Put off by the high cost of vacationing with your family? Us, too. So we had our travel experts give up all their secret bargain vacation spots.

Our picks, like the Gold Bluffs Beach Campground in California below, are not only easy on the wallet, they pass the FAMILYFUN test, too, by offering memorable settings, lots of activities and a welcoming spirit to parents and children. If nothing else, these picks will put to rest the idea that you have to spend a fortune on a family vacation--or that you can trust a travel writer with a secret.

GOLD BLUFFS BEACH CAMPGROUND

CALIFORNIA
Think it's impossible to stay on the California coast for under $25 a night? Then head off on a camping adventure at Gold Bluffs Beach in Northern California's Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. While it takes some effort to reach the 25-site campground (you have to drive six miles along a rough, narrow dirt road), it pays off in the end.

For just $22 per site, a family of four can camp in the dunes along a scenic 10-mile-long beach and enjoy beachcombing, wildlife watching (elk and gray whales), picnicking, fishing and hiking to the park's thick stand of redwoods. Alas, swimming is not an option--the water is much too rough and cold. The campground has running water, flush toilets and even a solar-heated shower. For more information, call 707-464-6101 or visit their Web site.

For other bargain vacation spots, check out the following links:

UNDER $30 A NIGHT

• Arkansas' "Diamond" in the Rough
• Explore Colorado's Sand Dunes
• Camp in Style the Ohio Way
• New York's Adirondack Adventure

UNDER $75 A NIGHT

• Sleep Over at Montana's Roosevelt Cabins
• Camping on the Carolina Cape
• A California Lighthouse Getaway

UNDER $100 A NIGHT

• All Rivers Lead to Nebraska
• A Bargain Visit to Williamsburg, Virginia
• Illinois' Log Cabin Lodge
• Camp Pueblo-Style in Texas

UNDER $125 A NIGHT

• A "Hot" Time in Montana
• Lake Powell Luxury in Arizona
• An Old-Fashioned Florida Family Vacation
• A Grand Inn at the Grand Coulee Dam

UNDER $170 A NIGHT

• Cozy Up in a Maine Inn
• Oregon's Mountain Retreat
• Dive for Pearls at this Tennessee Resort
• Wisconsin's Budget B & B



Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated August 2005.