Camping Gems

Find those fun and funky “special” places across the country. Hit the road and discover all the odd roadside attractions that make getting there more than half the fun. Road tripping gives you an excuse to search out hidden gems along your route. Look inside for suggested trips and inspiration to plan your own camping gem journey.

Blake Island, Washington

In the western reaches of Washington State, just a quick boat ride from Seattle, you'll find Blake Island, a small island that's been turned into living museum for Native American heritage. This evergreen island sits in the Puget Sound, an island-dotted body of water that stretches from Seattle to the Pacific coast.

Blake Island is a well-kept secret that makes a terrific trip because of Tillicum Village, a full Native American experience. At Tillicum Village, you and your family can take part in a Native-American style salmon dinner and see demonstrations of Northwest Indian dancing. You can explore a re-created long house and see how native peoples kept themselves warm and dry during the damp northwest winters.

This island was an ancestral camping area of the Suquamish tribe, a group that now lives on the mainland between Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island. The Suquamish were skilled paddlers and canoe-builders who visited the island regularly to fish and collect shellfish.

The entire island is part of Blake Island State Park, an area that's only reachable by tour boat or private boat. This 475-acre marine camping park has five miles of saltwater beach shoreline. On the island's southern side, you can see the Seattle skyline, framed by the distant Cascade Mountains. On the northern side you'll have views of the Olympic Mountains, Washington's oldest mountain range, and one that overlooks the Pacific Ocean to the west, Canada to the north, and the inlets of Puget Sound to the east.

After you visit Tillicum Village and get to know the heritage of the area, you can spend some time exploring the island's rocky beaches and tide pools, looking for crabs, limpets, clams, starfish, sea anemones, sand dollars. In the water, watch for river otters and seals, and in deep stretches, keep an eye out for Puget Sound's "J" pod, a family group of orca whales that call this body of water home. Overhead, you might see bald eagles (sometimes being chased and annoyed by crows). In bays and inlets, watch and listen for kingfishers, gulls, ducks, and cormorants.

You'll find tours headed to Blake Island from Seattle (via Argosy Cruises, piers 55 and 56) and Port Orchard (via Kitsap Harbor Tours). The boat trip from Seattle takes about 45 minutes. Approximately 100,000 people visit Blake Island every year. The park includes a 324-foot public pier with a 180-foot float, so there's plenty of mooring space.

The island includes 12 miles of hiking trails, including one that circumnavigates the island, crossing the bluffs high above the beach. Occasionally, important meetings and summits are held here, including the 1993 summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference (APEC) that was attended by President Bill Clinton and the heads of state of China, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, and more.

Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Step into a slower pace of life in Pennsylvania's idyllic Lancaster County, home to many Amish and Mennonite people. With its covered bridges, horse-and-buggy transportation, and old-fashioned values, this area is a delightful place to explore. You might even take home a handmade quilt or other Amish craft!

The Amish
Many visitors to Pennsylvania Dutch Country go home refreshed, feeling ready to find the simple joys in their own lives. Lancaster County is home to the oldest Amish settlement in the country. These self-described ‚Äúplain people‚Äù believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible, and they feel that worldliness (connection to modern materialism) keeps them from being closer to God. As a result, you'll find that the old-order Amish live without televisions, radios, telephones, or even electricity, preferring a simpler mode of life. Some of the orders are more flexible -- you'll find a variety of lifestyles in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, though all focus on simplicity and peace.

Things to DoVisitors to Amish country can enjoy some aspects of the Amish way of life. You can take a buggy ride through a covered bridge, visit an old order farmhouse in Lancaster, or try your hand at Pennsylvania Dutch crafts. Lancaster County is filled with charming small towns like Lititz, Intercourse, Bird-in-Hand, and Paradise. You'll find incredible shops in each one, featuring products that are made right in the county.

The Amish people are famous for their crafts, from the homemade quilts to their incredible furniture. You'll also find jams, jellies, and baked goods, household goods, toys, and other craft items. And don't miss a chance to dine at one of the incredible restaurants! Featuring German and traditional American cooking, these dining centers offer many foods that are distinctive to Lancaster County.

While you're in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, you can take a ride aboard an authentic steam train, whiz down a roller coaster, or explore a tricky corn maze. The county also has a number of outlet stores with incredible bargains. With more than 200 different shops, you can find just about any product or line you can think of.

This county has 28 covered bridges, all of which accommodate cars as well as horse-drawn buggies. Be sure to drive slowly and cautiously in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and be courteous to slower horse-powered vehicles. If you're after a covered bridge tour, you couldn't find a better spot. Start with the bridge that leads to Paradise (built in 1893) on Belmont Road over Pequea Creek.

Special EventsOne of the best events in Pennsylvania Dutch Country is the annual Mud Sale. Mud Sales are fundraising benefits put on by local fire companies, and they've been popular here since the 1960s. The sales always take place in the spring, and usually outdoors (hence the name Mud Sale). You'll find a wide variety of crafts, food, and other delights at a Mud Sale, from furniture and textiles to farming equipment, gardening tools, buggies, carriages, and more. Even horses and livestock are bought and sold here.

A Mud Sale is a terrific place to shop for quilts and lace or just to experience a fun part of Amish culture. If you can't make a Mud Sale, ask about other local events. There's almost always something fun going on in Lancaster County, from live shows and theater to the annual rhubarb festival.

Canyon de Chelly

Set in the rosy sandstone desert of northeastern Arizona, Canyon de Chelly National Monument is one of the most fascinating ruins in the nation. This land is filled with paradox, because while the ruins are expansive and remarkably intact, they give us more questions than answers. Clearly the home of a large, thriving population, the settlement at Canyon de Chelly seems to have been abandoned almost overnight, for no apparent reason.

Archaeologists have found that people lived in Canyon de Chelly (pronounced de Shay) for longer than they lived in almost any other place in early America. This area is filled with haunting beauty. The national monument covers 131 square miles, including the canyons of the de Chelly, del Muerto, and Monument Rivers. With steep canyon walls and rushing rivers, this is a fabulous place to explore, looking for slot canyons and cool spots on the canyon floors.

Because the national monument is set within Navajo Tribal Trust Land, it's unique among national park sites. In order to tour the canyon floor here, you must be led by either a park ranger or a Navajo guide. The one exception to this rule is the White House Ruin Trail, which visitors can tour without guides. Guided tours are easy to arrange and join at the visitor's center.

Most park guests arrive by car and begin their visit at the overlooks on South Rim Drive or North Rim Drive. The elevation changes in the monument are truly dramatic with thousand foot drops and towering plinths. For example, the highest park overlook is at 7,000 feet while the visitor's center is at 5,500 feet. On the South Rim Drive, you'll find the White House Ruin, a sprawling living structure that's nestled into a long, low cave in a sheer rocky face. As you hike the White House Ruin Trail, be on the lookout for wildflowers and interesting native plants, as well as petroglyphs and rock art. For a fun side trip, head to the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, an area that's home to more than 700 different plant species, including a number of gorgeous wildflowers.

In nearby Chinle, Arizona, you can arrange for special park guides, horseback rentals, jeep tours, and photo tours. The weather can be unpredictable here, so always carry a raincoat with you and be prepared for sudden afternoon showers. In general, the spring and fall are the best times to visit, when temperatures range between 50 and 70 degrees. Summer is quite hot and dry with highs in the 100s. Winter is cold, breezy, and snowy. In the fall, be particularly aware of thunderstorms that can blow in quickly.