Summer 2021 RV, Camping, and Travel Trends in the U.S.
With 2021’s summer travel season coming to a close, these were the most popular RV destinations, campgrounds, and attractions.
The interest in RVing and camping in the U.S. has only continued to grow into 2021. Thanks to the freedom and flexibility of RV travel, especially during uncertain times, campgrounds and national parks are seeing record visitation this year.
Where did RVers actually travel this summer? We reviewed app usage from more than 40,000 RVers who use Roadtrippers, Togo RV’s companion road trip planning app, to find out.
Top 10 States With the Most Stops Planned by RVers
- California
- Utah
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Wyoming
- Texas
- South Dakota
- Oregon
- New Mexico
- Montana
Highlights
- With the addition of Montana (which replaced Florida), these are the same states that made the top 10 list last year.
- Arizona and Utah had the most planned stops from the top 50 points of interest (see below).
Top 50 Stops Planned by RVers
A road trip to all 50 of these destinations would take 248 hours and span 14,193 miles. This trip would cost more than $2,000 in fuel depending on the RV you drive.
- Yellowstone National Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Arches National Park
- Zion National Park
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- Glacier National Park
- Badlands National Park
- Great Sand Dunes National Park
- Yosemite National Park
- Four Corners Monument
- Sequoia National Park
- Grand Teton National Park
- Crater Lake National Park
- Crazy Horse Mountain Memorial
- Devils Tower National Monument
- Horseshoe Bend
- The Hoover Dam
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Monument Valley
- Shoshone Falls Park
- Garden of The Gods
- White Sands National Park
- Death Valley National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Cadillac Ranch
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Lake Tahoe
- Hot Springs National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Mammoth Cave National Park
- Graceland
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Petrified Forest National Park
- Mount Rainier National Park
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- Grand Prismatic Spring
- Acadia National Park
- Olympic National Park
- Gateway Arch National Park
- Rocky Mountain National Park East Entrance
- Bonneville Salt Flats
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Old Faithful Geyser
- Custer State Park
- Antelope Canyon
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Havasu Falls
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- Indiana Dunes National Park
- The Alamo
Highlights
- Seven new national parks, and one state park, emerged onto the list this year: Mammoth, Mount Rainier, Olympic, Gateway Arch, Capitol Reef, Theodore Roosevelt, and Indiana Dunes national parks, and Custer State Park.
- New River Gorge, the country’s newest national park, didn’t crack the top 50 but had the largest increase in popularity compared to 2020.
- 43 of the top 50 planned stops are west of Missouri.
Top 10 National Parks
- Yellowstone National Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Arches National Park
- Zion National Park
- Glacier National Park
- Badlands National Park
- Great Sand Dunes National Park
- Yosemite National Park
- Sequoia National Park
- Grand Teton National Park
Highlights
- Yosemite dropped in this year’s rankings, most likely as a result of the reservation system that was added in 2020 and reimplemented in 2021.
- Grand Teton knocked Crater Lake out of the top 10 national parks.
Top 10 RV Resorts and Campgrounds
- The Grotto of the Redemption RV Park
- Mount Rushmore KOA Resort at Palmer Gulch
- Albuquerque KOA Journey
- Grand Island KOA Journey
- KOA – Holbrook / Petrified Forest KOA Campground
- Kansas City East / Oak Grove KOA Holiday
- Tom Sawyers Mississippi River RV Park
- Flagstaff KOA Holiday
- North Rim Campground
- Memphis KOA Journey
Highlights
- More people seemed to be camping at Grand Canyon National Park this year than at Yellowstone National Park, which had more booked campgrounds nearby it last year.
- Only two campgrounds—Albuquerque KOA Journey and Grand Island KOA Journey—made this list last year.
What to Know When Planning an RV Trip for the Remainder of 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact travel and impose new restrictions, it’s important to follow local ordinances at your destination, and to have patience. National park operations vary throughout the U.S., with some parks requiring advance reservations.
Campground reservations have been consistently hard to come by this camping season, but quality campsites can still be found if you’re flexible with your dates and willing to travel a bit farther to your destination. If you’re set on a specific national park campground or another campground that fills up quickly, make note of the reservation window now and book as soon as you can for your ideal dates next year.
For more tips on booking campsites, enroll in Togo RV’s free course (available when you download the Togo RV app) where you’ll learn how to land a reservation at coveted campgrounds, find out about lesser-known campgrounds, and more.
Disclaimer: While RV users on Roadtrippers.com freely select their own campgrounds and points-of-interest, KOA is a current advertiser and sponsor of select content and trip guides.
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