Camping with a view: Two friends assemble their tent on a bluff overlooking the San Francisco skyline, the Bay and Alcatraz.
For urban dwellers whose closest connection to the woods is the pine-scented car freshener dangling from their cabbie's rearview mirror, it's time to flee the skyscrapers for actual star-filled skies. And there's no place better than at one of these 10 state parks, which offer ample camping opportunities along with hiking, biking, horseback riding and more. Though some of the more popular ones require reservations -- it's always best to call ahead -- all are a short drive from big cities. Which means that by this Friday, you could be enjoying campfire hot dogs and s'mores galore instead of the street-side Hebrew National stand again. We've done the work for you -- except for pitching the tent.
Boston
Nickerson State Park -- Brewster, Mass.
Cape Cod's 560 miles of coastline and windswept dunes aren't just for blue-blooded Bostonians with summer cottages, or taffy-devouring tourists with motel reservations. Among the pine and oak forests at 1,900-acre Nickerson State Park in Brewster, more than 420 campsites are just steps from Cape Cod Bay. The park offers no hook-ups, so you won't be listening to your RV neighbor watching cable reruns while you're snoozing under the starry skies.
Boaters enjoy a day at Nickerson State Park.
For those truly averse to roughing it, flush toilets, showers and firepits keep the scene as civilized and comfortable as possible. No tent? Make a reservation to sleep in one of the two yurts, which sleep six people apiece. While away the days by biking the eight-mile bike path onsite (which connects to the 22-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail), dipping into one of eight freshwater "kettle ponds" formed by retreating glaciers, or plotting how you might stay forever.
New York
High Point State Park -- Sussex, N.J.
Alright, enough jokes about Jersey. This 15,827-acre state park, designed by the Olmsted brothers, on the Delaware River and less than 90 minutes from Manhattan, is the real deal. Think 50 miles of trails -- many of them multi-use for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding in the summer -- and a 20-acre spring-fed lake, named Marcia, for swimming. Climb up to the top of the 220-foot tall High Point Monument for knock-your-socks off views of the Catskill and Pocono Mountains and cheer on through-hikers as they make their way along the Appalachian Trail, just to the south of the park. Then return to one of 40 tent sites around Sawmill Lake, or one of two cabins on Steenykill Lake, to contemplate a morning yoga session. This is New Jersey? Bada bing.
