Best Resources For Finding Free Rv Camping
So, how do you find these free RV campsites? Finding free RV camping locations does become more comfortable over time. It can take a while to understand how to find them. However, there are several ways to get off to a great start.
The very best way we found to find free RV Camping locations is through our membership with The Dyrt. Our DyrtPRO membership just costs $36 a year and we have access to BLM and Forest Service boondocking locations. And best of all it has downloadable maps so when we lose our cell signal we can still get where we are going.
We like TheDyrtPRO so much we actually contacted the owners of The Dyrt and worked out a deal so our readers can get a 90 Day FREE Trial!!! So dont take our word for ittry it yourself for free for 90 days. Susan and I are sure you will love it as much as we do.
All you need to do is go to TheDyrt.com and use discount code RVBlogger90. Or just click the orange button below!
Another one of the best ways to find free RV parking spots is to ask the local police or sheriffs office. Drop-in or give them a call. You might be amazed at the terrific camping spots they will direct you to, especially when dealing with smaller communities.
Electronic navigation has dramatically improved, and GPS systems with added topographical mapping will get you just about anywhere. This equipment is perfect for adventuresome RV explorers.
Camping Near You Find A Free Campsite
Whether you just need to know where to camp nearby or you want to plan a free camping road trip, we’ve got you covered. You can simply use your smart phone’s GPS to find camping near you or even use our trip planner to plan your route from coast to coast.
Our community provides the best free camping information available. Free campgrounds can be hard to find. Freecampsites.net makes it easy. We give you a simple, map based search engine to find free and cheap camping areas. Community reviews and ratings provide you with up to date information and help you select the best camp site for your next camping trip.
This is a platform for sharing campgrounds and camp sites you have discovered. We are community driven, and while we will be adding many free camping spots, we hope that you will add some of your favorite camping places as well. By sharing camping information freely, we can all spend less time researching campgrounds, spend less money, and more time camping. If everyone contributes a few campsites, we’ll all have more places to go camping.
Please come back and let us know what you find!
We are not actively seeking Wal-Marts, truckstops or other parking lots and will not be adding very many of these. There are enough Wal-Mart and truck stop directories out there already. However, if a member of the community finds one of these locations to be useful for overnight RV parking and creates an entry, we may approve the listing.
Please come back and let us know what you find!
How To Prepare For Free Camping In Florida
Water is the key to life. When youre boondocking, the rule of thumb is to bring 5 gallons of water per person per day. Thats for washing up, dishes and other small needs, like water for the animals.
What will you use for power?
At a campground, you plug in the cord, and magically you have power. When free-camping, you will need to have an alternative power source.
The most common is a generator. Most drivable RVs come with one, and it uses gas. Ensure you have a full tank or a way to add gas to your tank if this is your option. They also have portable generators useful for travel trailer owners.
Many RVers choose solar power. They have panels on the top of their RV or use portable panels to harness the suns energy. The energy goes into batteries, and you run everything in your rig off those batteries.
Its a great renewable energy system.
You will also need something to collect your waste.
Free camping is a carry-in, carry out endeavor. If you bring it in, you must cart it out.
Have a plan for dumping your tanks before and after you go. If the tank gets full while youre there, there are portable tanks to collect the excess waste.
The key to long term free camping is planning and conserving your resources.
Pro Tip: Weve teamed up with RV Masterclass this week to offer a giveaway of their signature course bundle!
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Mack Landing Campground Apalachicola National Forest
Location: Panhandle of Florida
Camping Info: Mack Landing is a quiet campground on a ridge above the Ochlockonee River, with spaces for campers, RVs, or tents. No hookups, but drinking water available to fill tanks. Non-flush restroom. Only $3 per night, self-service pay station. First-come, first-served. Host on site October-March. Open year round, quiet hours 10pm to 6am
Our Thoughts: GREAT place! Only a dozen or so sites under tall pine trees perfect for slack-lining. The sites were large, had picnic tables and fire rings. Camp host said that on the weekends and in the winter it can get busy, but at the end of February it was starting to get too warm for most people to not have A/C.
How To Find Blm Campgrounds And Sites
There are mainly two types of BLM camping styles
- Campgrounds developed camping areas with amenities of some kind! Most are fee-based. Many are first-come-first-serve, meaning you choose an available campsite and pay a nightly fee. Some sites can be pre-booked online
- Dispersed Mostly free. You scout the BLM land and set up camp away from developed campgrounds. As long as you follow the rules for that particular land you can generally stay free for 14 days.
To find developed campgrounds, you have two options:
To book a reservable site in a developed campground, Go Here to Book Using Recreation.gov
Experienced campers often go straight to Recreation.gov because they know what they are looking for and how to navigate this useful site! I will write a future article to share tips and tricks!
To find dispersed campsites, the third-party websites mentioned above are your best friends. The dispersed campsites listed on their maps often have fire rings and you can expect these sites to comply with local rules . Unfortunately, when sites are easy to find and listed everywhere they tend to get busy!
Many full-time road warriors use free dispersed camping and their Youtube videos are fun and informative if youre interested. Some say they have not paid for camping in 5 or more years!
BLM areas have this signage:
Also Check: Camping On Forest Service Land
Where To Find Free Camping Across Florida
No matter which free camping location you choose in Florida, its important to map out your trip in advance. Many of these camping spots are primitive and dispersed, meaning they may not have roadside access and can be found only after hiking through the wilderness.
Plan well in advance to avoid getting lost in an area where there are no amenities. You can bet that your primitive camping plot will not be equipped with water, toilets, food service, or Wi-Fi, so careful planning is essential. If youre in a pinch you can use the offline maps and campgrounds of The Dyrt PRO to find the free Florida camping near you.
Free Camping On Private Land
There are two different membership programs with plenty of sites in Florida to enjoy short stays. Our personal favorite is Harvest Hosts, which offers RVers a network of farms, breweries, wineries, and museums to overnight at for an annual membership fee. Harvest Hosts currently offers 18 locations in the state of Florida from Tallahassee all the way down to Miami and they are adding more all the time. and use code HHFRIENDS15 at checkout for a 15% discount.
Another option is Boondockers Welcome. This is also a membership program, but it is with private landowners that are willing to allow overnight stays on their property. There are currently 88 properties listed in Florida with several offering 3-5 night stays.
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Suwannee River Water Management District
Heading east, campers will end up in the Suwannee River Water Management District. This area is the smallest district and is one of the most rural areas of Florida. Part of the district covers Alachua County, home of Gainesville, FL, but the actual city falls into a separate district. However, visitors will find some uniqueness in the area with the highest concentration of freshwater springs in the state and North America.
Officials with the district say that camping follows similar rules to the Northwest District, and many areas require permits. According to the district, Drive-in camping by individuals is allowed at Goose Pasture in Jefferson County. Group camping in designated areas on District lands, and canoe and boat camping along the rivers on District lands, are allowed by special use authorization. You can acquire a special use authorization for free by calling 386-362-1001 or emailing .
The district shared with us that many areas are more focused on maintaining water resources than other activities, and users should not expect to see a lot of daily maintenance. However, there are still 160,000 acres of land available and plenty of options.
Need Rv Rentals Florida
Whether you are going to camp in the Everglades or the parking lot of your local Walmart, an RV can make your trip fun and comfortable. Mid Florida RV Rental has vehicles of all sizes fit for many types of trips and travelers. They are conveniently located between Tampa Bay and Sarasota. Mid Florida RV Rental can deliver an RV to you anywhere in the state. Why not give RV camping in Florida a try? Call 734-7341 or visit them online to learn more or rent an RV today.
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Free Camping Florida Keys
TLDR Find free parking lots that dont close after a certain time, and side roads with pull-offs. Be stealth.
Ill start by noting that it will be really difficult to free camp if youre in an RV . If anyone disagrees with that or has made it happen easily, let me know in the comments or at . Free camping is easiest if youre staying in a regular vehicle or camper van. There are a few parking lots that allow free 24-hour parking. One example is the Casa Marina Key West . We talked to people whod been sleeping in their vehicles for weeks in a Casa Marina spillover lot. From what we understood, as long as you arent obvious about it , then you can generally sleep in any parking lot that allows free parking and isnt monitored . We also were told that there were roads behind Leos Campground on Stock Island where people, including RVs, were seen camping for days or weeks at a time. I cant confirm that this is possible since we didnt try it and didnt see it ourselves, however I think you could make it work for a couple of nights on Stock Island or on roads around the Naval Air Station .
Where you can no longer free camp Ramrod Swimming Hole. Unfortunately, free camping is no longer allowed at Ramrod Swimming Hole. We tried and were advised by locals that it was no longer possible. However, Ramrod is a gorgeous spot, and free to enter, so I highly recommend checking it out.
How To Find Amazing Free Boondocking In Florida
Florida is a very popular place to be in the winter months. Once the holidays are over, a flood of people enters the state. Many are in RVs. Due to the influx, and the high prices at most campgrounds, we wanted to find some boondocking alternatives.
It turns out that there are some great boondocking camp spots in Florida that are either free or cheap! Compared to a lot of the $50+/night places, these were great deals and got us out into the Real Florida.
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Fabulous Free Camping In Florida
If there is one thing that living on the road has taught me, its to take the road less traveled. And oh my, how this really rings true when it comes to finding fabulous, free camping in Florida.
Robert Frost said it best, Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
I have found that most adventures worth doing, seeing or experiencing usually require determination, a little chance and in the case of fabulous camping, a lot of research. Because if it was easy, everyone would do it.
So, naturally when people tell me theres no Wild Camping I read between the lines and found they just didnt look hard enough.
Luckily, it didnt take too much digging to come across a state wide program with incredibly fabulous free wild camping. Check it out:
Pretty fantastic right!?! Ok, now to the information you need to get yourself to these spectacular boondocking sites.
The Florida Water Management is broken up into five different zones:
You will notice they use the language: equestrian, group and primitive camping. The camping that can accommodate RVs is the equestrian areas. But the best way to make sure is to call. There is a phone number for each of the regions and I was always able to get someone on the phone. They were extremely nice and helpful so dont hesitate to call and ask questions and verify you can camp there in an RV.
Best Places For Free Overnight Rv Parking
There are other places you can consider when you need a free overnight RV camping or parking spot. It is highly recommended that you ask for permission before using an open spot for parking your RV for the night. If you dont ask permission and sneak into a place, you may find yourself dealing with a trespassing ticket before you move on. Also, the smaller your RV, the better your chances are of finding places to stay.
Be smart! Be Safe! Always ask for permission.
- Truck Stops: Be considerate of the big rigs!
- Walmart: Read our article Overnight RV Parking At Walmart Know Before You Go for a full understanding of Parking overnight at Walmart.
- Nightclubs: If you had one too many.
- Fraternal Organizations: VFW, Elks, etc. often allow free RV camping for members.
- Parks: Community, City, County, and State parks sometimes offer free RV camping.
- Churches: Call ahead for permission.
- RV Dealers: Some dealers allow overnight stays.
- Cracker Barrel Restaurants: Typically allow overnight RV parking. Check out our article called Can RVs Park Overnight at Cracker Barrel? for full info.
- Highway Rest Areas: All rest areas allow a few hours of free RV parking.
- Big Box Retailers: Kmart, Best Buy, Sams Club, and Costco will often allow overnight RV parking.
- Roadside Parks & Picnic Areas
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The Best Free Camping In North Florida
What northern Florida lacks in the glitz and glamour of the south, it more than makes up for in natural, rugged beauty. 17 Mile Hunt Camp, located just outside of the Big Gum Swamp Wilderness, is set in a secluded and peaceful forest. Its a great spot to meet up with friends and family for a weekend of fun.
Explore Floridas Gulf of Mexico with a stay at the well-loved Bayside Campground near Pensacola. This is boondocking in Florida at its finest, with waterfront spots and plenty of trees for cooling off in the shade. Other Gulf of Mexico spots includes Pope Still Hunt Camp and Dead River Landing Recreation Area.
Whether youre spending a month in the state or simply taking a getaway weekend close to home, theres a free camping spot waiting for you in Florida.
A Commonly Mentioned Free Campsite
Heres a video showing this area around Sugarloaf Key. Theres quite a bit of footage around the old abandoned road. At 5:06 in the video you can see the burned bridge.
This 360 panoramic shot on Google Street View shows the site on a map, and the site at the end of the road. A burned area shows that someone had a campfire here.
You can click and drag to move the view around.
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In Between Disney World
In between our two stays at Dupuis, we spent a couple of days at Disneys Fort Wilderness so we could meet up with Kevins brothers family. Disney is super accommodating for special diets.
Before we even get to Disney though, lets talk about Orlando. We made it a point to arrive in time to get brunch at Ethos Vegan Kitchen. Because it is amazing. Protip: if you get the skillet, get a side of gravy and dump it all over the top. Youre welcome.
Now, on to Disney. Trails End doesnt seem like it would be vegan-friendly, but Chef TJ hooked us up! Instead of eating off of the buffet, he made us special dishes, and they just kept coming. So much food! And all of it was incredible.
Free Camping In Floridas National Forests
While there arent any fees, camping in Floridas National Forests does come with regulations. The USDA reminds campers of the following courtesies when camping for free in the dispersed areas:
- Always leave no trace
- Do not camp within 100 feet of a water source
- Select a previously used primitive site to minimize environmental impact whenever possible
- Adhere to local campfire restrictions
- Be aware of the rules of the national forest, such as the 14-day stay limit
- Check in with the local ranger station to stay informed
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