Staying at a Walmart in Ridgecrest, CA

Based on the Allstays Walmart Ipad app, as recent as March 2013 you can stay at this Walmart without being ran off. According to the notes, the latest user says that the manager states that they do not give expicit permission to stay due to liability reasons, but that they do not have a problem with it, and that they will not run you off. Hope this is of some help to you.

I live about 90 minutes from Ridgecrest and I can tell you it is hot. If you can stretch the drive to the Lone Pine area you will be much happier. If not, call ahead to the Ridgecrest fairgrounds to confirm you can get hookups.
Jim

I've shopped at the Ridgecrest Walmart and it appears to be in a decent area. There is also a fairgrounds near town which has hookups. I've stayed there. Not very plush, but probably quieter than a Walmart parking lot and only $25 a night. http://www.desertempirefair.com/rental/rv-park

Weather will be hot.

Matt_Colie wrote:
This is a real good reason to be running with:
A - a dedicated navigator (person)
B - a navigation package with GPS (SA or S&T)
C - a plan reviewed by both before departure.

If you have any of the navigator packages (Much less cost than a tank of fuel), you can go to the Discovery owner's site and download overlays for all kinds of stuff. The Nav Pac will show you where you should start looking for a place to overnight and the available places that you (you and the navigator) can select. You can also enter fuel stops and it will tell you where to start looking again.

Matt

You remind me of a friend of mine that had a trailer and she could not go camping unless every single day was planned out in advance and they knew exactly where they were going to stay every night. I told her a story of my first motorhome trip where we started in the middle of California and I didn't decide until we got to the freeway whether we were heading north or south for a week. Right at the freeway onramp we decided to head south and next thing we knew we ended up in Arizona. It just drove her crazy to think I went out for a week and had no idea where we were going or where we would stay until we got there.

Ridgecrest can still be really hot at night in July. It's only at about 2000 foot elevation. Unless you plan on running the generator all night you may want to look for a place with hookups.

This is a real good reason to be running with:
A - a dedicated navigator (person)
B - a navigation package with GPS (SA or S&T)
C - a plan reviewed by both before departure.

If you have any of the navigator packages (Much less cost than a tank of fuel), you can go to the Discovery owner's site and download overlays for all kinds of stuff. The Nav Pac will show you where you should start looking for a place to overnight and the available places that you (you and the navigator) can select. You can also enter fuel stops and it will tell you where to start looking again.

Matt

Checked the WalMart site, http://www.allstays.com/c/walmart-california-locations-map.htm, and they do permit parking.

Here's some options if the WalMart in Ridgecrest does not allow overnighting.

Free Campgrounds

Free Campsites

Can't help with Ridgecrest, but there are RV parks in Lone Pine, Bishop, and Lee Vining where I have done one night stays. The altitude makes for comfortable night time temps.