If you err on the side of a pretty loose definition of "camping," Barren River Resort might be just the thing for you. Maybe "camping" means a cottage on a lake and a little tennis every afternoon. Or it means an improved site for a trailer camper and a couple rounds of golf. You can do that here, plus fishing, boating, lake swimming, cave exploring, riding, and just about any organized outdoor group sport. The main lodge has 51 rooms for those whose relationship with nature involves an actual bed and bath.

Kirk Creek Campground, 30 miles south of Big Sur, is the place to watch the sunset from a 100-foot bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Just about every one of the 33 sites on the bluff has a decent ocean view, but there aren't many trees on the grassy hilltop, so an extra tarp or a tent with a shade flap is a plus. Half the camp sites here can be reserved ahead, and the remainder is open, first-come, first-served. In the same forest district (Monterey), if you want to get into the trees, check out Botcher's Gap Camp, north of Big Sur, with its fabulous view of the Ventana Wilderness.

Acadia National Park, on Maine's Mount Desert Island, gives the coastal camper some of the best inter-tidal zone exploring and sea-cliff rock climbing and hiking on the East Coast. The Blackwoods Campground, just south of Bar Harbor, has 306 reservation sites, while the 214 sites at the Seawall Campground, on the far end of the island, are first-come, first served. All these sites are wooded but within walking distance of the coast. If you want to get away from everyone, there are five reservable lean-to's in the Duck Harbor area of Isle Au Haut, accessible by boat only. Also, 57 miles of carriage roads await equestrians, who can access a camp specifically for those bringing horses.

Smack-dab in the all-out fishing zone of the Ozarks, the cool-water White River holds fabulous rainbow, cutthroat, and brown trout. Put yourself on your own private island in the middle of that, and you're not coming home for a while. The Cotter Trout Dock Guide Service maintains two comfortable wall-tent camps on the 15-acre island, and can set up groups of anglers for two- to six-night fish-and-camp expeditions, with guided trips to the Buffalo National River, and the White and North Fork of the White.

While there are four areas of developed campsites in the Colorado State Forest, the 60-odd first-come, first-serve "dispersed" sites scattered around the County Road 41 and the Bockman, Montgomery Pass and Ruby Jewel road areas provide some of the best seclusion and allow for spur-of-the-moment access to adventure. Backcountry camping is allowed in many places in the forest, especially around a number of alpine lakes. Located northeast of Estes Park, this is the place to turn to for a whole host of wildlife—elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, black bear, moose, porcupines, eagles and bobcats. Take your fly rod for the trout and grayling.

The Kenai Peninsula's Sterling Highway runs through a major chunk of Alaska's gorgeous southern-coast scenery. There are numerous places to stop and camp along the Highway, from Sterling Junction to the very end at Homer Spit, whether you just want to pitch a tent or park an RV. Along the way, you'll have chances to spot moose, eagles and bears. And in the summer, you're smack dab in the middle of the biggest salmon-fishing party in the world, when the wildlife extends to the numerous good-time taverns and road joints in various towns along the highway. Chill out at Centennial Park in Soldotna, which is roughly halfway. Carry the salmon-fishing gear with you, and book ahead for some halibut fishing out of Homer.

How free do you want to be in the outdoors? Juniper Woods lets you go all the way, with its clothing optional/nudist campground (50 campsites total, and filling up fast), right in the storied Catskills region of New York. So shed that uptight 'tude, get rid of the polo shirts and skinny jeans, and live like Adam and Eve before the apple incident. But don't expect some kind of Bacchanalia—this is a mellow, family-oriented place that doesn't put up with weirdos, shenanigans, or cell-phone cameras (you'll get tossed out on your bare bottom if you try). Campers enjoy barbeques, parties and karaoke nights. The first-time visitor day fee is waived for those who want to spend an afternoon getting to know the camp.