Has anyone rated Walmart parking lot experiences?
Thinking about staying in a couple "no charge" lots heading to our destination Wondering if there is a thread rating these types of places. Feeling of safety? quiet? outdoor lighting?
Forum Discussion
I will admit it, I do stop at Walmarts when the distance is too great to safely drive in one day..
They serve a purpose, gives me a little bit of rest before continuing on..
Typically easy to find, easy to get to from many Interstate roads and pretty much everywhere.
For me, much faster than finding a open campground, then paying for a site, then finding the site then parking and then hooking up at a min electric (if I am paying for a patch of land I may as well use the amenities that I paid for).
As far as safety goes, no better and no worse than say a truck stop or even a rest area.. Walmarts do have cameras everywhere and even security folks but hey, anything can happen..
They do have lots of lights..
If you feel uneasy, then move on, there are more out there to stop at.
Noise, this is something that does bother me a bit I often sleep lightly when not at home, lots of cars, trucks with loud pipes and or loud music at all hrs of the night..
Used to stop at one regularly that was a race track until about 2 AM with folks burning tire.. Last couple of visits there were much quieter, makes me wonder if the Police cracked down or those folks grew up and moved on.
29 cent ear plugs typically take care of that problem for me and I sleep better..
We typically will get a few doughnuts when we pull in at night, then in the morning we can get moving quickly..
The only downside I have found is the nightly parking lot sweeper, typically 4AM and on.. Pretty loud.
Typically we pull in at 10 PM, leave about 6 AM, just long enough to get a safety break.
They serve a purpose, gives me a little bit of rest before continuing on..
Typically easy to find, easy to get to from many Interstate roads and pretty much everywhere.
For me, much faster than finding a open campground, then paying for a site, then finding the site then parking and then hooking up at a min electric (if I am paying for a patch of land I may as well use the amenities that I paid for).
As far as safety goes, no better and no worse than say a truck stop or even a rest area.. Walmarts do have cameras everywhere and even security folks but hey, anything can happen..
They do have lots of lights..
If you feel uneasy, then move on, there are more out there to stop at.
Noise, this is something that does bother me a bit I often sleep lightly when not at home, lots of cars, trucks with loud pipes and or loud music at all hrs of the night..
Used to stop at one regularly that was a race track until about 2 AM with folks burning tire.. Last couple of visits there were much quieter, makes me wonder if the Police cracked down or those folks grew up and moved on.
29 cent ear plugs typically take care of that problem for me and I sleep better..
We typically will get a few doughnuts when we pull in at night, then in the morning we can get moving quickly..
The only downside I have found is the nightly parking lot sweeper, typically 4AM and on.. Pretty loud.
Typically we pull in at 10 PM, leave about 6 AM, just long enough to get a safety break.
