As I look out the window watching snow continue to stack on the wooden railings of my deck, I can’t help but think about warmer times and the climates that make car camping accessible year round.
If you’ve got the winter blues and are looking for motivation to load up your vehicle and chase summer for warmer conditions, read on!
Here’s our list of top states for year-round car camping!
California (no surprise here)
California is one of the best states for year-round car camping thanks to its incredible diversity of landscapes, mild climate, and abundance of state and national parks.
Coastal Areas: California’s coastline is known for its mild temperatures year-round. Coastal spots like Big Sur, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, and Point Reyes offer pleasant camping opportunities, with temperatures rarely dropping below freezing, even in the winter.
Deserts: California’s deserts, like Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and Death Valley are ideal for winter camping. While summer temperatures can soar, winter camping in the desert offers mild, comfortable conditions, perfect for outdoor activities.
Although California is known for being in a “drought” they’ve seen a ton of rain this winter. So make sure to pack your raincoat in your vehicle’s storage bin!
If you don’t have a great way to organize your gear, check out the Hele Bag Storage System, a soft case with moveable dividers to help your organize all your gear when car camping!
The Hele Bag comes with every purchase of a Hele Box car sleeping platform, but you can also purchase them on their own - here!
Arizona
Our advice with Arizona is to stay in the southern part of the state where elevations are lower and temperatures are more favorable for car camping year round.
There’s a ton of awesome cities to explore like Phoenix, Tucson, and Yuma
If the outdoors is more of your speed, check out some of these awesome parks in the southern portion of the state: Saguaro National Park, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and Tonto National Forest
On your way down to Arizona, make sure to swing through Utah for some epic sights, scenes, and national parks.
Hawaii
We’re hopping on a plane for this one!
Hawaii is the only state in the US that stays consistently warm 365 days a year. If you want to thaw out from the winter freeze, this is the place to be.
The challenge - getting your car camping set up there!
Most car camping platforms are bulky and hard to get in and out of the vehicle - let alone check in on an airplane!
This is where the Hele Box shines! Our vehicle sleeping platform and storage system compacts down into a sleek carrying case that you can check-in for flights.
We’ve flown Hele Boxes to and from Hawaii multiple times, airlines like Southwest make it even easier as they allow for 2 free checked bags.
The Hele Box is modular enough to fit in almost any SUV/Truck/Van - so as long as you are renting a full size SUV or Van, our car camping platform should fit great!
Once you assemble the Hele Box’s vehicle sleeping platform, use its carrying case as compartmentalized storage and load it up with groceries and goodies.
Just like that, you have a cozy hotel on wheels, saving thousands on lodging costs.
Remember that just because you are going to a warmer climate, it's important to be prepared.
Pack warm/dry enough for cold spells or unforeseen situations in the event you are stuck in a colder climate for longer than expected.
Is there a place/state we missed? What do you pack with you in your vehicle’s sleeping platform when going on cross-state trips?
Let us know in that comment section!