[UPDATE] Unfortunately Google shut down Fusion Tables which hosted my boondocking maps. I am working on a new map solution. 2/2020.
[NEW-->] Try our new SMTrekkers Super Maps page. It combines access to the best boondocking/camping maps on a single page and allows you to quickly open these maps after you select the state you want. [<--New]
Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to tie unbiased RV camping reviews to specific sites on a map. That is what we thought and decided to create it. We wanted a way to look at a specific area or places along a route that would be good for a nice camping stay. There are now close to 5000 sites on our map with the majority being free sites. Many are found in no other sources that I know of.
We are particularly interested in: free boondocking sites (both blacktop boondocking and forest); hot springs with camping (commercial and wild); free and low-cost BLM sites; bloggers favorite sites, county fairgrounds, regional, county and little-known city CGs. I assume that most forest service and national park CGs are easily discovered on Google Maps, etc, but if a blogger really liked one of these, I might add it.
This map points out many spots that RV bloggers have described. They usually describe how to get there with descriptions/photos of the site and area. Many reviews describe activities to be had in the surrounding area. Sometimes the points on the map only point to a general area and you may need to do more investigating to find the RV site. We tend to not map well-known areas, figuring folks will know about them already, such as most national park CGs. Some of the reviews are "professional" from online magazine articles if the descriptions and photos are interesting.
This map identifies many "boondocking" type sites that are free or low cost. Many sites require "dry camping," but many non-boondocking RV sites are also included. There are lots of great site reviews done by bloggers. We concentrated mainly on the mountain west USA sites in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and New Mexico. We are using Google Fusion Tables to generate the map.
If we get to a site and it looks "dicey" for boondocking, we hope that there is an alternative nearby that will work. Over time things change, no overnight parking signs go up, fees are added or increased. You never know what you will find and you must be very flexible to enjoy boondocking. Many coastal California towns are cracking down on overnight RV parking (San Diego, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles) so some sites on this map may no longer work.
As I am hunting for good boondock sites, sometimes I spot locations on the satellite image that look like they would make good campsites, such as places that clearly have RVs or flat spots with fire rings. There is not much info or reviews of these sites.
This map includes many of famous Tioga George's sites. (George likes urban sites near downtowns, usually in industrial/commercial areas.)
I have also created a "sub-map" of just the hot spring sites. These are camping areas that have access to a nearby hot spring. Most are free, but some are pay resorts that look pretty cool:
Here is my Hot Springs RV Camping MAP Page.
Google Fusion Tables can be a little flaky at times, so be patient. You might have to zoom in and out to find what you are looking for in a particular area of the map. Locations are sometimes approximate. Costs to camp are sometimes guesses, as details were not readily available for all sites. Call the site manager for details. Some sites offer many rates for different type sites, such as RV electric sites or monthly rates, for example. Check the reference link for more details. Things change so always call ahead for current RV policies. Some reviews give prices from years ago and the prices and policies may have changed. I try to go generally with the lowest cost dry camping price if there are multiple prices.
How to use this map:
Click on a dot and you will see reviews of the site/area. If you are interested in the area, make sure to explore more posts from these bloggers. Many times there are multiple posts about an area in each blog. People tend to stay in an area for a few days and thus write multiple posts. We link to the posts that are the best representations for a site and area. Note that site/area information may have changed from the time of the original posts. Call the area manager to verify specific information.
Here are other fantastic resource maps for boondocking, overnight, resort and campground camping:
http://freecampsites.net/ [Find good FREE and low-cost boondocking sites.]
http://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com [MAP of Public Campgrounds: COE, USFS, TVA, NPs, BR, F&WS, State, County, Municipal, and Utility ... maybe the most extensive list available. Can sort by Elevation.]
https://www.campendium.com/free-camping [A VERY extensive list of campsites with great reviews and photos.]
https://freeroam.app/places [A NEW resource. Boondocking map. Looks interesting. Has smart phone apps. Very many free sites on the map. Also has BLM NFS and Cell Phone overlays.]
http://www.rvparky.com/ [GREAT resource. Find sites in-route. Tells if site OK overnight at locations like Walmart.]
https://campgroundtour.com/ [Nice map. Lots of boondocking / dispersed camping sites.]
http://app.ioverlander.com/ [Nice map. Lots of boondocking / dispersed camping sites.]
http://www.recreation.gov/unifSearch.do [You can search by State and by Federal Agency for CGs on a MAP. Agencies include: BLM; Bureau of Reclamation; Corps of Engineers; etc.
http://www.geocommunicator.gov/blmMap/Map.jsp?MAP=SiteMapper [MAP for BLM land.]
[Select "Layers tab > Surface Management Agency (ON)" to show BLM areas.] [MAY BE DISABLED]
https://www.blm.gov/visit
BLM facilities map. You can search this map.
https://blm-egis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6f0da4c7931440a8a80bfe20eddd7550 BLM National Data MAP. Shows many trailhead/CGs. (Select National Recreation Sites (Points) from the Layers List.) This map system is probably the best for finding zooming in on BLM lands. You can change the transparency of the Surface Management Agency overlays using the three dot menu.
https://blm-egis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b35e0f49c1544b85b19fcb24ca4a5d14 BLM - National Conservation Lands ArcGIS map. Shows many trailheads and CGs for these special areas.
This may be the blm-egis... map now that is very nice (shows Trailheads, Parking lots. BLM land
and other types of land, campsites. Very good map for BLM sites:
http://blm-egis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=a6b1bc529b344e36a1d9d4d729bc03f7
http://www.allstays.com/c/wal-mart-locations.htm [Search: "Dispersed" and area name. Will give you a lot of dispersed sites. AllStays has a lot of information.]
http://www.walmartatlas.com/no-park-walmarts/ [A Walmart list.]
http://halberstadt.macmate.me/Walmart/Walmarts.html [A fairly up-to-date Walmart list.]
http://www.uscampgrounds.info/ [Wide selection of campgrounds of all types. MAP]
http://www.rvparkreviews.com/ [Many reviews of RV parks.]
http://www.rvparking.com/ [Many reviews of RV parks.]
http://www.casinocamper.com/ [Casinos ... a little outdated but still useful.]
http://www.allstays.com/c/truck-stop-locations.htm
http://www.overnightrvparking.com/ [Good overnight info. Fee site, #rodent...]
https://www.boondockerswelcome.com/ [Private citizens let you camp in their driveway....etc]
http://www.forestcamping.com/
http://harvesthosts.com/ [Growers who have space for RVs]
http://www.boondocking.org [Lets you search for sites by GPS location and radius in miles.]
http://ioverlander.com/ [iOverlander - a 4x4 truck camper oriented MAP of great boondocking sites run by volunteers.]
http://www.freecampgrounds.com/ [Less than $15 (or free) sites state MAPs].
http://pilotflyingj.com/locations
http://restareas.appspot.com/ [Google map of rest areas. Nice.]
http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/visitors.cfm [US Army Corps of Engineers CG MAP.]
http://www.campgroundviews.com/us/ [Lots of private campgrounds listed w images - MAP ]
http://publiclands.org/? [Public sites especially Recreation and Wildlife Areas - MAP]
http://wikimapia.org [This MAP provides a lot of POI (Points Of Interest) to explore.]
https://naturalatlas.com/ [This MAP is very detailed with lots of reference points on the map. Focused on outdoor recreation. Nice. Will show BLM etc land management with additional fee.]
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/all-places-in-the-atlas-on-one-map [This MAP provide interesting and quirky POI (Points of Interest). It a little lacking. ]
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/location/ [Roadside America has MAPs of POI (Points of Interest) for every state. ]
http://www.twostepsbeyond.com/apps/uspubliclands/ [Great Public Lands Mobile App (low fee) MAP]
http://www.fs.fed.us/ivm/ [National Forest Interactive Visitors MAP: CGs, Trailheads, etc. and FS Roads]
https://www.placenames.com/ [Place Names can sometimes help find the GPS location of hard to find locations.]
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/us [AllTrails show lots of great trails on their MAP. Trailheads can potentially be boondocking sites if you're lucky.]
https://freecampsites.net/blm-ltvas/ A post about LTVAs (Long Term Visitor Areas) where you can dry camp for 7 or so months for a low fee ($180) all season long.
https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=38.55812,-108.31732&z=5&b=n&a=sma [MAP] CalTopo is a very good map viewer that includes public lands ownership overlays especially BLM lands
http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/dmf-viewer/?siteid=5140114829009675607 British Columbia Recreation Sites and Trails[MAP].
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1c1oX4S1GLAtwmrTufc3AsYQEoLQ&ll=52.81477439407893%2C-105.18186125&z=4 Saskatchewan Campgrounds and Recreation Sites[MAP].
https://apps.fs.usda.gov/TravelAccess/ A Forest Service Interactive Travel MAP. Shows currently open Jeep /OHV roads very well.
Of course, http://www.google.com/maps is a key resource. You can find almost anything! Search for a casino, truck stop, restaurants. Sometimes I forget what a great resource Google Maps is. Trick: search using the phrase "travel center" OR "flying j" to find a lot of truck stops. (Note: Not sure if AND and OR still work on Google Maps.)
Here are some helpful Google Map Searches I like to use when planning my travels.
I have added most of famous Tioga George's blog boondocking sites. He traveled for 10+ years in his Tioga C Class RV. He is an amazing boondocking character. Many of his sites are dicey urban boondocks that I am not that sure about, but I added them anyway.
George has what he calls "nite" sites that I note. If you stay at a nite site, you should arrive late and leave early and not look like your camping. (If you violate this, the city or private property owner will put up the dreaded "No Overnight Parking" signs and you will have ruined it for all of us!)
Here is a link to a post I wrote specifically about Tioga George that includes a map of his nite and boondocking sites [LINK]
One of my favorite blogger review resources are the maps and reviews by Wheelingit.us. Nina and Paul do just an amazing job with their reviews of sites. You can see clickable maps of their travels here: http://www.wheelingit.us/the-journey/
I discovered the travel maps of LiveWorkDream.com here with many blacktop-boondocking sites across the country: http://www.liveworkdream.com/maps2/
Here is another boondockers map of boondocking sites across the nation. It's by "Rolling in an RV -Wheelchair Traveling" blog. They have been boondocking for over 18 years. They have many casinos and RV OK parking lots on this map. It's good for quick overnighters. [Google Boondocking Map] They have another set of maps with attractions and boondocking spots: [Attractions - Google Maps]
Another interesting map is this Google Fusion Table from Boondocking.org. The data is a few years old, so double check before you rely on it. Here is a dump of the site information from boondocking.org. It appears to have many spots for a high clearance truck type 4x4 camper.
This Google Map from HasBeenThere.com appears to have many of the same sites (but not all the same) and some additional locations.
Wecallithome.com has a lot of really nice site reviews. I will be adding them to the map over time. They started their blog in 2008 and stopped full-timing in mid-2013.
Ramblin' Ralph has a map of 500+ sites that are mostly low cost (many free) Forest Service, BLM, County Campgrounds, some state, and city CGs. Lots of great lake side or riverside spots. He is in a truck camper so a lot of the sites are good for that type of smaller RV camping. [His 2015 Map.]
Band of Boondockers has a huge set of MAPs, by state, of free and low-cost sites. It's a bit of a flaky site but if your patient, this can be a HUGE (TM Donald Trump) resource! (Data from 2010 so things may have changed.)
Our Odyssey travels in a large Class A double-decker bus. They did a ton of boondocking until they switched to boating. They have a very good "Dispersed Camping on Public Lands" blog post.
http://mywilddreams.net/2017/10/19/how-to-find-free-campsites/ Lots of good info on finding boondocking sites.
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/rv-boondocking/ Has a lot of good info to help Boondockers make the best of their time.
Here is a list of Boondocking sites by state. It includes a lot of blacktop-boondocking pull-overs and truck stops: Dean's List (PDF file). This list is from 2000 so things may have changed since then.
PublicLands.org has a great map system to find especially free BLM and forest service campsites. The New Mexico map is here: http://publiclands.org/Get-Books-and-Maps.php?plicstate=NM You can switch to a different state on that page.
http://www.maxtrails.com/maps/1002113map.html This site has some good maps with campsites. You must first find a hiking trail and then click on the trails map to see the nearby camping areas. It has an extensive amount of campsites if you hunt.
Escapees club has a large list of boondocking sites provided by the club's members. It cost 10 dollars, I believe, plus club membership. I would like to get my hands on that list (for personal use) but have not yet.
I will continually be adding new sites to the map, so check back! In five years I should have one hell of a list, perfect for Karen and my Monkey Trekking Adventures!
If you know of a good review of a spot you love that is not on the map, please comment with a link to the review and we will likely add it after we review it.
Disclaimer: Use this map and all boondocking info at your own risk. Policies for RV sites change constantly and the information may be out-of-date, especially prices. Contact the manager of the location to find out current policies before you count on that site for an overnight stay. Some that were NO FEE may now charge as government budgets gets tighter and tighter. Some sites on this map may be privately owned and illegal to park at. This map provides "potential" sites. It's up to you to verify that you can legally park in any specific site.
Remember that Blacktop Boondocking / Overnight Parking Lot sites are not for "camping." Don't pull out your BBQ, chairs, tent or shade tarp. They are strictly for a quick & discreet overnighter. Don't ruin them for the rest of us. Bring a big garbage bag and clean up around your site as a way of saying thank you! Leave them better than you found them! Show folks that we boondockers are the good guys! Spend some money at their restaurant, store, gas, etc as a way of saying THANKS!
When we are on the road and I am searching for a quick overnight spot, I use Google maps: "Travel center" OR "Truck Stop" OR "Flying J" OR "Loves", Dennys, Walmart, "Rest Area", Casino, Fairground, Cabelas, "Bass Pro Shop", "Camping World", Campground OR camping, Kmart. [Google constantly changes everything all the time and things that once worked are guaranteed not to work after a while. Google love to change for change sake and nothing more it seems. Crazy company IMHO. These search may be a victim of Googles insatiable desire to change everything.]
Allstays website has great maps of truck stops and rest areas. Check RVParky!
To find BLM land in Colorado: Use the publiclands.org interactive map and check off BLM land.
http://publiclands.org/Get-Books-and-Maps.php?plicstate=CO
Note that in many if not most cases, you can overnight in BLM Picnic Areas.
More Resources:
http://www.fs.fed.us/locatormap/ National Forest Locator MAP. You can get a ton of great sites from each national forest's websites. Look at the little maps that are usually included on national forest campgrounds and other location's pages. If you zoom out of these embedded maps you will see more of that national forests facilities. You can zoom into those facilities on the map to see if they would look like a good boondocking location. Here is an example of a page where you can zoom out the map:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mthood/recarea/?recid=53166
Google MAP: Fairgrounds" in Utah. You can pull out and see fairgrounds in other states. Many fairgrounds have an RV park or at least allow RV parking.
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com/2007/08/thursday-tips-camping-reference-books.html A great guide to RV travel reference books.
http://www.freshoffthegrid.com/how-to-find-free-camping-usa-canada/ has a nice guide to boondocking type resources.
http://www.desertusa.com/ Has a lot of great info. I use this resource a lot.
Arizona Resource(s):
https://azcampguide.com/ Arizona Camp Guide. Really nice map of low/no cost camping sites.
Boondocking Spot Ideas (many derived from reading Tioga George's blog):
For pavement parking: hospital parking lots, city parks, church parking lots, (stay away from school parking lots), airport parking lots at smaller cities, old Wal Mart parking lots where the store was shut down and moved to a new location, 24hr/late night restaurants like Denny's, street parking next to big apartment complexes (you look like your visiting someone there), vacant lots (no one seems to care you are there). Baseball field parking areas. state capitals(?), friends driveways, high density city residential streets (stealth... no slide out), casinos, libraries, the service area of auto dealerships and auto repair type places (Tire places seem particularly good), some RV dealerships, U-Haul / Moving Van places, staging areas for OHV areas, river trips, boat ramps, fishing access parking areas, wharfs, ferry terminal parking areas, road side pull-offs for snow equipment, snow play parking areas (Sno-Park), areas where semi-trucks are parked, logging roads, marinas, yacht basins, prison parking lot, trail-heads, near small rural reservoirs, farm silo lots, dead end roads. Department of Water Resources / Fish and Game Departments (they usually have maps). Red Cross lots, near Elk Lodges, "recreation areas" are usually OHV areas that have lots of camping potential. Many big city parking lots allow 24hr parking for a bigger fee (you might have to pay for 2 car spaces). Parking on the side of city parks in residential areas. Look for other RVs or Trucks in an area. Looking for places that could possibly do RV system repairs as they usually have big parking lots. Put a "For Sale" sign on your front window. People are use to these on cars sitting in empty lots. Add a "Sold" sign where the phone # would go so people don't call you. Maybe a note taped to your door that asked that you not be disturbed, that you need to get some sleep before you get up early to leave at 5 AM.
If you get caught by authorities, tell them you are just "Resting" (not sleeping), ask if you can stay and leave at 5 AM. Do not argue. Be totally polite and friendly. If they say "NO," ask if they know of a place you can go. Some police let you park in their station lot. It's best to stay only one night and then move on. Look stealthy (no lights, no slide outs, keep window curtain open and lights out so you look like you are just parked and not inside sleeping) if you are in a residential area. If you believe there is a good chance the authorities will be questioning you, it might be best to sleep in clothing so that it looks like you are just "resting" instead of sleeping in your jammies.
When deciding where to park inside a neighborhood, choose a place next to a high fence or hedge instead of a place that is right in front of a building. Arrive at your dry campsite after 9pm. The later, the better.
If it is during the day and a cop bugs you tell him you are parking (not camping). Do not let the police in your vehicle as they might see you cooking, etc and they would say that is a "camping" activity.
Patrols do not look for RVs in undesirable places, and it really doesn't matter what a place looks like at night anyway, because it's dark. Drive early in morning to the great popular sites. If a night site doesn't work out, you can always bail out and head to the nearest pay campground or rest-area, in a pinch.
If you need a spot and it's strictly "tent" camping only, have a small tent with you that you can put up and then retire to your fabulous vehicle that is in a parking space.
24 Hr Restaurants (really any business 24 hr) are usually good for a stealth over-nighter. (How would cops/neighbors know if you aren't inside eating at 3am?) You can do a Yelp search for "24 Hour Restaurant" near a town.
From a travel forum: When camping in large cities I simply locate railway tracks on the map and drive there. Invariably these tracks are surrounded by industrial land where a camper would look out of place. But as you drive out of this industrial area there are generally residential neighborhoods which also have small businesses associated. There's usually a guy who collects old boats, campers and buses. These things are parked all over the road and he's probably getting plenty of letters from the city already. I simply park in amongst this stuff and have never been bothered by the police. I'm sure that everyone just figures that he's at it again.
When traveling to Vancouver with my kids we slept in that sort of spot many times but since I wake up earlier than they do I would always drive to a nice park so the girls could wake up in front of the washrooms.Secretly camping is more difficult in small towns where the cops can be annoying since they don't have a lot of other things to do. I live on the coast so my number one trick is to park in a ferry line up in the evening. Then half an hour before the ferry opens for business in the morning I change my mind
. When far from the coast I've often pulled into a tire repair place and then let most of the air out of one tire. They've checked me out but never bugged me when I do that. (Greg: I would never let the air out of my tire. What if you need to make a quick getaway. Your kinda trapped if the air is out of your tire!)In the Yukon it's difficult to find shade since the trees are scrawny and the sun comes up at 3 AM in the summer. I took to camping under giant mining equipment which people park on the side of the highway covered in for-sale signs. This gave the needed shade and cover from nosy authorities. These big hunks of metal also get quite warm during summer days and I avoided frosty windows by parking real close.
Great advice on Urban boondocking by RV legend: Tioga George.
Nice info on Avoiding Camping Fees
Thank you for creating this wonderful resource.
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