Your input - Motorhome and boondocking..

The “only” possible negative would be ground clearance issues....should be very careful where you go. You may be backing out!

As you can see...many many people chose this way over traditional camp grounds. Sometimes it's about the cash, sometimes it's about the view.

There are tricks to be developed...things to learn. Maybe the best tip is...get out and go for a walk if you are unsure. If you are towing? That's a great scout vehicle.

North America is choc-a-block full of great camping. A person just needs to slow down a bit...get off the Interstates (in US) and use Google maps and over-view to it's fullest. And ask here..once you are known..people will PM you their secret spots and you will be shocked at what their is out there.


Gary Haupt

Ivylog wrote:
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For true off road scout it out first...to dry and lots of dust and to wet and it could get expensive. Love the ability to dry camp for a week without cutting back on anything and longer if you want to conserve water.

^^^^^^Has worked for Us too.^^^^^^

In 16 years of full-timing and traveling constantly we boondocked on BLM and national forest roads all the time with our 40' motorhome. Many, many are good hard-packed roads. We never had an issue. You would soon get the hang of choosing the right roads. The Benchmark individual state atlases are excellent. It shows unpaved roads clearly and the majority that are marked we found to be good. You wouldn't want to take a big rig on a logging road and coastal area roads could be iffy because of sand. We also went off-road on our summer trip to Alaska through Canada and the Yukon. You'll find awesome spots to stay free by exploring a little!

X2 on US CGs...great site. With the old farts pass USFS CGs are $6-8/night and our favorite are those that do not take reservations...put the money in a pipe. Do not believe the length restrictions as there are always a few sites that a big rig will fit in...especially out West.

For true off road scout it out first...to dry and lots of dust and to wet and it could get expensive. Love the ability to dry camp for a week without cutting back on anything and longer if you want to conserve water.

Yes, I have seen big rigs -- not everywhere, but in places with wide pullouts and good turn-arounds. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon in the Kaibab National Forest was a surprise -- there were some luxurious motorhomes 20 miles from pavement!

Yes, I have seen numerous ones including my own.
You should look around your area at COE sites. We have stayed Saylorville north of Des Moines.
FS campgrounds vary. Look upper Baker's hole near West Yellowstone.

Thanks for the replies so quickly. Wondering if you have seen motorhomes at BLM, FS, and other off the beaten path sights. I will use the information given and again, thank you.

Wow. Good tip about the window glass. I've seen that in LA, of course, but never in the boonies. I will keep my eyes open. Thanks!

We try to boondock all the time. We sometimes go to a campground when we are in places like Moab Ut. Now and then we dry camp at an Escapees park for a night or two to dump and shop.

It's varied wherever you go but you have to learn the ropes. I'm double towing at 65 ft long and cant just turn around. In an extreme case I could cram the utility trailer down off the road and unhook then get the FW backed off the road and turned around then drive past the utility trailer and put a chain on the trailer it to yank it out. I have never been in that situation because I'm very cautious and just pass things by if in doubt. It's easier to just move on to the next choice vs bust my tail.

If you aren't towing anything I would use the approach of not driving any farther in then you can back out of. If you are headed in and it looks like it's narrowing down or trees are closing in and there are places to turn around pull into one and ride a bike or walk farther in.

I use freecampsites.net, campendium and rvparky. I pick an area then look at Free Camp Sites. I read the reviews which might give valuable info like size limits, rutted road, low trees etc or it might be a review where someone says how beautiful the flowers are. Then I look at Google earth to see if there are any turn around or places I can get off the road and ride a bicycle or dirt bike in to check it out. I also try to pick two or three backup choices even if one is a Walmart.

As you approach an area you want to consider if it has rained recently or is rain forecast. I remember the BD spot on the east side of the road before you enter the Badlands park. You would be looking to the east out over a vast field that dips down before ending along a ridge that looks out on th edge of the Badlands. I've seen motor homes in there and large FW but there is also a spot in the low area with a bunch of boards and deep ruts where people have been stuck in the mud.

I have also been to a few spots where there is a lot of glass from broken windows. Auto window glass is sometimes an indication that people have had their vehicles broken into. Part of the adventure is reading the area, the people, the terrain and figuring out if I want to stay. I like the west and the desert more and more and often find it to be rocky not sandy and a lot of the trees are scrub vs tall overhead obstacles.

When you use something like freecampsites dont take it as the Bible, it's just a tool to guide you. I've talked to people who used those apps and said they went to one of the spots and it was terrible and would never do that again. Well, they only gave it one try, I have had that happen and move on to someplace else. I also found the most fantastic spots like THIS one. They say one mans trash is another mans treasure so one mans gravel pit is another mans paradise.