How To Find Parking and Campsites on the Road
How to Find Campsites
One question we get frequently is, “How do you know where to park overnight? Where do you find campsites?”
Well there are many ways to find a place to stay overnight. You have options to camp at:
State and National Parks
These you tend to need reservations in advance although sometimes (depending on how popular the park is) you can get a last minute spot. Look on Recreation.gov or use their app and you will be able to see if they are booked or if there are First Come First Come First Served sites available (FF). If there are FF sites, it is generally best to get to the campsite early. Go in the morning around 9- 11 as people are checking out and snag their spot. You can cruise the campsite and see dates on the posts to see if they are reserved or just ask the camp host. Generally they know who is checking out and can direct you to a site.
Forest Service Campgrounds
We love Forest Service Campgrounds because they always seem to be in beautiful locations. They are staffed with volunteers and well kept. Be sure to use your America the Beautiful Pass when paying so you get a discount. Bring a check or cash to pay for your site. We find forest service campgrounds on Campendium, IOverlander and USFS and BLM app.
Dispersed Camping & BLM
Dispersed camping (a.k.a Boondocking) is camping outside of designated campsites. This is one of our favorite types of camping. It allows you to adventure to new places and be closer to the purity of nature. As long as there are no “no camping” signs, you can camp on public lands. Examples of this would be pulling off on the side of a dirt Forest Service road or finding a flat spot on BLM land. The benefits to dispersed camping is that you are generally away from people and noise. You can choose where you want to be. It is free. Cons may also be that you are not around other campers and there are no amenities (bathroom, trash, water, dump). You do need to be self sufficient (water, toilet, trash, power). It is also very important to practice Leave No Trace Principles. If there are pre-existing sites, it is best to use these so as to better protect the environment. Finding a great dispersed campsite is like unwrapping a beautiful gift. There is so much beautiful public land to be explored and what better way to do that than being fully immersed in nature?
Harvest Host/Boondockers Welcome
Being a member of Harvest Host has been a great experience and worth the money spent. These are businesses, farms, people’s property, wineries, etc that let you park on their property in exchange for supporting their business. Generally around $30 of their goods/services. We like to use this as a last minute option if there are no public lands or campgrounds nearby. We also like this if we want to get a feel for the local scene. If it is wine country, we choose to stay at a winery. In the farming country in Upstate New York, we found an amazing dairy farm and bought cheese. In Virginia, it was ciderhouses. We love this because we can generally trust that it will be a safe place to park and we can taste the local food/drink. Be aware that some hosts do not accept same day bookings. Also you must be self contained (your own bathroom) and pack out your trash. So unfortunately, no tents. Most generally say that you can stay one night but we have found that to be very flexible if you speak to the hosts and support their business.
Stealth Camping on streets, parking lots, etc
This is an option many choose especially in a more populated area or city. Courtesy is key here. Be thoughtful and respectful of the neighborhood and businesses. Try not to park right in front of someone’s home or view and do not overstay your welcome. Please be sure to obey any signs that indicate no overnight camping. Sometimes you will need to leave by a specific time in the morning and arrive late. This is a good option if you are out exploring and just need a place to overnight. Camping this way means you will not put out your awning, rug, chairs, etc. Be as discreet as possible and leave no trace. If you can find a parking spot by a park, there is sometimes bathrooms and trash cans which is a plus. Using the app IOverlander is a good one for this or just drive around until you see a satisfactory spot. This is great to be able to go do what you want during the day and just find a simple spot to overnight. Do not park in one spot longer than 72 hours or you may be ticketed.
Rest Stops, Truck stops, Business Parking lots
These are easy to find on IOverlander. They are definitely not the prettiest or the quietest of places but are a good backup. Bonus: you can generally find garbage cans there.
Friends/Family
When staying with friends and family, be sure to have them check their HOA as some do not want you parked on the street overnight. We also prefer to sleep in our van no matter how much they insist on us going inside. We have all we need in the van and our bed/pillows are cozy and comfy.
RV Parks
These have lots of amenities and are nice if you want a pool or hot shower. Still, they are not our favorite places to park because of the amount of people, higher cost and less than natural environment. They can be a good option for staying somewhere for a longer length of time.
Apps that we use: My favorite is IOverlander. We also like Campendium for the option of finding dump and water fill stations. They show dispersed camping, RV parks, forest service, blm, national park campgrounds. NPS is good for National Parks. Google maps works if you find an area you’d like to stay and search campgrounds or camping. There are generally reviews that you can read as well.
Pro Tip: I just learned about a site called wanderinglabs.com. This is a site that can help find campsites at a campground that has already sold out. You put in a request and they will notify you when a site becomes available so you don’t have to continue to monitor and refresh websites to see what opens up. This is good for popular sites like Yosemite, Zion, Yellowstone, etc.
Another tip that I eluded to above was reviews. Read the reviews on the campground. I can’t say that enough. You can save yourself a headache and a long unnecessary drive. Many reviews talk about the roads to get there, cell service, trash, how much it is used, noise, etc. They help to assess safety of an area as well.
Now get out there and enjoy your options!
Please comment and share some of your favorite campsites and apps for camping!
