As with any area, rules and regulations are going to differ dramatically depending on the location. Wildlife Management Areas occasionally have free campsites. They are generally well maintained and a great place to stay on your road trip. These campsites range from primitive to established with picnic tables, restrooms and even showers. You can check out the full list of campsites. The Army Corps of Engineers offers free camping at many of their locations. We recommend stopping at a forest service office to get more information. Permits may be required in certain areas however, they can often be obtained either for free or at a very low cost. Some states, such as Pennsylvania, have similar regulations as National Forests, meaning there is quite a bit of available camping. State Forests vary wildly in their ability to offer free camping. Park rangers can give you insider information on the best camping for you, your pets, quiet campsites, places with good cell phone service, or panoramic views. Simply look up ‘ranger station’ on your digital map. National forest service and BLM offices are very common near National Forests. This is the best resource for finding dispersed campgrounds or getting a number to call for more information. The website fs.fed.us has a database of all National Forests that you can lookup by state. You can easily find a National Forest on maps because parks and forests are colored with a light green background. National Forests often allow free dispersed camping. Dry camping on BLM land has the potential to really put you in the middle of nowhere, so know your limits and be sure to bring extra supplies. Where To Find Free, Dispersed Campingīureau of Land Management (BLM) and Public Lands allow you to camp freely in many locations You can find BLM land near you by visiting the blm.gov website or talking to a ranger at a national forest office. We cover all types of camping in our article on free camping in the USA. These are more geared towards tent campers or van life travelers. Primitive camping, backcountry camping, and stealth camping in the city are other forms of free camping. These are ‘developed’ with a noticeable place to park your RV and possibly fire ring, but you won’t find other amenities. Many National Forest areas of high traffic will have specific dry camping sites. It’s up to you to decide where to pull over and spend the night.ĭry camping is a term commonly used to indicate that there are no amenities such as water or electricity at a campsite. Often these are not officially labeled campsites. Occasionally you can find boondocking campsites with vault toilets or fire pits but it is not the norm. They mean camping on undeveloped public lands without hookups or bathroom amenities. The most common are boondocking, dispersed camping, dry camping, and primitive camping.īoondocking and dispersed camping can be used interchangeably. When researching free campsites near you, it’s good to know that there are a few different names it goes by. We’ll start by saying that free camping is legal, and it can be found in almost every state in the USA. You’ll often find more beautiful and secluded campsites and there are far fewer restrictions on pets, noise ordinances, or space. You can go dry camping year-round without paying a penny to park overnight. There are no electric hookups, no dump stations or freshwater fill areas, no trash services and sometimes no cell phone reception.īoondocking is cheap. When you go boondocking you’re in charge of taking care of your own resources. It’s often called dispersed camping, or dry camping and requires you to do a lot more planning before heading out on your road trip. Water conservation and priming 12v pumpsīoondocking is not like staying at a paid campground.Electricity and boondocking (generators, solar, and air conditioners).Click the links below to jump to each section: From finding free campsites to powering your RV, and traveling safely. In this article, we’re going to cover everything you need to know about RV boondocking. If you’re on a budget, want to explore the path less traveled, or plan on full-time RV living, then learning how to go boondocking is essential. Boondocking is one of the best ways to save money while touring the country in an RV or camper.
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