildlife
The state park has over 60 full and partial hookup sites, screened shelters, and ADA accessible cabins. Caddo Lake also has over 70 species of fish, so this lakeside location is a fisherman’s paradise.
10. Frontenac State Park Campground, Minnesota
Of course, we can’t forget the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” — the state of Minnesota. So, which one do you choose? How about Frontenac State Park Campground on Lake Pepin?
Wikimedia Commons
McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lake Pepin is actually the widest part of the Mississippi River, so you get two bodies of water in one. The Frontenac State Park Campground is surrounded by trees and has views of the lake and river. The park has about 60 sites, some with electric hookups, pit toilets, and access to nearby trails.
Find more awesome campgrounds with lakes
Of course, there are many more campgrounds with lakes to choose from. Find more great destinations on RV LIFE Trip Wizard and with the RV LIFE App with RV-Safe GPS.
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Christina is a writer and designer who has written about camping, tiny houses, and alternative living since 2008. She recently traded in her teardrop trailer for a 13-foot fiberglass trailer from 1982.
Graham’s Island State Park on Devils Lake, ND is access to arguably the best walleye lake in the US. Hazen Bay, north of Hazen, ND is a nice city-operated park on Lake Sakakawea for walleye, pike, and fresh water salmon.
You forgot Elephant Butte State Park NM
I am surprised about your first choice. As full timers electing to traverse the UP, MN and the Dakotas this summer, we stayed at Sunset Bay this past June for a week, and were quite disappointed. It is barely an RV park, with only a small handful of full (30A only) hookups available to non-permanent residents. Granted, the sunset views (with mosquitoes galore) and sodalite opportunities were great…but as a #1 RV park with no amenities otherwise, with one circular road (which is blocked when someone is dumping their tanks) too narrow for big rigs to make the turns, no cell service, maybe one or two transient sites large enough for a big rig? I guess we have a differing opinion of what makes a good RV park. I would rank Safe Harbor RV Resort in Nashville TN twenty times better than Sunset Bay for a lakeside resort. John Prince Park in Lake Worth, FL is even better. And, Duck Creek Resort in Muskegon MI, although on a man-made lake, is better than them all. Just my two cents.
The Aurora RV Park is on the northern shore of Clear Lake (California’s largest freshwater lake). Just this July, Bassmaster Magazine rated Clear Lake the #1 bass-fishing lake in all of North America FOR THE DECADE! Lake County (where Clear Lake is located) has also been ranked multiple times by the American Lung Association as having the air with the lowest level of particulates in all of the USA.