When you’re living on the road, you occasionally need to pull off of the road to rest, eat, tend to acts of nature, etc. While exciting, and full of novel experiences, life on the road doesn’t tend to be a very lucrative lifestyle so free camping is one of the best ways to find success.
Before you get too involved in looking for free camping sites, you’ll want to do some homework on boondocking. Make sure your rig is set up for it. Free camping is almost always unimproved and off the beaten path. Dumpsters are rare and hookups are almost unheard of. Once you’re confident in your rig’s ability to keep you comfortable in the wild, we can find some campsites.
Free Webpages and Apps
There are several free resources out there for finding great camping opportunities across the nation. All of these apps are built on user submission. You should check several when venturing into a new area to find the best options.
iOverlander
iOverlander is one of the most recommended web pages in nomad and full-time communities, however, we haven’t gotten much use from it. One thing iOverlander is great for is it has more than just campsites. It includes other camping essentials like dump and fill stations, showers, and fuel. Its filters are pretty expansive but can be daunting at first.
Campendium
The search function on Campendium used to be a little hard to navigate, where one could just get articles if they didn’t format their search just right, however, it’s gotten a lot better. While it primarily shows users paid camping spots, they can be filtered out with a few clicks. (Yes, the website was taken down when Roadtrippers bought it, but they put it back up. Unfortunately, the app is no more.)
Freecampsites.net
FreeCampsites.net will give you the most results in a given area. However, its filter function is very rudimentary. Users can filter the results for free sites, paid sites, or verified sites. The interface will still show everything. Sites can range from single tent pullouts off of forestry roads, open prairie BLM land, or cracker barrel parking lots. Again, you really need to read the reviews to make sure it’s a good fit for your rig.
A lot of travelers have been able to find great camping opportunities just by using Google. Searching for “Free camping near …” “Dispersed camping near…” or “Generalized camping near…” can return a decent amount of spots. You can also do these searches in the Google Maps app to get locations in a specific area.
Paid Services
Bondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts
While not 100% free, Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts have been lifesavers when it comes to finding a “spot between spots.” A weekender may be willing to put in an 8- to 10-hour drive to get from A to B. Nomads and full-timers want to treat our rigs a little nicer, driving no more than 4 hours a day. Both Boondockers Welcome and Harvest hosts are part of the same company. For an annual fee, you can reserve spots at thousands of sites.
Boondockers Welcome sites are usually just extra room in someone’s driveway. Harvest Hosts are parking lots outside breweries or farms. These hosts expect you to buy something from them, so “free camping” is a bit of a misnomer.
Thousand Trails
Thousand Trails is very popular among many full-timers as it provides free camping at many different parks. Since so many full-time families use the system, there are usually lots of kids to play with, especially during the winter (as most families seem to congregate in just a few areas). If there are Thousand Trails parks where you want to be and your travel style fits what you can book (it’s often 3 weeks in the system, 1 week out of the system), Thousand Trails can be an excellent way to save money. Many report nightly averages of just a few dollars.
However, the subscription can be expensive, though there are many different levels. The quality of the parks is also variable, and sites are usually first-come first-served (though they are introducing the ability to reserve specific sites at some parks).
The biggest reason we don’t use Thousand Trails is that technically, skoolies and other conversions aren’t allowed. It’s up to the individual parks, but we decided it was just too expensive for a “maybe.”
Premium Apps
These are usually a waste of money. Most camping apps are curated by users so any money paid only goes to the web hosts and doesn’t guarantee a better experience or selection than the free alternatives.
Social Media
If you’re on the road for any amount of time, you’ve probably (hopefully) hooked up with at least one group of full-timers. With few exceptions, these groups all have Facebook groups, some of them, like Fulltime Families, have multiple groups for different regions and needs. Simply asking the group about camping opportunities in the area you plan to go to can give you a wealth of information. Just be sure to not publicize your choice if you’re concerned about safety.
Workamping
Another popular way to camp for “free” is to work for the campground. Simply calling campgrounds in an area you’re looking to visit can net you some information. Search for “Workamping jobs near … “ Beware of any positions that don’t offer the site free, or for a reasonable set of hours. Site fees could easily cost more than the pay. Don’t be shy about volunteer opportunities though, as the time commitments can be low enough to allow you to earn money in other ways, and you still get to explore an exciting new area!
To sum up, there are many, many ways to quickly and easily find great free camping on the road. While free to “free” camping can be found all over the United States, one can typically find more of it in the West, as there is significantly more public land out there. The East Coast, especially the Northeast, will be a challenge. Texas, interestingly, is also devoid of public land but makes up for it with other free camping opportunities, if one takes the time to look.