Head out and see what you can find! Photo by Unbound Nomads The important thing, no matter the size of your RV, is to remember: push your limits, but never threaten your safety. As long as your tow vehicle is capable, there are lots of steeper, bumpier “roads less traveled” that are open to you. If your RV is a lighter motorhome, van, travel trailer, or some other tricked out adventure mobile, then you can probably attempt some more adventurous locations. If your RV is on the larger side, you will probably need to stick to more accessible roads and flatter plains for your own safety and the safety of your vehicle. Turn on Earth (terrain) mode to get an idea of how accessible the area is for your rig Google Mapsīefore you choose a location, it is important to determine what your rig is capable of handling. Having some basic knowledge of where side roads are located should give you a good idea of where you will be able to begin your search for a campsite. Some of these extend for quite a ways, some are extremely short. Typically you can find many side roads or logging roads that turn off of a few main roads. Once you have picked the public land of your choice, zoom into a main road that travels through that green plot of land. Look for off-shooting roads throughout the forest Google Maps Generally speaking, lands pertaining to wildlife are reserved for either the hunting or viewing of wildlife and do not allow camping unless explicitly stated on their website. Once again, just check out the website for info! However, backpacking along designated trails is allowed in many State and National Parks. Some of these parks will be open to free public camping of some kind, but you cannot assume that boondocking with an RV is permissible. Parks such as these usually have specified campgrounds available for a fee, but are not always open to public camping. These public lands make for great boondocking locations! These areas are mostly in the west and may not show up on Google Maps, but it’s definitely worth checking out their website to get to know the areas where they are located. *When choosing your camping site in a National or State Forest be sure to watch out for PRIVATE PROPERTY signs, as many are massive expanses of land and they do often have towns and private homes spread amongst them! Areas that are not posted are understood to be for public use.īLM Land is public land run by the Bureau of Land Management. The average limit for camping in one National or State Forest is 14 days. From my experience, I would say this is rare. Sometimes you will need a permit for camping, and other times there are specifically designated areas where camping is or is not allowed. It’s a good idea to check each Forest’s website before you go, just to be sure. These areas are all almost always open to the public for camping, whether in a tent or an RV. These areas are usually OPEN to public camping: Understand what areas are open for free camping These are various government-allotted masses of land designated as forests, parks, game lands, game preserves, et cetera. There are numerous different plots of green land throughout the majority of states. Look for big plots of green land Google Maps Zoom in closer to that area on Google Maps, just so you can start to see details, but stay zoomed out far enough to easily observe large chunks of land. You should start with a general idea of where in the country you would like to go camping. Pull up Google Maps on your phone or computer Google Maps While some campgrounds technically offer dry camping, the term “boondocking” generally refers to camping off the grid in a free location you have discovered away from an organized campground.įollowing is a simple guide to finding a great boondocking location. Photo by Unbound Nomadsīoondocking, also known as dry or primitive camping, means parking your RV in a campsite without any hookups of any kind, whether electric, water, or sewer. But is it really necessary to pay for cable and WiFi when the entire reason you went camping was to disconnect and get into nature? If these thoughts have ever crossed your mind it may be time to try boondocking. If you can run your RV on solar power or batteries-or you’re just willing to rough it for a few days in the backwoods-there’s no reason not to spend your precious camping time in the middle of nature.Įven the best campgrounds are usually full of other people and, naturally, many charge a pretty penny for their services.
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