Phone
+1-650-666-095
Contact E-mail
[email protected]
Address
16192 Coastal Hwy, Lewes, DE 19958-3608
Guide to Free Campgrounds: Explore the Outdoors on a Budget
Camping is all about reconnecting with nature, but it can be challenging to justify it when you have to pay 20 dollars per night to enjoy it. Although we know that the people who maintain campgrounds need to be paid, it feels a little discouraging when an activity that involves returning to nature needs to be commercialized.
People may have said you can’t find free campgrounds, but they haven’t tried hard enough. With this travel guide, you won’t have to tread a legal grey area to ensure that you find a free campsite. We’ll cover everything you need to know to start camping for free.
In this guide, we’ll explain exactly what camping for free means and what to expect when setting camp in a dispersed camping area or on undeveloped land. We will cover the areas where you can camp without paying a fee and look at some resources you can use while camping on free campgrounds. By the end of this guide, you’ll be ready to plan the cheapest vacation of your life!
What is Free Camping?
Free and dispersed camping most often means camping on public lands or campsites, on the sides of forest service roads, or BLM sites, away from developed recreational facilities. Most public lands are available for free camping. However, there won’t be any facilities for you to utilize during your stay.
How Do You Find These Free Camping Locations?
We have put together a PDF with a list of resources (URLs) where you can find free camping locations. Fill in the form below to check out free campgrounds nearby.
You must conduct some research before your stay. You should check the regulations of the area you want to occupy. Your research should answer questions such as: What do I do with human waste? What plants might be endangered in the area? What kind of animals might make an appearance? And how should I store my food? Knowing the answers to these questions will ensure that you are met with success on your camping trip while also being a steward of the land.
Benefits of Camping on Free Campgrounds
Camping at free campgrounds has many benefits besides the glaringly obvious: it’s cheap. Check out this list to see what you’re getting from your experience.
1. Wide Open Spaces
You’ve made it into the wilderness when setting up tents on free campgrounds. Whether in a shady forest spot or a barren patch of desert, you’ve found a wide-open, wild space to call home for a few nights. This ties us right into our next point…
2. Peace and Quiet
No neighbors!? WooHoo! Enjoy true peace while free camping because you won’t have neighbors 10 feet from your picnic table on this camping trip.
3. Wildlife
With wide-open wild spaces and peace comes a more fantastic opportunity to see wildlife. This can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. Make sure you’ve read the regulations and are appropriately prepared. If you’ve done everything by the books, an animal sighting or wildlife viewing should be exciting!
4. New Challenges
Camping on free campgrounds brings us farther from civilization and often brings new challenges (and better stargazing). Problem-solving and creativity go hand in hand! There’s nothing better than getting things done yourself and figuring out how to survive on your own. Flex your creativity muscles if you get the chance!
5. Trail Proximity
Chances are there are spur trails from your site or at least a marked hiking trail nearby. This means you can quite literally explore in your backyard! Experience nature that many other visitors to the same area have probably overlooked.
6. Cost-Effective
And finally, the glaringly obvious. Camping on free campgrounds is cheap, making it the best option for traveling on a budget. You can often extend your stay to see more gorgeous sights if you save money on overnight costs.
What to Expect When Free Camping?
Knowing what to expect when free and dispersed camping will be the key to your trip’s success. Preparing for what you might be getting yourself into is the best approach.
1. No Picnic Tables
There are no picnic tables when free camping, which is a bummer. Bring a camp chair and a folding table, and you’ll be all set for a fancy dinner at your campsite! Be sure to account for what surface you plan to prepare your food on.
2. No Potable Water
This means there won’t be flowing water that is safe for you to drink. The campsite may include natural resources such as a stream, river, or lake nearby, but you must purify the water you use before consuming it. If there is no water nearby, pack in all the water you need for drinking and cooking.
3. No Fire Rings
It would be best if you were up to date on the fire regulations where you are staying as well. If you can have a fire and there is no fire ring, please create your fire where it appears one has been made already. This will provide the least amount of damage to the area. Always check your fire pit before leaving and ensure that fires are completely extinguished before leaving them.
4. No Bathrooms
There won’t be bathrooms at your free camping site. Make sure to research exactly what you should be doing your numbers 1 and 2. It’s often different from place to place and based on the terrain.
5. Cell Phone Service
Cell Service is questionable when free camping. Although this shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, knowing that you might be completely cut off from the outside world is essential.
6. First Come First Served
Almost all free and dispersed camping spots are first-come, first-served, so they don’t take reservations. Although this can be great, especially for last-minute trips, it can also tell you to arrive at your spot and find it occupied. We suggest you plan and have a few additional spots in the same vicinity, just in case.
The Best Places To Camp For Free
If you want to participate in free camping in the USA, you’ll need to know the right campsite to go to in America. Unfortunately, unlike other countries, America has strict regulations on where you can and can’t camp, and many government properties are off-limits if you’re not willing to pay.
National Forests
Whenever free campsites are brought up, national forests immediately come to mind, as they tend to be the most similar option to traditional campgrounds. Of course, national forests are often not as predictable as national parks due to their wild nature, so you’ll have to do more research in advance.
One of the few downsides to camping in a national forest is that there aren’t usually areas for campers or people. For example, you won’t find many (if any) trash cans, so you’ll have to carry your garbage with you until you get out of the forest. The same goes for picnic tables.
If you already prefer a more self-sufficient camping style, you’ll love national forests since you won’t be doing much different from how you would be camping otherwise. Some national forests will even let you start a fire if you have the right permits.
Ultimately, we would argue that national forests should be your go-to for free campgrounds because they provide most of what you want from a camping experience.
National Grasslands
Much like national forests, national grasslands are properties managed by the government and don’t charge camping fees. Of course, there is a bit less shelter in national grasslands since they aren’t wooded like the forests, though they are still suitable for camping.
If you decide to go on a warm enough day when the wind shouldn’t cause trouble, national grasslands should ideally be suited for a campground. However, you’ll have to expect the same lack of amenities that you would get from a national forest.
You may have noticed by now that most of the free camping options you come across require a more independent camping style, which may be positive or negative for you. This type of camping is best suited for people with tents, as RVs often don’t have enough parking space in these grasslands.
Bureau Of Land Management (BLM) Land
The Bureau of Land Management agency falls within the United States Department of the Interior. It oversees 247.3 million acres of public lands, about one-half of the country’s landmass. Although BLM land often has developed campgrounds, dispersed camping is the way to go if you want free camping. Unlike National Forests and Grasslands, BLM land is typically arid instead of forested or grassy, so you’ll have to prepare for that type of camping.
As you would expect from the climate, the vast majority of BLM land is found in the western and southwestern parts of the United States. If you have the right equipment to deal with the rigors of an arid climate, then you’ll find that BLM land is often ideally suited for your needs.
We recommend looking around to see if there is any suitable BLM land in your area. One of the main advantages of camping in one of these places is that you can choose any form you desire. Car camping, free tent camping, and even RV camping can be practiced in these areas.
Backcountry Camping
When backcountry camping, you may need a permit or need to hike in and find a tent spot. Either way, you should consult a map to see where it is legal to camp.
Backcountry camping may or may not require a permit, depending on where you are exploring. Be sure to check the regulations when planning your time. Permits can sometimes cost you a small fee; other times, they are free and designed to limit use. The best way to find free campgrounds in the backcountry is with a map! Access the map legend to find what symbol they use for a campsite. It’s important to know that not all backcountry camping sites will be found on a trail. Sometimes, these sites can be found off of seasonal roadways, rivers, and lakes. The possibilities are endless.
Backcountry camping requires serious preparation and is not suggested for those new to camping and the outdoors. However, it is a great way to stay and explore a place for free or with a limited budget. It is also a fantastic way to take the less traveled path and see sights most visitors miss!
Boondocking Spots
Sometimes, you pass through a place and need a spot to sleep. Many Van Life and RVers refer to free camping without amenities or hookups as boondocking. Rest stops, Walmart parking lots and visitor centers often provide free overnight parking. Use your time by grabbing a bit to eat, stocking up on supplies, or grabbing some informational fliers on the place you’re visiting.
Please be careful when choosing your boondocking spot. Do your research and ensure the lot you sleep in is a designated overnight rv parking area. Many spots legally allow overnight parking; you must know where to look.
Is Free Camping Legal?
One of the most common questions we hear regarding this subject is whether or not it’s legal to camp for free. Of course, the legality of camping for free depends on where exactly you decide to camp, as various properties will have different laws and bylaws.
For example, if you decide to pitch your tent on someone’s property, like a farm, you will be trespassing, and the law can undoubtedly penalize you for this. Even if you find yourself on government land where camping is allowed, you will still be infringing the law to a certain extent.
When looking for a campground that allows free camping, you’ll have to consider what you can do there and whether or not camping is explicitly forbidden. You’ll want to look for land designated for public use, as that will ensure that you face no legal problems.
In the end, we recommend erring on the side of caution to avoid paying a hefty fine, which can be more than ten times the price of admission to a campground.
Conclusion
We hope this guide has given you information about free campgrounds. You should now be confident about planning a free, low-cost adventure using our PDF and the knowledge you’ve gained from this post. Feel free to comment if you’ve found an awesome free campsite or resource you think people would benefit from.
Resources:
