7 Epic Jellystone Campgrounds in the USA
Jellystone Campgrounds are among the most well known campgrounds in the USA. In fact, the family-friendly chain operates more than 75 parks in North America. Yogi bear, the mascot camp host, has been greeting guests at Jellystone since 1969 (back when the average nightly rate was $3.50).
We love the family-oriented vibe and want to share some of their best parks with you. We’ll feature 7 of their best parks. In addition to the park info, each site will have a unique “Jellystone Campgrounds Vibe” score to give you an overall sense of what to expect.
Full Disclosure: This isn’t a paid post and we have no affiliation with Jellystone.
Camping at Jellystone Park
Let’s dive in!
Golden Valley, North Carolina
Location: Bostic, NC
Why You’ll Love It: Golden Valley Jellystone has all the normal amenities like an 18 hole mini golf course, a water zone (slides, playgrounds, etc), and sports courts. They also have laser tag and a jumping pillow!
If you want to get close to nature – this park offers over 3 miles of hiking & biking trails. You can fish onsite from the shore or a kayak. We love traveling with our Oru Kayak – it folds into a suitcase!
Nearby Activities: Located at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains and close to big cities (Asheville & Charlotte), there is so much hiking to explore!
What’s The Word: From a recent Trip Advisor review, “Excellent campground! We had such a great time celebrating over the 4th! Tons of activities for kids and adults! Highly recommend. There is no cell phone service, but the WiFi is great!”
Jellystone Campgrounds Vibe Score: 8.2/10 Great waterfront campground in a beautiful location.
Lodi, California
Location: Lodi, California
Why You’ll Love It: This is a beautiful, waterfront Jellystone campground. It’s located along the California delta and offers a lot of water based activities. They have boat launch with kayak & canoe rentals.
Along with their 250+ campsites, this Jellystone has Deluxe cabins for rent, too! It’s a great place to bring your whole family and your dogs – its a pet friendly park.
Nearby Activities: During our time in Lodi we enjoyed exploring the lush delta. We also used it as a basecamp for our adventures into San Francisco.
What’s The Word: Here’s a recent review snippet from Yelp, “The amenities were great. We have 8 year old twins who loved the park, the wide space for volleyball and basketball, the jump pad, and the various activities offered throughout the day. The park feels carefree where kids can ride their bikes and scooters.”
Jellystone Campgrounds Vibe Score: 7.6/10 Lots of nature, and close to big cities!
Silver Lake, Michigan
Location: Silver Lake, MI
Why You’ll Love It: This park has it all! They offer a heated swimming pool, playgrounds, shuffle board, basketball and they even have hayrides! The staff at Silver Lake has been consistently praised for their great customer service.
Like all Jellystone parks, Silver Lake is very family friendly!
Nearby Activities: The Silver Lake Sand Dunes are a huge area attraction. Miles of dunes make for great ATV fun!
What’s The Word: Here’s the scoop from Campground Reviews, “Great park near the dunes. Plenty of shade. Easy to navigate with a big rig. Sites are much larger than expected. Pool is large and clean.”
Jellystone Campgrounds Vibe Score: 8.2/10 Fun activities at the park and around the area!
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Location: Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Why You’ll Love It: Wisconsin Dells is known as the Waterpark Capitol of the World…a perfect setting for Jellystone campgrounds! This Jellystone offers pools, hot tubs, water slides and playgrounds.
If you don’t want to get wet, there’s still plenty to do. Onsite you’ll also find fishing areas, horseshoes, an arcade, bike trails, mini golf, volleyball and more.
Nearby Activities: Waterparks, baby! That’s all you’ll want to do at Wisconsin Dells.
What’s the Word: Joseph on Trip Advisor says, “Love love love this place – never changes been coming here for 40 years – will be back – great for families and kids- very kid friendly and for those that are kids at heart! Water park is a nice perk for people with families.”
Jellystone Campgrounds Vibe Score: 9.8/10 Perfect location for a family friendly Jellystone!
North Java, New York
Location: North Java, New York
Why You’ll Love It: Upstate New York offers so many outdoor activities and North Java Jellystone is the best basecamp for those adventures. In addition to the standard game rooms, pools, splash pads and playgrounds – this park also has unique gem mining for the kids!
Nearby Activities: You can ride in hot air balloons, tour maple farms and visit wineries all within a short distance.
What’s the Word: Jamie on Yelp says, “The activities here for children are wonderful. There is something to do every hour on the hour.”
Jellystone Campgrounds Vibe Score: 8.2/10 Solid campground – a touch far from Niagara, but plenty to do nearby.
Mill Run, Pennsylvania
Location: Mill Run, PA
Why You’ll Love It: This Jellystone park has an amazingly manicured water park area. The slides, pools and playgrounds are top notch! Setting it apart from other Jellystone campgrounds, is its full service restaurant!
Nearby Activities: White water rafting is a huge sport in Mill Run. If you’re not up for that much adrenaline, try one of the many waterfall hikes.
What’s the Word: Chaz on Trip Advisor saya, “We stayed for 3 days in our RV. First time at this Yogi and we were impressed. Lots of activities and overall fun place for an active family. It’s a big campground – almost need to rent the golf cart”
Jellystone Campgrounds Vibe Score: 8.9/10 Awesome onsite water park!
Nashville, Tennessee
Location: Nashville, TN
Why You’ll Love It: Maybe we’re biased because our love for like music, but the Nashville Jellystone has the best of both worlds. The kids will love the onsite amenities (like all Jellystone campgrounds have), and the adults will love downtown Nashville in the evenings.
Nearby Activities: Music City is one of our favorite cities in America. Broadway Ave has so many music venues and restaurants, you’d only scratch the surface over the corse of a weekend. There’s also plenty of history in Nashville and along the Cumberland River.
What’s the Word: A recent guest says, “We really like the shuttle service. For only $10 round trip to downtown.”
Jellystone Campgrounds Vibe Score: 8.2/10 An older park, but has great location!
The Best FREE Camping in the USA
We love camping across this amazing country. And, we really love it when its free. Here’s our list of the 20 Best Free Campsites in the USA.
If you haven’t tried free camping before, also known as boondocking, take a look at our beginners guide to boondocking filled with everything you need to know to get started.
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