Situated in the midst of the gorgeous Appalachian Mountains, Tennessee's Roan Mountain State Park offers a variety of outdoor activities to delight any visitor to the area. Not only hiking, mountain biking, swimming, and fishing, this Tennessee state park's attractions also include the historic Miller Farmstead and the celebrated Roan Mountain Rhododendron Festival.

The beloved children's book, "My Side of the Mountain," inspired this Catskill Mountain destination as part of our camping and hiking road trip through the northeastern United States. Around 700,000 acres have been set aside as "forever wild" by the State of New York. Woodland Valley Campground, one of their oldest public parks, made an excellent choice for us to explore the Catskills region.

With access to Lake Tillery and situated in the midst of the ancient Uwharrie Mountain Range, Morrow Mountain State Park, with over 4700 acres in western North Carolina, makes a perfect destination for camping, hiking, and paddling.

East of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a massive monadnock dome towers 600 feet over the surrounding land in its namesake park, Stone Mountain State Park. Another gem in the North Carolina state park system, Stone Mountain makes for a glorious camping and hiking adventure – even in the dead of winter.

Running along the lower Pamlico River in eastern North Carolina, Goose Creek State Park has added 6 cabins to their camping lineup.  Glamping awaits in all of its heated and air conditioned glory.

While a few millennia of erosion has leveled the once mighty Sauratown Mountains, time has done little to diminish their awe-inspiring beauty at Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina. Hanging Rock State Park offers a whole host of outdoor activities including camping, hiking, swimming, and rock climbing.

Our family road trip across South Dakota remains a favorite vacation. South Dakota offers outdoor beauty from the vast prairies to the rolling Black Hills as well as nonstop wildlife viewing. From stunning state parks to awe-inspiring national parks, South Dakota should be on everyone’s must-see destinations.

Encompassing 600 acres of barrier beach and salt marsh –and a short two hour hop from Boston– Horseneck Beach State Reservation in Massachusetts offers a breezy two-mile shoreline for a relaxing coastal camping trip. The southwest exposure to Buzzard Bay makes for a rocky waterfront typical of the northeast, while the less common natural sand beach will make southerners feel right at home.