There are nat­ur­al havens all over North Amer­i­ca, many of which are con­cen­trat­ed along the Pacif­ic Coast. Sum­mer is here, and these six Pacif­ic camp­grounds are not to be missed!

Leo Car­ril­lo State Beach

Tide pools, sea caves, coves, dog-friend­ly, surf, sun, and shad­ed camp­sites that are tucked away in a calm cor­ner on the cusp of the buzz of Los Ange­les. Giv­en the acces­si­bil­i­ty, this spot begs to be men­tioned in a list of pacif­ic campgrounds.

Pis­mo State Beach

It’s like Lord of the Flies here (with­out the vio­lence). Most Cal­i­forn­ian beach­es are lit­tered with rules: no camp­ing, no fires, no dogs, no dri­ving on the beach… Not so, here. It’s true that hol­i­days and long week­ends can get crowd­ed here, but for most of the year, you’re total­ly safe to dri­ve up and find a spot.

Julia Pfeif­fer Burns State Park

How often do you see an actu­al water­fall land on the sand? Exact­ly one time, that’s how often, and it’s here. While you can’t access the beach, you can enjoy this mag­i­cal view from var­i­ous look­outs along an easy and short hike.

Cape Per­pet­ua

If you can’t decide between camp­ing in the for­est or on the ocean, stop try­ing! This is your place. Enjoy the shel­ter from the wind and peace afford­ed to you by giant cedars in this pic­ture-per­fect camp­ground and enjoy a five-minute walk to the ocean, toes-in-sand!

Olympic Nation­al Park

Anoth­er fan­tas­tic spot where you’ll find mul­ti­ple great camp­grounds, where you can enjoy the for­est and the ocean in the same space! Here, how­ev­er, you can also enjoy watch­ing whales as they migrate past you (sea­son-depen­dent), hike to water­falls, and enjoy a soak in a hot spring.

Porteau, British Colum­bia, Canada

A fairy­tale cove in a sleepy town amongst a sur­re­al moun­tain-scape. Some of the most beau­ti­ful sun­sets in the world are viewed here. Also, when the con­di­tions are right you can observe the north­ern lights here.