Outdoorsy/Camping Honeymoon Ideas?

EarthToChelsea

Hello!

My fiance and I are getting married October 3rd of 2015. We know we want our honeymoon to be budget-friendly and something outdoorsy--like spending a long weekend in a cabin at a national park, or road tripping to see autumn scenery and such. We're from Springfield, Illinois and don't mind road tripping. We were thinking Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, or even Michigan. Does anyone have any suggestions?? Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Chelsea 

tcnoble

Check out Triple Creek Ranch in Montana. FI and I looked but we are getting married in Spring and the weather is more temperamental then so we are saving it for a summer or fall trip. I couldn't find a single bad review about the place!

EarthToChelsea

I will look into! Thanks so much!

manateehugger

If you want MO, have you looked into resorts at Lake of the Ozarks? It's not exactly fancy, but the lake is there, and there are plenty of good hikes/day trips. There's tons of vacation rentals down there. Mark Twain National Forest is also a great camping site. 

EverAfer

I have no suggestions but I'm kinda jealous. We both love camping and host most of the time. But he wants lazy Caribbean, I wouldn't mind a gorgeous view of a lake, add a mountain range behind...

Have a great time wherever you end up.

EarthToChelsea

Thanks so much for the suggestions, folks! And EverAfter, I'm with you. I'm thankful that my fiance thinks like I do in that regard. Tropical destinations don't do much for either of us, and we're also finding that camping-esque honeymoons will likely be more affordable which is a plus! Haha

cruffino

Not sure how far you want to go but last year FI and I stayed at a cabin at the grand canyon. It was amazing.

Xanterra runs the hotels at many national and state parks so check them out if you want to stay in a public park, www.Xanterra.com. We booked through them and had no problems.

SadieLouWho

I suggest Dry Tortugas National Park. In case you've never heard of it, it's a small group of islands 70 miles off the coast of Key West. You take a ferry there with all your gear (including water! There is literally nothing on the island besides a huge, old war fort...and gorgeous beaches), and you camp for up to 3 days/4 nights. There are only 8 sites, and it is $3/person per day. Once the ferry takes the day-trippers home at 3:00pm you have the entire tropical island to yourself (along with the select few other campers). We are also big campers and we are going to spend some time there in June and we cannot wait! www.drytortugas.com

I have heard that it's a camping experience like no other.

Gina0887

Gatlinburg, TN... well I would recommend getting a cabin and your own groceries and staying in while hanging out playing pool or in the hot tub with drinks. I looooove it that way, not such a fan of the hotels and tourism side of Gatlinburg though. 

EarthToChelsea

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! We've got some time to mull it over, so at least now I have a start point for my research.  

And @Gina0887: Gatlinburg, TN is actually at the top of our list right now! We've never been, but have heard wonderful things from my family. 

Gina0887

Gatlinburg is nice, but do get a cabin with a hot tub over a hotel. I've done both (I live in Nashville, TN) and the cabin is so relaxing and you even may see bears outside while sipping your wine in the hot tub (it's pretty cool)

EarthToChelsea

We'll keep that in mind! We liked the idea of a cabin over a hotel, anyway. More private, more secluded. No (or less) pesky tourist traps. A bears would certainly be a plus!

manateehugger

Another thought - we're renting a private cabin in Rocky Mountain National Park for well under $1000 for the week. We've got plans for kayaking, hiking, and trail riding. 

MrsAitch

Turkey Run State Park in Indiana is pretty and would be very close to you. They have a nice inn with cabins. We tent camped there last year in October and it was COLD so I would suggest not doing that.

theartistformerlyknownas

Tahquamenon Falls in the Michigan U.P. is GORGEOUS that time of year. Highly recommend the state park there. We also loved Natural Bridge State Resort Park outside Lexington, KY and Cloudland Canyon State Park (NW corner of GA, near Chattanooga, TN. Cloudland Canyon had awesome yurts you could rent, and the hike down the canyon to the waterfall was the most gorgeous hike ever!

penguin44

Lake Ouachita State Park in Arkansas! It is the clearest lake in the US! So beautiful. There are cabins, but there are also camp grounds in the state park with super nice bathrooms/shower house. I didn't realize until we went there that there are so many beautiful state parks in Arkansas (I'm from STL). If you decide to go, make sure to check out the bath houses in Hot Springs and search for diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park.