Need Info on Boondocking....

[Houndmamas]

Hey everyone -- it's the newbie again ....I am trying to learn about boondocking....I understand (from reading some of the posts associated with this term) that there are folks who believe that the term should only be used in the purest sense of the word -- when you are RV'g out in the wilderness with no access to basic utilities and are completely off-the-grid so to speak.....While acknowledging and respecting the traditional meaning of the word, as a novice to the RV world and as someone who is trying to figure out how to plan for a cross-country trip this July, I am reaching out to see if I can get some guidance on "boondocking" along the way by parking the trailer overnight (without having reservations in a campsite) so that we can sleep and then get back on the road in the morning....Are there places that will allow us to do that (rest stops?? etc.)......I am planning on making some actual Campsite reservations (to take care of utilities) but would like the flexibility of not being locked into reservations every night of the trip just in case we decide, on the fly, to take a detour.....Thanks!!!!

 

[John From Detroit]

I often staied at Flying-J truck stops (Avoid Woodhaven,MI) some Wal-Marts or big box stores... Most CG's do want to be paid even for an overnight no hookups.

At J's wal-marts and the like..one night,, Use designated parking (Wal Mart there are different colors of paint on the parking lot.. I THINK white is nearest the store and cars only.. Yellow is for you (I may have it backwards)

J's the RV is usually in front,car side,Semi's in rear.

Some faternal lodges (Moose, Elks, American leagon and so on) have RV facilities as well. Limited hookups

 

[donn]

Back in 1977 when we made a really fast cross country we stopped at road side rest areas. Today, there is no way I would. Their just too dangerous. Instead find large truck stops, pull way on the back, do not block trucks and you'll be fine. As a side benefit breakfast is reasonable and plentiful.

 

[Isaac-1]

The ability to find free places to park for the night varies considerably depending on the part of the country.

Some states allow overnight parking in roadside rest areas, some don't, Texas is one that allows it, not just in the rest areas along the interstate highways, but also roadside picnic areas on federal and state highways. By contrast Florida actively discourages it, with I think a 3-4 hour maximum time you can be parked in rest areas. Some Mississippi welcome centers even have free electrical outlets for RV's to plug into, they do in Natchez, but unfortunately the parking is not level, so you can't run an RV refrigerator (if you don't know about this regarding RV absorption refrigerators read up on it as operating them out of level is a fire hazard). Wal-Mart corporate traditionally has an RV friendly policy, but leave the decision up to the local store managers, also some cities have laws against over night rv parking in store parking lots. If considering staying at Wal-Mart it is always best to ask at the customer service desk, don't ask to speak to the store manager, they are far too busy to deal with these issues. Cracker Barrel restaurant also generally allow overnight parking, and have some RV parking spaces though then tend to be somewhat short at around 30-35 feet, though here it is polite to eat at least one meal there and be on your way before prime business hours.

In addition to free sites, there are also relatively low cost options out there, with free or low cost public campground of various types, some with limited hookups some dry camping. Free dispersed (boondock) camping is allowed in many national forest, also most national forest have campgrounds that typically have 5-25 RV sites, maybe central water fill station, and usually a pit toilet, these may run from free to about $10 per night. There are also municipal parks, fair grounds with RV sites, often with 20-30 amp electrical hookups and water, some with central dump stations often priced between $10-$15 per night.

Check out ultimatecampgrounds.com they list many such cheap and free overnight options

p.s. I have spent 1 night at a Flying J, while I will not say never again, it is close to that with 18 wheelers pulling in and out all night, sometimes blowing their air horns, and being parked between two refrigerated trucks running their refrigeration units.

 

[OutdoorFT]

Check out freecampsites.net

Closer to cities and especially the Northeast, it is harder to find places to stop for a night (and not be questioned)

 

[Oldgator73]

Just stay where you feel comfortable. We have pulled into Walmart’s and I’ve told my wife we ain’t staying here. Just didn’t feel right. Other Walmart’s felt fine. Never had any problems staying in rest stops. Use your intuition, if it don’t feel right, move on down the road. As far as the fridge problem when the RV isn’t level, how do you keep the RV level when traveling? Never had a problem with our fridge whether the RV was level or not.

 

[Matt_C]

OK Houndmamas,
What you are looking for is places to place to "dry camp" or overnight park. If you can ONP self contained, this is actually pretty easy. You need to download and learn to use <RVParky>. This can instantly point you at the sort of places you want. Yes, it is that simple. Of the places to ONP for free, yes, some leave a lot to be desired. Some are even scary, but those are very rare.
We have been traveling in an aged motorhome for 17 years and about 70k miles. We only buy a campground when we:
A - Are at the destination we plan to stay
B - Have desperate need of access to utilities
C- Mary wants a too long, too hot shower to wash her long hair.
That totals to about a dozen so far.
We have been know to really boondock too, but with everything as old as it is (I am not just taking about the coach here) it is not something I attempt on any regular basis.

The number of places that you can safely, securely and cheaply spend a night is truly awesome. Highway rest stops and truck stops are Way Down our list as both tend to be noisy even as deaf as I am, it is still an issue. Get RVparky, plan your route and find your places. The only place we have had any problem or difficulty was in the megopolis police states of the east. Even there, we did manage, but in that area, we can often "moochdock" off friends and family.

For the places that did not seem so scary when we shut down, but now we are not sure, we can't carry meaningful weapons anymore so we carry "Shoots 20 Feet" wasp spray. If you want to carry a baseball bat, you also have to have a ball and a glove for the set or some of the police states can determine that it was intended to be a weapon. In reality, I can only remember twice that after we shut down we didn't like what we saw, and three other times that we pull into the planned location only to have a quick change of heart and so kept rolling and the navigator (the one not driving) had to come up with a quick plan B.

Matt

 

[Isaac-1]

Oldgator73, if you are in motion the sloshing action will keep the absorption refrigerator working ok, the problem happens when it is stationary and off level preventing the convection currents from letting the refrigerant circulate, and allowing excessive heat built up in the boiler which causes crystals to form from the Sodium Chromate, these crystals clog the tubes and also cause the breakdown of the protective coating inside the boiler chamber allowing corrosion to eat through the wall letting flammable gases to escape and come in contact the the propane flame, or the hot electric heating element.

 

[Houndmamas]

The ability to find free places to park for the night varies considerably depending on the part of the country.

Some states allow overnight parking in roadside rest areas, some don't, Texas is one that allows it, not just in the rest areas along the interstate highways, but also roadside picnic areas on federal and state highways. By contrast Florida actively discourages it, with I think a 3-4 hour maximum time you can be parked in rest areas. Some Mississippi welcome centers even have free electrical outlets for RV's to plug into, they do in Natchez, but unfortunately the parking is not level, so you can't run an RV refrigerator (if you don't know about this regarding RV absorption refrigerators read up on it as operating them out of level is a fire hazard). Wal-Mart corporate traditionally has an RV friendly policy, but leave the decision up to the local store managers, also some cities have laws against over night rv parking in store parking lots. If considering staying at Wal-Mart it is always best to ask at the customer service desk, don't ask to speak to the store manager, they are far too busy to deal with these issues. Cracker Barrel restaurant also generally allow overnight parking, and have some RV parking spaces though then tend to be somewhat short at around 30-35 feet, though here it is polite to eat at least one meal there and be on your way before prime business hours.

In addition to free sites, there are also relatively low cost options out there, with free or low cost public campground of various types, some with limited hookups some dry camping. Free dispersed (boondock) camping is allowed in many national forest, also most national forest have campgrounds that typically have 5-25 RV sites, maybe central water fill station, and usually a pit toilet, these may run from free to about $10 per night. There are also municipal parks, fair grounds with RV sites, often with 20-30 amp electrical hookups and water, some with central dump stations often priced between $10-$15 per night.

Check out ultimatecampgrounds.com they list many such cheap and free overnight options

p.s. I have spent 1 night at a Flying J, while I will not say never again, it is close to that with 18 wheelers pulling in and out all night, sometimes blowing their air horns, and being parked between two refrigerated trucks running their refrigeration units.

Soooo helpful -- thank you, thank you....

 

[Houndmamas]

OK Houndmamas,
What you are looking for is places to place to "dry camp" or overnight park. If you can ONP self contained, this is actually pretty easy. You need to download and learn to use <RVParky>. This can instantly point you at the sort of places you want. Yes, it is that simple. Of the places to ONP for free, yes, some leave a lot to be desired. Some are even scary, but those are very rare.
We have been traveling in an aged motorhome for 17 years and about 70k miles. We only buy a campground when we:
A - Are at the destination we plan to stay
B - Have desperate need of access to utilities
C- Mary wants a too long, too hot shower to wash her long hair.
That totals to about a dozen so far.
We have been know to really boondock too, but with everything as old as it is (I am not just taking about the coach here) it is not something I attempt on any regular basis.

The number of places that you can safely, securely and cheaply spend a night is truly awesome. Highway rest stops and truck stops are Way Down our list as both tend to be noisy even as deaf as I am, it is still an issue. Get RVparky, plan your route and find your places. The only place we have had any problem or difficulty was in the megopolis police states of the east. Even there, we did manage, but in that area, we can often "moochdock" off friends and family.

For the places that did not seem so scary when we shut down, but now we are not sure, we can't carry meaningful weapons anymore so we carry "Shoots 20 Feet" wasp spray. If you want to carry a baseball bat, you also have to have a ball and a glove for the set or some of the police states can determine that it was intended to be a weapon. In reality, I can only remember twice that after we shut down we didn't like what we saw, and three other times that we pull into the planned location only to have a quick change of heart and so kept rolling and the navigator (the one not driving) had to come up with a quick plan B.

Matt

Amazingly instructive -- great guidance and advise....Thank you!!!

 

[Oldgator73]

Oldgator73, if you are in motion the sloshing action will keep the absorption refrigerator working ok, the problem happens when it is stationary and off level preventing the convection currents from letting the refrigerant circulate, and allowing excessive heat built up in the boiler which causes crystals to form from the Sodium Chromate, these crystals clog the tubes and also cause the breakdown of the protective coating inside the boiler chamber allowing corrosion to eat through the wall letting flammable gases to escape and come in contact the the propane flame, or the hot electric heating element.

Yeah, never had that happen either.

 

[Houndmamas]

Thank you soooo much for taking the time to write such a thorough and informative response.....This site has been incredibly supportive and helpful.....

 

[Matt_C]

Houndmamas,
That is exactly why a lot of us write here. We were all born knowing everything that mattered about RVing. ((RIGHT!!))
Really, the just the chance to help another get started faster and safer is what we are looking for.
You are very welcome.
Matt

 

[Laura & Charles]

We often overnight at casinos/racing’s.

 

[JudyJB]

If you are heading west on the Ohio Turnpike, there are overnight electric hookup camping sites at every other service area. Cost is $20 per night and there is a central place to fill your water tanks and a dump station on your way out. No reservations needed.

 

[Ex-Calif]

I find Campedium app useful for finding free spots.

So far I haven't needed them but will in May when we do Florida to Arizona. My stops so far have been interstate rest areas and no one has hassled me yet. My stops are usually 4-5 hours as I am a "point to point" driver and usually am hustling to get somewhere.

 

[Old_Crow]

I find Campedium app useful for finding free spots.

So far I haven't needed them but will in May when we do Florida to Arizona. My stops so far have been interstate rest areas and no one has hassled me yet. My stops are usually 4-5 hours as I am a "point to point" driver and usually am hustling to get somewhere.

You're like me. Rest areas, truck stops, off ramps in the middle of nowhere, maybe a Walmart once in a while. I wish I could get out of the point-to-point habit and just meander, but it is what it is.
I use freecampsites.net sometimes, but some of those sites are tight for a 37' coach with a toad. It worked better when I had the 29' Sportscoach.

 

[henrynora]

If you are heading west on the Ohio Turnpike, there are overnight electric hookup camping sites at every other service area. Cost is $20 per night and there is a central place to fill your water tanks and a dump station on your way out. No reservations needed.

Wow! I guess I am from WV on the southeastern border of Ohio. I did not know that. I like to attend work parties on the buckeye trail and that is very helpful info.

 

[JudyJB]

Guess I should have added that there are matching RV sites heading east! One warning--you cannot stay on the turnpike for more than 24 hours or they will fine you. In other words, sites are for overnights only, so you cannot stay for more than one night. I use them often on my way from eastern Ohio to Michigan. And the nice thing is that there is handy fast food at the service centers. Also, the pay machines take $20 bills only--no credit cards, so make sure you have the right change. Also, the entrance to the RV lots is before the truck parking and easy to miss, so look for the signs. Overnight Parking For RVs/Travel Trailers

 

[Shawtgunn]

I've used Cabelas, Home Depot, Scheels, and some Wal-Mart locations unless they are posted.