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The Journal

Dispatches from
the trailhead.

App updates, camping intel, and honest notes from the people building the cleanest way to find your camp. New entries whenever there's something worth saying.

Old-growth coast redwoods above a fern-covered forest floor
Latest · The Golden State
Why California has more beautiful places to camp than anywhere else
Architectural Digest picked the five most beautiful camps in California. All five are on Campgrounder, with the booking link for each, plus the geological reason one state holds the tallest, largest and oldest trees on Earth.
August 10, 2026 · Ben VanderVeen
August 5, 2026
There's a fire near your campground. Don't cancel yet.
The refund rules turn entirely on who cancels. If you cancel, you pay the penalty. If the agency closes the campground, you get everything back. Why smoke isn't a closure, and how to rebook without paying twice.
August 3, 2026
One thousand campgrounds, and every single one is real
We just passed 1,000 listings. What verified actually means: every federal camp checked against the government registry, closed camps held back, and the campground a barista told us about that we refused to add.
July 29, 2026
Four tools for camp that don't need a signal
A compass, a level, a lantern, and your reservation, all built into Campgrounder and all built to work with zero bars. Meet The Kit.
July 28, 2026
The accessible badge nobody actually checks
Most camping apps show a wheelchair icon with nothing behind it. We called the state parks departments and read the accessibility pages ourselves, campsite by campsite.
July 22, 2026
The parks people never stop raving about
Four of the highest-rated national and state park campgrounds in North America, from a tents-only legend under the Tetons to a redwood forest where elk graze in view of camp.
July 18, 2026
Smoke over Superior
Marquette briefly had the worst air on Earth, and the Boundary Waters is closed until October. Where the smoke is coming from, and how to camp around it.
July 15, 2026
Half of summer is still up for grabs
The famous camps booked out months ago — and every week, thousands of those reservations quietly cancel. Here's how to catch one.
July 15, 2026
What's new in Campgrounder — July 2026
Live availability from Recreation.gov, Cancellation Watch, the Big 30, a daily Featured Spot, sharper wildfire eyes, and booking that lands where you're going.