It can be difficult to find places to camp while living nomadically, especially if you are only interested in free (or almost free) options. In this article, I will share how to find free and legal spots to park your van overnight while nomadic camping.
By Bekah Whitney
Nomadic camping can get a difficult at times because your free options are limited and stealth camping is often illegal. If you aren’t familiar with the term “Stealth Camping,” this means sleeping in your rig in places where it is illegal to sleep in a vehicle, but you try to get away with it anyways by pretending you aren’t in there. Cities and counties across the US have a ton of different statutes and laws on where you can and cannot sleep in a vehicle. If you are just passing through, many people don’t bother looking it up and just “Stealth Camp” for the night in random parking lots or neighborhood streets. Many people do not stealth camp because of the nerves or noise that comes along with it. Below is a list of places where you can legally boondock (camp for free) for anyone who is not comfortable with or decides against stealth camping.
National forest land is my favorite place to camp because it is usually beautiful, remote, and relaxing. National Forests have a wide variety of camping spots within them. You can find cheap, nightly paid-for dry camping, free numbered campsites, free dispersed camping, and even private expensive campsites that have a contract with the National Forest Service. Although you can find all the information you need on the National Forest websites, most people use Freecampsites.net to find National Forest areas that offer free camping as their map function is easy to use.
Bureau of Land Management Areas are the holy grail of van lifers’ extended stays. BLM Land is public land that you can disperse camp on for 14 days in a row, unless otherwise stated. Most people also use Freecampsites.net to find BLM free camping, although the area may be a lot larger than stated. Most BLM land is expansive and beautiful, but it is only found west of the Rockies and is sometimes far away from services. Other times, there is access to BLM land a few minutes from a grocery store and your site is unbelievably convenient. A lot of BLM is desertous and offers lovely sunsets.
Walmart, Cracker Barrels, and Planet Fitness are all businesses that have a reputation for letting people sleep in their parking lots. Beware that this is not always the case. Some Walmarts and other businesses have banned overnight parking and will have signs posted all over with warnings. As always, freecampsites.net is a great resource to learn which businesses allow a stay.
Harvest Hosts actually connects businesses and travelers together for a mutual stay. You must send in a request, get approved, and then spend $20 or more dollars at the business for a spot to park for one night. This can be amazing if you like to patronize businesses and have a spot to park before you arrive at your destination.
As the name suggests, rest areas are designated parking areas for truckers, travelers, and anyone who needs to pull off the road and get some shut eye. They are never my favorite place to park because of the noise, but if you are driving from point A to point B and want an easy spot to pull off, they can be great. A lot of truckers seem to leave their engines on all night, so the engine sounds are tremendously loud. We have a noise machine for sleeping, but it’s still not great. I have never personally had a bad encounter at a rest area, but the overall vibe can be a bit creepy with the weird lighting and multiple cars with people obviously sleeping in them. Rest areas are marked on most map applications so the “search along route” tool comes in real handy for locating them!
If you haven’t heard of Boondockers Welcome, now you have! This amazing community of RV’ers have come together to allow others to park for free at their homes or other property for 1 to 5 days, even if you’re not a host! The small annual fee to be part of the community is completely worth it and every single host we have met is friendly and welcoming! We slept at Boondockers Welcome spots almost exclusively while traveling down the east coast as National Forest is usually in the middle of nowhere and BLM is non-existent. We have never had a bad experience at a BW spot because the most a host can get out of your stay is $12.50 off their annual fee, so everyone is a host simply because they are friendly, helpful people. We have been invited to dinners and offered a garage to do some vehicle maintenance out of the rain thanks to the kindness of BW hosts.
There are some random, lesser known government owned land that you can camp on for almost free. One of these includes Arizona State Trust Land which you purchase a permit for $15 (in 2023) that is valid for a whole year. Similar land in Georgia is owned by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and is managed by Wildlife Resources. If you purchase an annual valid Fishing License, around $50 for nonresidents, you can disperse camp on the land. Most use Freecampsite.net or the iOverlander app to learn about these lands and which agencies to acquire permits from.
Free camping exists all over the US. You just have to be willing to look through multiple resources, pay a little to be part of a community like Boondockers Welcome, and be okay with your camp spot not always being immediately adjacent to the local attractions. Sometimes your campsites are dreams come true and other times you find a dead cow. Living on the road really does keep you on your toes, but there is something about it that keeps us all out here! Share with us some of your favorite spots or let us know if we helped you find one!
Hi! I’m Bekah, but you can call me Beks, all my friends do! I travel full-time in a tiny home on wheels that my partner, Sawyer, and I built from a cargo trailer shell in 2019. We started out in beautiful Colorado and have been all over the United States over the years. This space is designed to inspire and guide the nature obsessed nomad, weekend warrior, and future roadlifer. I’m so excited you’re here!
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7 Comments on Nomadic Camping: How to Find Free (and Legal) Spots to Park Your Van Overnight
What a fantastic resource for campers. Thanks for sharing tips I didn't know.
Such useful information on free camping. Your suggestions will come in handy as I'm about to embark on RV living.
How exciting! I'd love to hear about your journey!
In New Zealand, "freedom" camping has become somewhat limited due to the poor practices by some of the people taking part in the free camping spots. I like the idea of buying from a business that allows you to park in their lot overnight. I think it's a win-win scneario
Very useful info! Thanks for sharing, I will sure be using these tips in the future; I love road trips!
This is super helpful as we prepare to get our first camper. thanks!
You are lucky in the US to have so many great rest areas. I wish we had those in Canada.