Walmart and other free camping

jarata1 wrote:

ScottG wrote:
Not to sound harsh but if my only means of traveling the country were to have to stay in parking lots it just wouldn't be worth it for me. That just doesn't sound enjoyable to me.

+1

I have found a great deal of difference in what people consider to be camping and what they enjoy. I enjoy travel, visiting the national parks and other great scenic areas. That often means driving considerable distances. At the end of the day, I am interested in a quiet, safe and convenient place to pull off the road and spend the night. I have endless choices with a truck camper. For those who have slides, need to lower jacks or need hook ups, choices are more limited. Walmart parking lots are not designed for any of those needs. I have noticed Walmart has become more restrictive. They still welcome RVers, but I seen signs limited stays to 24 hours. Some Walmart lots have been taken over my workcampers and those who are just trying to live cheap.

ScottG wrote:
Not to sound harsh but if my only means of traveling the country were to have to stay in parking lots it just wouldn't be worth it for me. That just doesn't sound enjoyable to me.

+1

Don't plan on setting up a grill and cooking

We have overnighted dozens of times over the last three and half years of full timing.
Our first choice is typically casinos - they often have a restaurant.
Our second choice is rest areas - we've never seen a prostitute or drug dealer in the dozens we have been to. We also have never been kicked out of one. North Carolina has some great ones.
Our third choice is Cabela's - they can get busy but are typically clean and quiet
Our fourth choice is walmart - they are ok but can be loud and sometimes the people hanging out there leave a lot to be desired.
Our fifth choice is truck stops - we look for ones with RV parking. Loves, T/A, and Pilot all have apps that describe their stores.

Best of luck and enjoy the trip!

I never did get this "have to find a place to park" thing. You have a self contained unit; park it anywhere you want to park as long as it's legal to park there.

I've stayed anywhere it's legal to park. I've stayed at WM, at Lowes, at Cracker Barrel, at truck stops and more than likely a dozen other places. I've stayed along side of a road or on a street many, many, many times. I just make sure I'm legally parked and I go to sleep. It really is that simple................at least it is for me!

Not to sound harsh but if my only means of traveling the country were to have to stay in parking lots it just wouldn't be worth it for me. That just doesn't sound enjoyable to me.

Overnighting in some states is legal and in some isn't. There is a state by state list here. Some states also have a max. stay limit ranging from 3 - 24 hours.

Casinos are a great place to overnight and many are extremely clean & tidy and can have full services, and some with all 50 amp sites. Some charge and some don't. Some have a shuttle service. Good place to have a decent priced buffet meal - well usually at least. :(

Truck stops might seem like a possibility but truckers don't want RV-ers taking up spaces like mentioned here. RV-ers are welcome at some truck stops though - Flying J, Loves & Pilot for example. Check with each truck stop ahead of time before stopping at one. Some truck stops are humongous, like one I've been to in CA is like an international airport. Way cool! Don't forget your earplugs...

There is an app "Allstays Camp and RV" that is supposedly good for finding places to overnight and also tells you where to find gas stations, stores, low clearances, CGs, etc.

I'd suggest having a computer and a Verizon (or other) mifi so you can get online anywhere instead of having to resort to CG wifi. Besides being able to look up places to stop, you'll be able to check out routes for construction delays, road condition, dump stations, etc. and where you might want to stop for a little sightseeing.

I'd also add be prepared to alter your route at any time due to forest fires, hurricanes, floods, etc. This summer has been pretty bad for fires in the PNW. Climate change is creating some severe and unpredictable changes in weather patterns across NA.

Isaac-1 wrote:
Overnighting in rest areas vary by the State, some have 3 - 6 hour limits, others have 12 -24 hour limits. There are a variety of stores that allow RV parking some are more friendly about it than others, Wal-Mart has a pro RV overnighting corporate policy, but leave the actual decision up the the individual store a mangers, some / many towns have parking laws that don't allow it, again here enforcement varies. There are also generally more peaceful alternatives like Cracker Barrel restaurants, most / all of which have RV parking spaces generally allow overnight parking, I have also heard Cabella's sporting goods encourages it and some even have RV dump stations, in fact they have a full service campground at their corporate headquarters in Sidney, Nebraska.

In addition to free camping there are a lot of low cost camping options out there, particularly in the central part of the US. These include forest service campgrounds, these generally don't have hookups, but may typically have pit toilets and limited fresh water on site, but the price is right at around $10 per night often with great scenery. Dispersed / boondock camping in some of these forest service parks is even cheaper, or free. Many small towns have RV sites in their public parks, at community centers, etc. often available at minimal charge $10-$20, some are even free for the first night or simply ask for a donation in order to keep them free. This is really not bad considering these sites often have water and at least some electricity (20 or 30 amp hookups) as well as often free dump stations on site. Then of course there are COE and State park campground,which vary by location, but are often cheaper than commercial RV parks, with prices for sites with at least electric and water hookups in the $20-$30 ballpark.

Swimmer,
While most of what Isaac writes if true, you should be aware that while all Cabela's allow it, some municipalities have stopped this. Most notable is Hammond Indiana. It used to be one of our favorite stops, but not anymore. Shame too, between that and the Walmart next door we used it as a re-provision stop and left a lot of money in Hammond.
Corps of Engineers are great, but many are far enough off the highways as to make them no advantage. Without the book, they can be difficult to locate.
The RVparky app has ratings for many places to ONP at zero cost. I suggest you get that one. I access it from the web because I don't like the keyboard on my phone.

Matt

Pay attention to your "Spidey sense". That is if it doesn't feel right, bail out. And this is also a recommendation from Frommers travel guides. We've been to some waysides and truck stops that were just plain creepy. We move along.

An additional note about waysides. An increasing number of them are adding truck/trailer spaces as they remodel. In WI they've even added real time LED signs with available truck space reports a mile or so before the wayside. Very cool.

Officially you cannot overnight in a wayside in WI, but they'd rather have you stay there then have to scrape you off the pavement at 2:00 AM somewhere along the road.

wal mart churchs, cracker barrel all great places to over night. leave the area better than you found it. p.s curchs are great ,some times theres a pot luck supper going on that we,ve been invited too,