14 Tips For Free Camping Trips
One of the things that I don't get to do a lot here in Texas and especially as an adult is going camping. Growing up in California and within driving distance of the San Gabriel mountains life was kind of different. My family could literally pack up, go away for the weekend, and be back all with enough time to be back to life on Monday.
Living in a large state like Texas makes it a lot more difficult. Not to say that it's completely impossible but if I'm going to go camping I'd like to spend more time at the place than getting there. Now that we’re basically stuck indoors all day, it makes you want to run away for the weekend, and being safe should be a top priority.
So I've compiled some of my favorite camping hacks to make your social distancing a real Walden experience. Time to feed your inner Kerouac and get your spirit on the road.
Live Your Best Walden Life
National Parks
With safety being one of the top initiatives in the National Park system- before you head out to make sure that your park is actually open. By following the parks system on Twitter, it’ll give you the latest updates on openings and closures. From the looks of it, everything looks like it'll start opening up towards the end of May with new rules and regulations in play to keep everyone safe. Another added bonus of following them on social media is that you'll be able to stay up-to-date on any weather changes or animal sightings which is really exciting if you want to check out the wildlife. For the prior, I definitely recommended following each Park individually.
Bureau of Land Management
Let's say each park is now open or you actually don't have an interest in visiting a national park but you still want to get to close to nature? What do you do now? My first suggestion would be to check out the Bureau of Land Management website to start your plans. You’ll also be able to access public hiking and climbing locations if you’re into that. Most spots are first-come, first-serve, I’d still suggest for you to check out the Recreation website to see if you could make a reservation. The downside is that you won’t always find free camping spots (we’ll get to that later) but from my house, the cheapest spot is $6 a night and I’ll take that.
Free Veteran Perks
If you’re a veteran of the Armed Forces, first of all, thank you! Second of all, present your military ID and get a full year’s access to the parks for you and your dependents.
National Park Passport
I love getting my passport stamped. It’s one of my favorite things, so now I’ve added a national parks passport to my camera bag. You get to find the cancellation stamps at each park and collect them all. It’s a little fun hobby I have with myself.
But you still want to camp and money is tight. You have a tent, or maybe you could set up in your car, all you need is a place to stay. What do you do now? When have I let you down, I got you! While this isn't as free as Norway (by the way if you didn't know you could basically camp anywhere in Norway, it's legal) There are still plenty of places for you to find a place to sleep for the night.
read the 10 HIKES IN THE HILL COUNTRY YOU HAVE TO EXPERIENCE
Camping Apps
Campedium
I love the interface of Campedium! It basically looks like Google Maps with places highlighted and you're able to see which places are free or which ones require a fee. It is also user-driven so you're going to be able to see some reviews and photos from people that have actually stayed there. This will help you decide if this is a spot you want to stay or not.
Boondocking
Boondocking is another great app to use. It's a cleaner interface than campendium but it's a little bit more complex. It also gives you access to free remote camping sites which is an added bonus.
FreeRoam
I feel like FreeRoam is more of the experienced campers app as it is extremely overwhelming when you open it up. You're basically bombarded with a giant list of camping spots, with ratings including everything from Wi-Fi to cleanliness, to how isolated everything is from society. Personally, it's a great app for Mega planners but hey you got to get started somewhere.
Free Camping Websites
Free Camping
There is literally a website called free camping where you can find anywhere to camp. This works great if you're planning a big trip at home and you want to carefully space out your driving goals. A word of caution is that it literally marks anywhere you can stay for free. I mean anywhere.
Boondockers Welcome
All right for Boondockers Welcome there is kind of a catch. It's not really a big catch it's just more of membership. In order to keep everything safe and trustworthy, The website has added a fee to be a part of it. To be a guest you must pay $50 per year and to be a host you just pay $25 per year. another downside is that you're not really allowed to camp in a tent you must have a self-contained RV.
Casino Camper
Another RV friendly spot is Casino Camper, this website is for strictly RV users but it allows you to park in a casino parking lot and stay the night. The only real rule is for you to kind of stay out of the way of people. Hey, it’s free!
National Forest Camping
It does not get any better than this, camping in a national forest. You basically get to Camp here for free and have access to Nature as the Lord intended you to. The huge downside is that you really don't have any facilities near you or accessible to you. So This Is War for the experienced camper out there. check out the website to find out more about where to camp and be one with nature.
Harvest Hosts
Browsing the website makes me want to invest in this BB-8 RV that I keep driving by every week. It's not really for sale but I want it so I can go to these places. Harvest Host partners with local wineries, breweries, and all kinds of cool spots for you to stay the night in your RV. Oh, I should mention this is RV only but the experience you get to have, totally worth it.
Kerouac Type Life
Literally this one is for if you're on the road and you want to stop and you don't want to make reservations you just want to wing it. Here are your options, you're also really brave if you want to pick these.
Retail Parking Lots
There are several reasons why you should consider parking in the store’s parking lot. I’m personally afraid of my own shadow- so take these at your own risk. Walmart, Bass Pro Shops, Flying J Travel Centers, Cabelas, Camping World, Cracker Barrel, and Costco all have parking space. If you’re going to stay the night, I suggest going to the store and buying some snacks or something kind of like a thank you. You don't have to but just in case you want to. This website mentions the places that don’t allow overnight parking. Also, note If you're going to stay in a spot double-check with the location for customer service to make sure. There's nothing worse than falling asleep and being woken up to get evicted.
On the Side of the Road
I read way too many things about serial killers, hitchhikers, and every other Guide to the universe for me to comfortably stay anywhere on the side of the road. That's not to say that you can't stay on the side of the road. Both truck stops and rest stops are effective and options to stay the night before heading out, especially if you want to leave early.
Wherever the road may take you and wherever you may find yourself. If you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods head over to my Instagram to find out what you should do in San Antonio.