Looking Back: Top 2022 Destinations for RV Trips 

Between multiple headline-making airline industry disruptions and severe weather events from coast to coast, many Americans are looking forward to hitting the road in lieu of the less than friendly skies this summer for that much-anticipated family vacation. In fact, a 2023 Travel Trend Report by RVshare, the largest community for RV owners and renters, showed that 61% of Americans plan on going on a road trip or vacation in their RV in the coming year – and that nearly half of American travelers now prefer RV travel to other forms of travel. So, say goodbye to flight delays, luggage fees, and eyebrow-raising hotel rates and hello to the open road and traveling without having to fight for the armrest. 

We’ve round up this year’s top destinations for RV trips:  

Channel your inner Clark Griswold and make Grand Canyon National Park your family’s summer pilgrimage. Trailer Village RV Park is the only in-park RV park with full hookups and it’s within walking distance to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. Set within a high desert landscape, Trailer Village is a paved pull-through site perfect for vehicles up to 50 feet long. Unlike other seasonal parks in the area, it’s open year-round.

Its idyllic location is especially advantageous during peak summer months, when the South Rim can get crowded both with visitors and vehicles. Parking at visitor centers and scenic overlooks quickly fills up and navigating around throngs of travelers can test both skill and patience. Instead, park walk from Trailer Village, where you’re just one mile from the South Rim and you can immediately access the Rim Trail, or even take the shuttle bus to other points around the rim.

MORE: 2023 Travel Trend Report 

The only thing happier than the Happiest Place on Earth is when you’re enjoying all the spoils of staying at the most visited theme park on the planet while paying a fraction for lodging compared to most other guests. With 750 acres of pine and cypress forest, Fort Wilderness offers the experience of the American frontier, only with cocktails and the comforts of home. It’s also the top delivery destination for RVshare rentals — with 12 percent growth in 2022.

Stay in fully-equipped campsites which can accommodate RVs 45-feet and longer and take full advantage of the complimentary bus that shuttle you around the fort, whether shopping for groceries, hitting the beach or exploring Meadow Recreation Area for swimming, arcade games and canoe and bike rentals. When you’re ready to head to the Disney parks or Disney Springs, you can travel by bus or boat! 

If taking a break from cooking in the RV, savor the hearty home-style cooking at a handful of on-site eateries including Pioneer Hall, where you’ll find an all-you-can-eat buffet and will enjoy the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. Of course, if you just want to whet your whistle, mosey on up to Crockett’s Tavern for a cold one. Insider’s tip: get some s’mores kits from The Chuck Wagon. You won’t regret it. 

While Las Vegas is synonymous with casinos, decadent delights and sometimes downright debauchery, experienced RV-ers know Sin City is so much more than gambling, comped cocktails, and round-the-clock entertainment. 

Get a glimpse of the Rat Pack’s Vegas by visiting The Neon Museum. Its neon sign collection chronicles changes and trends in sign design and technology through astounding pieces from the 1930s to the present day. The outdoor Neon Boneyard contains more than 250 original signs which are illuminated at sunset, plus numerous restored signs which are on all the time. Insider’s tip: time your visit at dusk or after nightfall, when you’ll truly appreciate its cacophony of color. 

Just a few miles west from the brightly-lit Vegas Strip is a naturally astounding geologic paradise – the Red Rock Canyon. Don’t miss the 13-mile Scenic Drive which allows visitors to explore the highs and lows of the canyon with scenic stops plus miles of hiking trails, rock climbing, horseback riding, mountain biking, road biking, picnic areas, and other recreational opportunities in this unique Mojave Desert environment. Plan well in advance to reserve a RV site at Red Rock Canyon campground, which ensures you’ll enjoy your morning cup of joe with inspiring views of sunlight illuminating the red sandstone-covered canyon landscape. 

Most days of the year, the Black Rock Desert in northwest Nevada is a remote, inhospitable  corner of the world known for being one of the largest, flattest, surfaces on Earth. But for nine days in late August through early September, tens of thousands of people from around the country, and beyond, descend on this dry desert patch dubbed Black Rock City for the 

Burning Man festival, a convergence of music, art, culture, community, and self-expression.

RVs are one of the most luxurious lodging options at Burning Man for a “comfortable burn” as braving the elements in a simple tent here can be brutal. Parking your RV along the internal boundaries of the massive campsite protects the common areas from the windstorms, but RVs are eschewed by some at the community-focused event. RVs are also sometimes part of the festival itself when they’re bedecked in holiday lights, mixed media installations and artistic inspiration. Just be prepared to give any Burning Man RV a good wash after, 

Spanning across the western slope of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, Yosemite is one of America’s best known national parks. If it’s not the skyscraping granite cliffs or cascading waterfalls that lures visitors, it’s the towering ancient sequoias, astounding wildlife or 1,000+ plant species across that park’s nearly 1,200 square miles.  

While there are captivating rock formations throughout Yosemite, including Half Dome and Glacier Point, it’s El Capitan, or El Cap, that is the most famous, and it’s easy to see why. Its sheer granite walls rise more than 3,000 vertical feet from the floor of Yosemite Valley, and it’d be hard to tear your eyes away if it weren’t for the equally inspiring view of Cathedral Rocks and Spires. 

Yosemite has 10 campgrounds that welcome RVs but the National Park Service (NPS) advises  securing a reservation if visiting between March and October. Though there’s the rare opening as a first-come, first-served spot, it’s a gamble you don’t want to take. Insider’s tip: download the NPS app which not only offers tools to explore more than 400 national parks nationwide, but has interactive maps, tours of park places, on-the-ground accessibility information, tools to benefit visitors with accessibility needs such as audio descriptions of exhibits along trails and roads, and perhaps most importantly, news and alerts pertaining to the park(s) you select in advance or in real-time. 

Arguably one of the Sunshine State’s hidden gems, at least in comparison to the better known Central Florida’s theme parks, lid-back Keys and Gulf Coast beaches, Ginnie Springs is a curious wonder. Located on the Santa Fe River in North Florida not far from the city of High Springs, this natural water park is tucked away in a  forest where you’d hardly expect watercraft to be ubiquitous. Innertubes, kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and pool noodles aplenty scatter across the  200 acres of aquamarine waters that make up seven crystal clear springs, famous for maintaining a blissful water temperature of 72 degrees year round. During the drier times of year, divers and snorkelers can see as far as 40-feet deep. 

RVing and camping are common here, where you’ll find 123 water and electric campsites outfitted with picnic tables and grills (plus Ginnie’s General Store, if you left anything behind). Easily one of Florida’s most beautiful natural resources, Ginnie Springs is a popular destination, so make reservations in advance. 

Insider’s tip: whether young or young at heart, channel your inner playful child on school vacation and take advantage of the rope swings along the banks of the river. 

With astounding mountain panoramas that take your breath away, Zion National Park stays with you long after you leave. Located in southwestern Utah near the town of Springdale, Zion’s massive sandstone cliffs seem to change color with sunlight and shadows throughout the day. Sit back and watch swaths of cream, pink and brilliant red reach into the sky. Zion is open year round and is a magnet for both novice hikers and adventurous hikers alike, with paths forged by indigenous peoples and later traced by pioneers.  

One of the most popular and easily accessible destinations in Zion are the Emerald Pools. There are three — Upper, Middle, and Lower — and visitors can choose from a short, 1.2-mile round-trip trail loop to the Lower Pool; a 2-mile round-trip visit to the Middle and Lower Pools; or a 2.5-mile round-trip hike to all three. The paths to the Lower and Middle Pools are wide, paved and comfortably traveled with minimal elevation, while the trail from the Middle Pool to the Upper Pool is more difficult, with uneven sand and moderate to advanced grade.

 Zion has two campgrounds that can accommodate RVs, the South Campground and the Watchman Campground. Insider’s tip: the bulk of Zion’s millions of visitors descend between April and September, but avoiding peak season will reap extraordinary rewards from less crowds to stunning winter light. 

There’s a reason San Diego is called “America’s Finest City;” many reasons, in fact. Stretches of pristine beaches, tons of attractions, distinctively unique beach towns like La Jolla and Ocean Beach, and of course, the most idyllic weather in the country are what lure people to this quintessential Southern California destination. 

San Diego’s water wonderland, Mission Bay Park, is an aquatic playground with 27 miles of winding shoreline, inlets and islets, making it wildly popular with anyone who enjoys outdoor recreation. Take sailing lessons, rent jet skis, try kiteboarding, go wake boarding or stand-up paddle boarding, pack a picnic, or trace the shoreline on the bike paths.

The family-friendly shores of Campland on the Bay is in the heart of all the action. Sprawled out over 40 prime acres on Mission Bay, many of the more than 560 campsites have a waterfront view just steps front the sandy beach. Pools, kayaks and pedal and pontoon boats, an extravagant playground, pickleball, a beachfront waterslide – Campland is a family-friendly paradise, plus you’ll find a market, ice cream parlor and cantina complete with taco Tuesdays. 

Boogity! Boogity! Boogity! Daytona International Speedway is synonymous with the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s most famous race and one of the best known races in all of auto racing. Some people even call Daytona stock car racing’s Super Bowl! For auto-enthusiasts, a trip to Daytona is the pilgrimage of a lifetime, and visitors can get up-close and behind the scenes at the World Center of Racing on hour-long tours offered at the speedway daily. If that’s not enough to get your gears going, check out the Motorsports Hall of Fame there, filled with historic vehicles, automotive artifacts, and cool exhibits. 

The sunny resort city of Daytona Beach on Florida’s Atlantic coast also allows driving on its hard-packed sandy beaches from sunrise to sunset. There are more than half a dozen campgrounds and RV parks in the area, including some located along the oceanfront and rivers, offering outdoor experiences including fishing, boating, hiking, birding, kayaking and paddle boarding. 

Lauded as one of the world’s most beautiful outdoor music venues, the Gorge Amphitheatre is as revered by the fans who flock here for concerts and festivals as it is by artists who play for them. Located about two and half east of Seattle in the rural town of Gorge perched above the winding Columbia River, the nearly 30,000 seat concert venue boasts enviable natural acoustics and jaw dropping views. The gorge cliffs and unmatched scenery only enhance the peaceful vibe here, where live albums by performers like Pearl Jam and the Dave Matthews Band were recorded and released.  

The Gorge Campground is the official campground for the amphitheater. As such, campers must have a concert ticket to camp there whether in a tent or RV, and there’s a free shuttle to and from the venue. But fear not if reservations are booked solid here as there are other camps nearby.  

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