Continuing our expanded travel coverage beyond cruising, Wyoming is the best state for camping in America, followed by Montana and New Mexico. The ranking was based on a number of factors, including the number of free campsites and RV parks, hiking trails, and national parks. But where does your state rank? Adventure vehicle experts at Adventures on the Rock analyzed ten factors that could contribute to a successful camping trip and scored each one out of ten to create an overall Camping Index Score out of 100 for all 50 states.

The complete data table is below: 

Rank	State	State area (sq miles)	Population	Average fuel prices ($)	Species diversity (no of different species)	Average Yearly Rainfall (millimetres)	Deaths per 10 million national park Visits	Deaths Caused By Dangerous Animal/ Plant Exposure Per 10 million people	Number of national parks and landmarks per 1,000 sq miles	Number of hiking trails per 100,000 people	Number of free campsites per 100,000 people	Number of campsites per 100,000 people	Number of RV parks per 100,000 people	Camping Index Score  (/100)
1.	Wyoming	97,063	581,381	3.42	3,184	328	12	13	0.13	350	44.55	117.82	26.32	72.12
2.	Montana	145,509	1,122,867	3.26	2,921	390	13	17	0.12	418	31.97	90.04	20.66	69.29
3.	New Mexico	121,280	2,113,344	3.40	4,583	370	5	10	0.22	103	17.70	39.61	12.54	65.94
4.	Idaho	82,623	1,939,033	3.67	3,205	481	N/A	9	0.22	178	17.48	51.47	11.19	63.62
5.	Vermont	9,215	647,064	3.44	2,274	1,085	N/A	9	1.52	405	1.24	24.42	11.59	61.23
6.	South Dakota	75,790	909,824	3.33	2,406	511	5	11	0.25	75	5.50	44.51	17.26	61.12
7.	Utah	82,355	3,380,800	3.85	3,892	310	12	3	0.21	212	12.57	18.23	5.97	60.15
8.	New Hampshire	8,951	1,395,231	3.28	2,327	1,103	N/A	N/A	1.45	309	0.36	15.62	11.18	59.93
9.	Colorado	103,610	5,839,926	3.89	3,597	405	9	4	0.28	141	12.40	26.58	5.43	59.86
10.	North Dakota	68,977	779,261	3.27	1,889	452	1	N/A	0.10	104	3.59	39.78	8.34	58.81
11.	Maine	30,837	1,385,340	3.43	2,352	1,072	5	4	0.58	188	1.30	20.79	15.74	58.68
12.	Arizona	113,623	7,359,197	3.95	4,759	345	17	4	0.28	80	8.03	18.13	6.82	57.82
13.	Oregon	95,963	4,240,137	3.90	4,136	695	9	3	0.17	85	5.47	30.23	7.97	56.39
14.	West Virginia	24,035	1,775,156	3.41	2,873	1,147	27	5	0.92	63	5.75	18.20	6.20	53.30
15.	Alaska	570,866	733,583	4.25	3,375	976	12	3	0.50	119	3.44	14.46	5.14	51.58
16.	Washington	66,438	7,785,786	3.82	1,835	572	44	10	0.07	138	7.36	44.30	17.18	51.37
17.	Arkansas	52,024	3,045,637	3.30	2,765	1,211	3	1	3.46	248	0	2.62	1.15	50.60
18.	Massachusetts	7,799	6,981,974	3.08	3,415	1,284	10	9	0.23	47	4.43	17.27	6.47	50.55
19.	Michigan	56,591	10,034,113	3.51	3,135	833	3	3	0.30	42	0.84	10.14	4.00	49.67
20.	Wisconsin	54,153	5,892,539	3.30	2,869	829	18	5	0.37	33	0.42	14.71	8.26	49.20
21.	Nevada	109,831	3,177,772	3.25	3,803	1,125	5	3	0.81	34	1.50	4.63	1.75	48.81
22.	Virginia	39,472	8,683,619	4.33	3,872	241	23	2	0.09	53	5.54	12.49	3.87	48.79
23.	Texas	261,194	30,029,572	3.08	6,273	734	15	5	0.13	15	1.05	7.53	4.92	48.52
24.	Missouri	68,727	6,177,957	3.46	3,333	1,062	6	1	1.10	39	0.61	3.64	1.87	48.06
25.	Minnesota	79,605	5,717,184	3.31	2,817	693	10	4	0.16	41	0.77	13.35	4.58	47.95
26.	New York	47,111	19,677,151	3.05	3,340	1,071	3	8	0.33	15	1.70	9.91	5.28	47.85
27.	Ohio	40,848	11,756,058	3.33	2,244	1,160	N/A	N/A	7.70	40	0.29	2.95	1.67	47.40
28.	Tennessee	41,227	7,051,339	3.32	2,497	1,279	N/A	N/A	2.07	194	0.22	2.92	1.43	47.32
29.	Iowa	55,839	3,200,517	3.37	3,152	993	4	3	0.76	20	1.51	5.38	2.61	47.20
30.	Delaware	1,948	1,018,396	3.15	3,772	1,376	9	7	0.63	22	1.90	8.84	4.31	47.18
31.	California	155,813	39,029,342	4.91	6,717	563	12	2	0.42	43	1.36	6.09	1.87	51.63
32.	Connecticut	4,841	3,626,205	3.23	2,533	864	N/A	6	0.16	20	0.97	19.50	7.78	46.85
33.	Nebraska	76,796	1,967,923	3.27	2,587	599	21	6	0.13	12	5.49	23.43	3.66	46.48
34.	Pennsylvania	44,730	12,972,008	3.63	3,135	1,089	12	3	1.03	43	0.32	6.15	2.72	45.87
35.	Indiana	35,817	6,833,037	3.30	2,078	1,218	N/A	N/A	2.90	107	0.18	2.74	1.65	45.27
36.	Rhode Island	1,034	1,093,734	3.36	3,098	1,060	8	3	0.92	11	1.87	6.18	2.40	45.25
37.	Kansas	81,737	2,937,150	3.08	2,778	733	0	6	0.12	10	1.67	13.89	4.32	45.08
38.	Kentucky	39,481	4,512,310	3.16	3,258	1,242	9	6	0.35	18	3.04	8.84	3.06	45.08
39.	Alabama	50,633	5,074,296	3.12	4,533	1,480	40	4	0.32	24	1.06	8.36	4.97	44.66
40.	Oklahoma	68,578	4,019,800	3.36	3,148	1,131	2	2	2.47	27	0.06	1.57	0.65	43.76
41.	Mississippi	46,913	2,940,057	3.01	3,580	1,499	5	7	0.30	11	1.60	9.86	4.01	43.75
42.	Maryland	9,709	6,164,660	3.04	3,616	927	4	11	0.09	9	0.77	13.76	6.22	43.27
43.	North Carolina	48,607	10,698,973	3.32	3,022	1,196	5	1	2.72	52	0.02	1.25	0.87	42.94
44.	New Jersey	7,353	9,261,699	3.25	4,131	1,279	17	4	0.47	25	0.39	4.62	3.19	42.60
45.	Florida	53,634	22,244,823	3.31	4,368	1,385	8	4	0.54	8	0.90	5.62	3.44	42.41
46.	Georgia	57,701	10,912,876	3.26	4,436	1,287	8	4	0.38	20	0.51	4.16	1.90	42.11
47.	South Carolina	30,056	5,282,634	3.18	3,701	1,264	0	3	0.43	12	0.47	4.35	2.23	41.16
48.	Illinois	55,499	12,582,032	3.64	3,258	996	N/A	3	0.36	39	0.22	3.12	1.21	39.64
49.	Louisiana	43,193	4,590,241	3.09	3,495	1,528	N/A	4	0.12	2	0.76	6.82	4.20	33.28
50.	Hawaii	6,421	1,440,196	4.85	1,418	1,618	7	3	2.34	28	0	5.00	0	27.29

A spokesperson for Adventures on the Rock commented: 

“This data provides a fascinating insight into which states offer nature lovers the most well-rounded camping experiences. Wyoming stands out as a top spot for campers, due to its abundance of RV parks, free and paid campsites, and range of hiking trails. As spring continues to bloom, campers may want to consider a trip to The Cowboy State if they are looking for their next adventure.

“One of the key reasons people plan camping trips is for the adventure component. Exploring the great outdoors, observing different wildlife, and hiking trails are all part of the allure. However, safety should always be paramount, so it is crucial to research and plan ahead as much as possible, before undertaking any camping trip.”