It’s been a long, hot summer—and it’s likely to just keep getting hotter. That jug of fresh iced tea isn’t meant to be sipped inside with the shades drawn and that blow-up kiddie pool you’ve outgrown doesn’t have to be your only means of summer heat relief. Because I have good news! There are quite a few places you can go to escape the heat—and none of them involve jetting to the Southern Hemisphere.

Historical weather data shows the five coolest summer states also happen to be filled with excellent RV camping destinations, too. The five best places to stay cool in summer are Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, and Alaska. These cool summer states are geographically immense. Each state gives you tons of camping choices from busy national parks to remote coastal and mountain destinations.
RV owners like us are lucky. Finding the coolest camping destinations in the summer is pretty easy. With a full tank of fuel and one turn of the key, our homes on wheels carry everything we need for a summer escape away from hot spots to a cool river, mountaintop, or breezy beach. Most of us will put in a few hours of driving to reach the coolest place to camp in August.

Cool off with a trip to the mountains, the water, or up north. I’ve hand-selected nine places where you can beat the heat this summer while avoiding airport woes such as lost luggage, canceled flights, tarmac delays, and labor shortages—you know, all of the fun things people are dealing with right now not to mention the heightened cost of air travel.
Mountains
Higher elevations provide sweet relief from the sweltering heat and humidity of summer. Here are three wonderful mountainous locales where you can escape the heat.

Mount Lemmon, Arizona
Mount Lemmon, an oasis in the middle of the desert, is 20 degrees cooler than Tucson on average. Driving up the mountain, the plants slowly change from cactus and shrubs to oak and ponderosa pines. The area offers hiking, camping, and fishing. While you are up there, consider stopping by the Mount Lemmon Cookie Cabin for cookies, pizza, chili, and sandwiches. While you’re at 9,000 feet, check out the Arizona stars at the Mount Lemmon Skycenter.
Get more tips for visiting Mount Lemmon

Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, California and Oregon
For truly unusual and spectacular views, pack up the RV and head for the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway connecting California’s Lassen National Park with Crater Lake in Oregon. The north-to-south route covers about 500 miles tracing along geological formations created by volcanic activity of the Cascade Mountain Range.
The drive ventures through the majestic Shasta Valley and offers unobstructed vistas of Mount Shasta, the second tallest volcano in the country. There are countless things to see and do during a visit, but don’t miss Petroglyph Point, one of the country’s largest and most accessible panels of Native American rock art.
Get more tips for visiting Lassen Volcanic National Park

Stowe, Vermont
Stowe is a Vermont Ski town that is lovely to visit in summer thanks to an Alpine setting that doesn’t get too hot and lots of outdoor activities. For fun summer hiking, choose trails that lead to waterfalls like the easy Bingham Falls Trail in Smugglers Notch State Park or Moss Glen Falls trail in nearby Putnam State Park.

If you want a lazy day, head out of town and stop by Cold Hollow Cider Mill for a good picnic— sandwiches with Vermont cheddar cheese and hard and soft cider. Take your lunch to nearby Waterbury Center State Park on the Waterbury Reservoir.

Visit the Trapp Family Lodge (yes, those Von Trapps). In addition to its hiking and mountain biking trails, the Alpine resort offers tennis, rock-wall climbing, swimming pools, and more. They brew their excellent Austrian-style beer in their bierhall where you can dine without staying at the lodge.
Get more tips for visiting Vermont
Near Water
When it’s hot outside we all want to be near a lake, river, or ocean destination. Here are three fabulous destinations to beat the heat near the water.

Cumberland Island, Georgia
Are you ready to hit the beach without the crowds? Where you can find a piece of the coast to call your own? Cumberland Island is Georgia’s southernmost island and a place where you can truly get away from the modern world. With no bridge to come to Cumberland Island travelers have to use a ferry or private boat to get to this beautiful place which is managed by the national park service.

Although Georgia’s Atlantic coastline is only about 100 miles long, the Peach State is home to 30 percent of the barrier islands along the Atlantic Seaboard. And Cumberland is the largest and fairest of them all with the longest expanse of the pristine seashore—18 glorious miles of deserted sand. Truly, this is a bucket list destination.
Get more tips for visiting Cumberland Island

Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in New Hampshire located in the Lakes Region. It is approximately 21 miles long (northwest-southeast) and from 1 to 9 miles wide (northeast-southwest) covering 69 square miles—71 square miles when Paugus Bay is included—with a maximum depth of 180 feet. The center area of the lake is called The Broads.

The lake contains at least 264 islands, half of which are less than a quarter-acre in size, and is indented by several peninsulas yielding a total shoreline of approximately 288 miles. The driving distance around the lake is 63 miles. It is 504 feet above sea level. Winnipesaukee is the third-largest lake in New England after Lake Champlain and Moosehead Lake. Outflow is regulated by the Lakeport Dam in Lakeport, New Hampshire, on the Winnipesaukee River.
Experience the beauty of Lake Winnipesaukee during a narrated scenic tour aboard the historic M/S Mount Washington. Learn about the history of the region and local folklore surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in New England.
Get more tips for visiting Lake Winnipesaukee

La Conner, Washington
La Conner is one of those places that people love to visit—time and time again. The reasons are many but one that stands out is that there are so many things to do in—and around—La Conner. A waterfront village in northwestern Washington, La Conner is nestled beside the Swinomish Channel near the mouth of the Skagit River. La Conner is a unique combination of a fishing village, artists’ colony, eclectic shops, historic buildings, and tourist destination. Relax by the water, enjoy fine restaurants, and browse through unique shops and art galleries.
Get more tips for visiting La Conner
Northern States and Canada
When the going gets hot, the hot head up north! Here are three great northern destinations that put plenty of space between you and the equator.

Jacksonville, Oregon
Jacksonville is nestled in the Siskyou Mountain foothills along the Rogue River Valley and is easy to fall in love with. The little town is at the Heart of Rogue Valley wine country which includes the Applegate Valley Wine Trail. Though sometimes busy the small-town ambiance (population 2,860), gorgeous setting, and beautifully preserved late 1800s architecture combines to make a very attractive town. The little gem of a town is highly walkable and has at least one of everything—except chain stores. Everything from wine to cheese to chocolate, art, and fine dining.
Get more tips for visiting Jacksonville

Banff and Jasper National Parks, Alberta
If you Google “Canada nature,” you’ll see pictures of Banff National Park in the Rockies—and for good reason. Canada’s oldest and most popular national park is Mother Nature’s best. Anywhere you look, there are jagged peaks sprinkled with fluffy powder, bluer than blue glacial lakes, and majestic wildlife.

After visiting Banff, take the Icefields Parkway—one of the world’s most scenic drives with more than 100 ancient glaciers—north to Jasper. One of Canada’s prettiest and wildest national parks, Jasper is massive at 4,247 square miles, making it the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. And it’s a great place to spot wildlife including black and grizzly bears, elk and moose, and big horn sheep and Rocky Mountain goats.
Get more tips for visiting Canada’s Mountain Parks

Wells Gray, British Columbia
Wells Gray is not as highly acclaimed as Mount Robson or the national parks in the Canadian Rockies. And having been there, I have no idea why. I mean… this place is awesome!

Wells Gray has something to offer every outdoor interest: lush alpine meadows, excellent birding and wildlife viewing opportunities, hiking, boating, canoeing, and kayaking. Guiding businesses offer horseback riding, canoeing, whitewater rafting, fishing, and hiking. The history enthusiast can learn about the early homesteaders, trappers, and prospectors or about the natural forces that produced Wells Gray’s many volcanoes, waterfalls, mineral springs, and glaciers.
Many people head to Wells Gray for the lakes but there are also over 40 named waterfalls in the park. Many of them are in remote corners of the park but eight of them are easy to reach from Clearwater Valley Road.
Get more tips for visiting Wells Gray
Your summer vacation does not have to be hiding indoors in front of the air conditioner trying to stay cool from high temperatures or unbearable humidity. There are lots of places where you can enjoy beautiful pleasant temperatures while spending time outside. Whether you prefer cities, towns, or national or state parks, mild summer weather is available in many spectacular destinations.
Worth Pondering…
It’s a sure sign of summer if the chair gets up when you do.
—Walter Winchell