Camping road trip

My wife and I want to take a camping road trip somewhere in the Continental States. We live in Chicago but don't mind driving a day or two to get out of Midwest. I was wondering if people can list some of their favorite places just to help with the brainstorm. We are looking for quiet, tent-only sites, preferably as far off the beaten path as possible. Don't mind hiking a mile or two.

Thanks a lot everybody,

Max

Forgot to mention, this will be in Summer or Fall sometime... So colder areas are fine.

Try the North Shore of Lake Superior, in Minnesota -- there are a ton of beautiful state parks. Some of them are walk-in sites, some are "cart-in" (you load all your stuff into a large wheelbarrow-type thing), and others are typical drive-in car sites. Here is a clickable map listing all the state parks in Minnesota -- click on the ones on the North Shore for more details. One of my favorites is Split Rock, with beautiful cart-in sites.

Fall can be a great time to visit the canyons of southern Utah. There is excellent camping in all the national parks there and if you really want solitude and don't require any amenities you can camp almost anywhere that strikes your fancy off of the many miles of BLM and Forest Service roads. I would especially recommend the Escalante area and the Butler Wash north of Bluff, UT. The northern part of Capitol Reef (Cathedral)is accessed by a good gravel road and is beautiful as is the scalloped ridge to the south of the highway (Cedar Mesa). Further north, there is good camping in the San Rafael Swell area.

Red River Gorge in central Kentucky is reputed to have some of the best rock climbing in the world, if you go for that sort of thing. If you don't wish to climb, the area is full of limestone and sandstone formations including a great many natural arches. The most remarkable is Natural Bridge which is a state park. It's also a bit more touristy than the Gorge itself.

They do not mind driving a day or two from Chicago. Southern Utah would be a bit far. Upper Peninsula of Michigan sounds about right.

Shawnee National Forest at the southern tip of Illinois is big, beautiful and peaceful. In various parts of the series of state parks adjacent you can explore waterfalls, unusual rock formations, and take interesting hikes amid huge boulders alongside a creek. Here's a link to one site that has more info. Gorp site page for Shawnee National Forest

I can agree with the above selections, except Utah, as being practical. This would not appeal to e3verybody, but sometime I would like to take a week and just go from one rural state part to another in places like Iowa or Nebraska. Not high profile locations, but All American campgrounds - Lake Anita west of des Moines comes to mind.

Moab, Utah is 19 hours driving from Chicago, so with the OP's 'day or two driving' mandate, it's doable...and absolutely fantastic. Alternately, the mountains in Colorado would be closer, and I imagine there would be a veritable plethora of opportunities.

It's not in the US - but the North shore of Lake Superior. As much as I like Michigan's Upper Penninsula - the rocky cliffs of the north shore change the experience from the rest of the Great Lakes. There are wonderful provincial parks dotted all along the lake and one very nice Canadian National Park.

I should add that I haven't gone this far North in Minnesota (as the first poster suggests). It may be the same experience - but what surprised me was the ruggedness of the terrain - it didn't feel like the Midwest and yet was still close.

Rocky Mountain National park and the adjacent national forest lands could also be a possibility. Not a bad drive if you plan to camp at smaller state parks or forest lands along the way.

#9, the North Shore is in the U.S. -- at least what we call the North Shore (Duluth up to the Canadian border). You're right, it doesn't feel like the Midwest... feels a lot more like Maine, with waves crashing against tall cliffs, pebble beaches, dense forests further inland. I've been many, many times and never run out of things to see and do.

i had avoided yellowstone assuming it would always be too crowded-went last sept and found it to be phenomenal --also went to the tetons.it will be a bit chilly at night but days were great for hiking.

Yes - a similiar feel. But - as a Michiganer - to me the north shore of Lake Superior is Canada. Also full of the cliffs, crashing waves, etc. I"ve never made it all the way around the lake - so haven't seen the Minnesota shore (I've seen the north shore to Thunder Bay). The state (and one national) parks there are wonderful and I love the area. What I was trying to say is that the Minnesota experience may be the same - but my experience (which has been wonderful) is in Canada.