How We Find Free Campsites Across the US

When we hit the road in Stan the Tan Van a few years ago our biggest goal was budget travel— how to explore the beauty of the US inexpensively. One of our top money saving tips while traveling is—free camping.

When we say free camping we don’t mean truck stops, Wal-Mart, or street overnight parking. We’re talking about awesome campsites in nature.

We’ve found two easy-to-use, and free resources that help us find free camping all over the country: FreeCampsites.net and the iOverlander app. While these tools may already be a staple to seasoned travelers, we’ve found that many new-to-the-road adventurers don’t know about them. This post goes over some best practices for using FreeCampsites.net and iOverlander and why we think they’re the best ways to find free camping.

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Free Camping—Who knew?

We both grew up camping in pay campgrounds with our families, and we carried on this tradition for many years before we hit the road. We just thought that was the only way to camp. Little did we know that there are so many amazing places out there to camp and explore that are 100% free and/or very inexpensive.

Why Free Camping?

At first, we were a little apprehensive about free camping. Why are these places free? Did they test nuclear bombs here? Was this the site of a mass murder? Are we camped on a sacred burial ground and we’ll upset the spirits? There’s got to be a catch, right?

Our first free camping experience was at the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. When we got there, we were in disbelief. How can this be free? We’ve paid a lot of $ for campsites that aren’t this nice! Finding free and cheap camping has overall been a great experience. It’s allowed us to explore amazing parts of the country we never would have found if we were only staying in established campgrounds.

The price tag is of course one of the biggest benefits of free camping. Many established state and national forest campgrounds range from $10 to $30 dollars a night. Many private campgrounds range from $20 to $60 a night—more sometimes if near large cities or national parks. This adds up fast when you camp every single night.

Additionally, these campgrounds can be nice and peaceful, however most of the time we’ve found them to be crowded and loud—not the experience we are personally looking for. While we do treat ourselves to the established “glampgrounds” once in a while to take advantage of flush toilets, showers (yes, even though we live in a van we occasionally shower), and laundry facilities, this is not the norm. We are most often in search of seclusion, peacefulness, and immersion in nature.

Best Ways to Find Free Camping—our top money saving tip for living on the road

How We Find Free Camping

FreeCampsites.net

This site is dedicated to posting free and inexpensive (under $12/night) camping. These camping areas include BLM (Bureau of Land Management), National Forest, and county or city parks. FreeCampsites.net does not focus on truck stops or Wal-Mart parking lots that allow overnight parking, however you may find some of these on the site.

Using FreeCampsites.net is easy. Just type in the area you are planning to camp and results pop-up on the map. You can click once for a short description and user ratings, and click again for a full description, user comments, and sometimes pictures. This is where you will find information on the camping area, such as if there are bathrooms, established sites, fire pits, potable water, and cell service. There is also a trip planner function that allows you to put in start and end destinations and it will show you camping options along your route.

The interface of FreeCampsites.net is a little dated, but easy enough to navigate. Being that FreeCampsites.net is web based, if you don’t have service, you are SOL. However, if you find the place you want to camp, just screen shot it and/or pin it in your phone. Most navigation apps on your phone will still track your location and show the route if service goes out along the way.

Tips

The best tip we have for FreeCampsites.net is to READ THE COMMENTS—we cannot stress this enough. This is where you’ll get the skinny on whether the area as crowded, has road noise, is filthy, and what type of rig you need to camp there. Many dispersed campsites are on bumpy dirt roads—sometimes through the sandy desert and sometimes winding up the mountains. Users often comment on maximum vehicle length, road conditions, and if 4×4 is necessary. If you find a site with no comments and you’re not familiar with the area—proceed with caution!

iOverlander

The iOverlander app is very easy to use, and there’s a lot of crossover with FreeCampsites.net, as well as, a number of additional features. Instead of just showing free campsites iOverlander displays most everything in the area. This includes free overnight parking, potable water, restaurants, and pay campgrounds.

Tips

iOverlander is app based and has a more updated look and functionality. It has an easy filter option to focus on what you are looking for, so you’re not overwhelmed by the sometimes hundreds of results. While it is most effective when you have cell service, it does have some features available when you don’t. Like FreeCampsites.net it is important to read the comments to find out specifics like road conditions, cleanliness, and what types of vehicles can access the site.

Which App is Better for Finding Free Camping?

We prefer the woods or the desert, but many people are into stealth camping or staying in parking lots. Also, because we travel in our home on wheels our needs are few. We carry our own water, pack out our own garbage (and often others), and are willing to dig a hole for, well, you know. This opens up a lot of options for free camping. You can find out how to build a camper van on a budget here.

Based on our experience with both tools: If you’re looking for free overnight parking, city stealth camping, other resources like water and WiFi, or don’t mind staying in pay campgrounds then iOverlander is your best choice. If you’re looking for secluded camping in nature, FreeCampsites.net is the way to go. We use them both on a weekly basis. Each tool has its benefits and used in combination you can find a multitude of free camping opportunities.

While using online resources is the go-to for many adventure seekers, budget travelers, snowbirds, and van lifers, people have been utilizing our country’s public lands for free camping long before the internet. Another way to find free camping is to stop in or contact the National Forrest Service or BLM office in the areas you are hoping to camp. They can provide valuable insight and even maps to help you find your next free camping adventure.

Leave it Better than You Found It

One last, but certainly not least note about our experience on the road. We’ve noticed that some free camping areas are being abused. Whether it’s BLM or National Forest we, as the owners of these public lands, have the responsibility to preserve it so everyone—current and future generations—can enjoy them as they were meant to be. Please always follow Leave No Trace Principles when utilizing public lands and if you see liter from someone else, do your best to clean up the area. You can find out more about how to not be an ass in nature here.

What’s your best free camping experience? What’s your favorite resource to find free and cheap camping? Let us know in the comments below!

Related Posts:

• How to Build a Camper Van on a Budget: Our $1,200 Budget Van Build
• Best Outdoor Gear Guide
• How to Save Money Camping
• How to Build a DIY Camper Van Electrical System: Our $300 Battery Set-up (with Solar)

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