The Ultimate Guide to Finding Free Campsites
Camping is the best way to see the world on a budget. Believe it or not, you can find free camping in every state of the USA. Your options will vary depending on your comfort level and camping style.
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF FREE CAMPING?
Boondocking
Dispersed Camping
Dry Camping
Primitive Camping
Stealth Camping
BOONDOCKING OR FREE CAMPSITES
Boondocking or Dispersed Camping can be used interchangeably. This is camping on undeveloped public lands without hookups or bathroom amenities.
Dispersed camping is popular among the RV community because their motorhomes are self-contained. Van lifers and rugged campers also take advantage of these spaces because they are entirely free. Any time you stay on public lands, you must follow the pack-it-in, pack-it-out mentality. Occasionally you can find dispersed campsites with vault toilets or fire pits, but it is not the norm.
Often these are not officially labeled campsites. It is up to you to decide where to pull over and spend the night.
This type of camping is legal. You just need to know where to look. Below, you can find some ideas for finding dispersed camping sites.
DRY CAMPING
Dry Camping is a term commonly used to indicate that there are no amenities, such as water or electricity, at a campsite.
Many National Forest areas of high traffic will have specific dry camping sites. These are “developed” with a prominent place to park your car and possibly a fire ring, but you won’t find any other amenities.
Additionally, paid campgrounds will commonly have varying tiers of campsites. The most expensive will have hookups and the best amenities, while the least expensive will be called dry camping sites. With a dry campsite, you should not expect electricity or portable water nearby.
Wal-Mart sometimes allows dry camping in their parking lot for self-contained RVs and camper van conversions.
PRIMITIVE OR BACKCOUNTRY CAMPING
Primitive Camping blurs the line with dry camping, but I find that it means tent camping only. It means walking gear far away from your car to get to a fire pit and picnic table. It is usually synonymous with backpacking and is an adventure of its own rather than a place to crash.
If you come across a website that says, “primitive camping along trail X,” what this means is you are allowed to hike a tent in, stay for the night, and hike a tent out.
Sometimes primitive camping is close enough to a parking post that it is a good option if you have a tent with you; however, it typically indicates more than a short walk.
If you are researching campgrounds, primitive camping can either mean no hookups available or pack-in-pack-out your tent. You will have to call beforehand to see if drive-in options are available.
STEALTH CAMPING
Stealth Camping means camping in populated areas that are not intended for overnight sleeping. It can be a legal gray area.
Camping stealth is a popular way for van dwellers who have built their DIY conversions to visit cities and park in neighborhoods overnight. The idea is that if no one knows you are there, then sleeping is fair game.
There are a lot of tricks to successfully stealth camping; however, that is not discussed in this article.
HOW TO FIND FREE CAMPING NEAR ME?
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT (BLM) AND PUBLIC LANDS
BLM Land is one of the best places to go camping if you want to escape the crowds. The Bureau of Land Management operates over 400 locations that cover nearly 250 million acres of land across the US. This land is open to the public for camping, hiking, and other forms of recreation. They are most prevalent on the west coast.
In most areas of BLM Land, you are allowed to camp freely anywhere you decide to park your car. You can find BLM land near you by visiting the BLM website or by talking to a ranger at a national forest office.
Although BLM lands have very few regulations, many have a length of stay limits, which is not to exceed 14 days in a row. In addition, do not expect to find any amenities, fire rings, bathrooms, waste receptacles, or water. When camping on BLM land, you have the potential of being in the middle of nowhere, so know your limits and prepare to have extra supplies. Rough roads are familiar. Even with this all in mind, there are some spectacular BLM land locations.
NATIONAL FORESTS
Dispersed camping is allowed in many national forests. Spotting a National Forest on a map is easy because parks and forests are colored with a light green background.
Keep in mind that each National Forest has its own rules and regulations. For example, most allow you to camp there for free, but some require a permit. Like BLM Land, National Forests also tend to have a 14-day stay limit and have variations on rules, such as not camping too close to lakes or roads.
DATABASE OF NATIONAL FORESTS
This Website has a database of all the National Forests that you can look up by state. It is the best resource for finding dispersed campgrounds or getting a number to call for information.
HOW TO CAMP FOR FREE NEAR YOU IN A NATIONAL FOREST
Open Google Maps and Find a “Green” Colored Area of the Map Near You
Green Backgrounds Indicate Parks and National Parks
Zoom Out and Find the Name of the National Forest
For Example - Sequoia National Forest
Research Rules and Regulations of the Forest HERE
The website will list the exact locations and rules for each dispersed campground.
VISIT A NATIONAL FOREST OR BLM OFFICE
These offices are widespread near National Forests. Look up “Ranger Station” on your digital map. Park Rangers can give you insider information on the best camping for you and your pets, quiet campsites, places with good cell phone service, and panoramic views. They can also inform you about road conditions, hiking trails, and places to visit nearby.
STATE FORESTS
The availability to camp in State forests vary by location. Some states have similar regulations to National Forests. Some require permits,, and some do not. It depends on the state—research before going into any state forest.
ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
The Army Corps of Engineers are responsible for building dams and controlling rivers, among many other things. As part of this public service, they offer free camping at many locations. You can CLICK HERE to check out the regions and areas for free camping. The campsites range from primitive to established.
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS
A number of Wildlife Management Areas also offer free camping. Regulations and rules vary dramatically depending on the location. You will need to research each place before planning to spend the night.
NATIONAL PARKS
Some US National Parks have free camping with vault toilets on-site if you have a National Parks Pass. Two that I know of are Badlands National Park in South Dakota and New River Gorge in West Virginia.
Many National Parks also have free primitive camping if you're willing to backpack in and obtain a permit.
The best way to get a permit is to check each National Park website before visiting. Some require you to check in with the park office first.
BEST WEBSITES AND APPS FOR FINDING FREE CAMPING
Free campsites are abundant if you know where to look. Of course, some states are going to be more difficult than others. However, it is possible to find some form of free camping in every state!
Here are my free top resources for finding free camping:
The Dyrt (Website and App): A user-submitted website and app listing thousands of paid and free campgrounds for tents and RVs. A free version and a paid version of the app for just $35.00 lets you overlay layers on the map, including Bureau of Land Management areas, US Forest Service, and National Parks Service. You can also download offline maps and campsites. There is a handy trip-planning feature as well.
Freecampsites.net (Website): All types of campsites are listed here, including dry, primitive, and stealth. Although the website looks dated and does not have an app, it has one of the most comprehensive lists of user-submitted campsites out there.
iOverlander (Website and App): Like Freecampsites.net, it has some unique gems but is not as populated with options. It does work offline with the app and has a number of locations. Using the Freecmapsites and this option hand in hand is pretty useful.
US Public Lands (App): A simple yet effective app for finding your own campsites. This app uses a color-coded map of all the different types of public lands and is especially useful in the West because there is so much BLM, National Forest, and WMA land.
Campendium (Website and App): Allows you to search for free camping by state and does have fewer options than some of the above choices. However, the campsites posted here are vetted a bit and usually have images, reviews, and more information.
Allstays.com (Website and App): Lists both free and paid campsites sorted by state and comes with an app. You can find campgrounds with reviews, and it lists out parks, public lands, KOA’s, and casinos.
RV-Camping.org (Website): Another resource for finding state-specific information on BLM land, state, and national forests, as well as general free campsites.
FreeRoam (Website and App): A helpful tool and a community for finding boondocking locations to camp for free. The app also offers chat rooms for campers to connect and share information.
