Boondocking tips on the way from Denver to Alaska

[hedgehopper]

When traveling in the US we like to boondock as much as possible to keep the costs down. (I’m using “boondock” here to mean free camping, which would include Walmart parking lots.) I’m wondering about the availability of places to boondock if we drive from Denver, cross into Canada from Montana, head up to Dawson Creek and continue on the Alaska highway. Any tips on how to find free or low cost camping?

[hedgehopper]

We’re back from our trip to Alaska.

When Walmarts were available, we took advantage of the free overnighting, availability of groceries, and lack of campfire smoke. Other than Whitehorse, the Walmarts disappear long before Alaska. And speaking of the Whitehorse Walmart, we spent several nights there and had no problems. But don’t plan on grocery shopping at that Walmart: they have only minimal groceries. But there’s a grocery store within walking distance.

Regarding Church’s: we used a number of their listed free campsites along the Alaska Highway and found them satisfactory, saving much more than the cost of the book. And we invented some free sites of our own.

One night we decided to sample a Provincial park. But it was so noisy and crowded, we did not stay.

The previous time we drove to Alaska, we used regular campgrounds and no Walmarts. We much preferred our accommodations this time. In addition to all the $ we saved, we enjoyed the lack of crowds, noise, campfire smoke, mosquitoes, and checkout times.

No, we did not miss out on the beautiful scenery by overnighting at Walmart. There was no shortage of beautiful scenery along our route. Moreover, in the most scenic areas there were no Walmarts. For beautiful scenery, our favorite drive was from Whitehorse to Skagway and back – awesome!

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[AKsilvereagle]

The last two posts in reference to the Walmart in Whitehorse are not exaggerated comments either.....

The first time I seen the new Walmart in Whitehorse was in 2008, as I was experiencing a 10 year gap with my last visit in Whitehorse at that time in 1998 and seen the newer growth of commercial property along the Chilkoot Way - Quartz Road area.

Don't know when it officially opened, I think I first heard about the new Walmart store around 2003 or 2004-ish when someone mentioned it to me.

Upon my experience visiting Whitehorse and shopping at Walmart in 2008 and 2009 during those times, it was big on the overnighters full of campers and such which is understandable with the geographical area and streamline of summer traffic passing thru Whitehorse as it just looked like a typical Walmart parking lot with parked vehicles and RV's.

Fast forward to 2010 upon stopping there it was the same when I proceeded southbound, no big deal.....Three weeks later upon returning northbound when pulling in the parking lot, I was like what the h---- happened to this place as you could not find a spot anywhere to park in (had to go to adjacent Canadian Tire parking lot to park) as all of a sudden the Whitehorse Walmart turned into a full blown refugee camp as I couldn't figure out why the big change until someone walked up to me noticing my Alaska plates on my rig and asked me if I was heading north and which route I was taking....

I was informed the Taylor Highway was washed out in four places and permanently closed as the Top of the World Highway was open but the border was closed....

I did tell the lady I was enroute on the Alaska Highway heading home as I drove the Taylor Highway via Top of the World and Klondike Highways while heading south and asked when the road closures happened as she stated around a week or so ago which is why all the RVers had generators running, trailers unhooked, power cords strung out all over the parking lot, bbq's blaring, etc. as all the private and gov't campgrounds in the region were full as there was no other resources to turn to in the Whitehorse area at that time which was fully understandable....found out I drove thru 10 days before the Taylor Highway washed out big time.

Every year since 2008 I have seen the Whitehorse Walmart, I can vouch that since that 2010 incident it has been pretty much a refugee camp ever since, but not as many RV's and vans during the summer of 2010 in comparison though.

I would say 2014 is where the more yearly rounders and squatters tend to been more noticable to me with the shread-o-matic tarps bungeed over the trailer roofs sitting on outriggers, power cords laying everywhere for their generator hookups, at least two broken down vehicles sitting on jackstands waiting for parts to arrive, etc.

My last visit shopping there in 2017, this Alaskan asked me for a cigarette which I do not smoke, running a brief conversation with me as he had a broken down 4wd Ford F350 extended crew cab truck while a nice Yukon Samaritan let the guy borrow a transmission jack so he could finish dropping the entire transfer case and transmission out of the truck !!!!!!

.....and I mean a puddle of oil, nuts and bolts and brackets and everything sitting there on the asphalt....At least the guy brought tools and a cheater bar with him to do the job.

Meanwhile his buddy was coming to the rescue as he lived in the crew cab for almost a week while enroute to Skagway with no extra money onhand after paying the tow truck driver to drop the truck off at Walmart, as his buddy was on the way hauling a replacement transmission to swap in.

Most municipalities will not put up with this, however there are many hardships in the Whitehorse area as the Walmart parking lot does help with those in need in some regard, although the change of ordinance was mentioned on more than one occasion before to disallow the practices.

As a visitor, that still does not deter me from stopping there to shop and such or even perhaps getting a few hours of shuteye as I never had any problem with people there.

For those who are not familiar with the Whitehorse Walmart parking lot layout - it is not a huge parking lot compared to most Walmarts, as even though they do have an RV section (along the Quartz Road side - east edge of the parking lot and the back half - south side) it is still pretty much out in the open as there is no extensive isolated corner and such to really place an RV section as the parking lot is more like a total triangle layout, which makes RV's and trailers look like they are blending in with the general parking area for passenger rigs.

[sue_t]

fanrgs wrote:
Then don't plan on overnighting at the Walmart in Whitehorse. There were RVers with their trailers unhooked from tow vehicles, slides extended, awnings and lawn chairs out, and fish grilling on charcoal bbq grills in the Walmart parking lot.

The Walmart lot becomes home to Whitehorse residents who can't find a place to rent or buy. There's full-timers through the winter too. In summer, it's just a crazy place. Many locals stop shopping there due to the number of RVs there that are blocking the parking area.

[fanrgs]

hedgehopper wrote:
One reason I avoid campgrounds is campfires: I am allergic to woodsmoke. Never have I encountered woodsmoke in a Walmart parking lot.

Then don't plan on overnighting at the Walmart in Whitehorse. There were RVers with their trailers unhooked from tow vehicles, slides extended, awnings and lawn chairs out, and fish grilling on charcoal bbq grills in the Walmart parking lot. Didn't see any firewood, but charcoal is wood. We were in Whitehorse for three days and saw many of the same RVs camped in that parking lot each time we went to the Home hardware store, the grocery store, the laundromat, or Walmart (I had to get two new rear tires put on my truck there after driving the TOTW highway, so had to spend a couple of hours at that Walmart).

[hedgehopper]

2gypsies wrote:
I'd also recommend you purchase Mike and Terry Church's book 'Alaskan Camping' which includes northern parts of the lower 48; Canada; Yukon and Alaska. You don't have to stay at Wal-Mart-type places on this trip. There are many free spots that are absolutely gorgeous and the book will help find them. You, yourself, will spot many more that you can stay. Take your time along the whole route. Don't rush this trip of a lifetime. How often will you do it?

Eager to see what the Churches’ book has to say about boondocking, I purchased a copy. Much to my disappointment, there is less than a page under the heading “Free Camping (Boondocking).” (The Churches use “Boondocking” as a synonym for “Free Camping.”) However, I was pleased to discover that the book does list some free campgrounds along the Alaska Highway and along some of the other highways as well.

One reason I avoid campgrounds is campfires: I am allergic to woodsmoke. Never have I encountered woodsmoke in a Walmart parking lot. The mosquitoes and other bugs are less problematic too. When we last drove to Alaska, mosquitoes were everywhere. So I am not inclined to sit outside and provide a meal for them.

Some have expressed concern that we will miss out on scenery by not camping in the bush. I expect to be enjoying the scenery all along the route. So I’m not afraid of missing out.

Thanks to all for the helpful input.

[fanrgs]

If you decide to take the Cassiar Highway in one direction, a wonderful FREE city park campground is located in Burns Lake on the Yellowhead Highway. No hookups, but shaded, pull-thru and back-in, lakeside sites. A free threaded water faucet and sanidump are located two blocks west and a rec center with showers is right in the park.

[DrewE]

hedgehopper wrote:

GordonThree wrote:
Check out the Alaskan camping book from the Church's. They list a bunch of "formal" boondock sites. There's also informal ones, that may or may not be on the Internet.

What is a "formal" boondock site? Sounds like an oxymoron. What is an informal one?

A "formal" boondocking site is one that's listed in well-known and widely-read campground directories like Church's book on Alaskan camping. :W

[hedgehopper]

GordonThree wrote:
Check out the Alaskan camping book from the Church's. They list a bunch of "formal" boondock sites. There's also informal ones, that may or may not be on the Internet.

What is a "formal" boondock site? Sounds like an oxymoron. What is an informal one?

[AK_Old_Timer]

When I'm in Prince Rupert waiting for the ferry I usually park at the Olive Lake Provincial Park about 5 miles east of PR. I've spent 3 consecutive days there without being bothered by the RCMP. You do have to put up with a lot of dog walkers who are exercising their dogs. Also the toilets are very busy all day and night. But, it's free and comfortable for us.

In Prince George I've boon-docked at Walmart and Costco. No problems at either spot. I prefer Costco as the parking lot is very level compared to Walmart's.

[c_traveler2]

hedgehopper wrote:
When traveling in the US we like to boondock as much as possible to keep the costs down. (I’m using “boondock” here to mean free camping, which would include Walmart parking lots.) I’m wondering about the availability of places to boondock if we drive from Denver, cross into Canada from Montana, head up to Dawson Creek and continue on the Alaska highway. Any tips on how to find free or low cost camping?

I've used Google Earth to find those possible overnight locations, with the GPS readout on Google Earth I can use a pinpoint in my mapping program to mark those possible sites.

[garyhaupt]

Okay...there are NO free overnight camp spots to be found in BC.

However, should you want to ask me about your route? I will do my best to find spots for you. But....gimme a break...try and use the info I provide.


Gary Haupt

[ppine]

If you are going in summer it will never get dark when you are awake. Adjust your thinking. There is no point in going north to Alaska if your plan is to camp in Walmart parking lots and airports. It is all about the bush. Thousands of square miles. If that is intimidating don't go up there.

[tony_lee]

Basic rule is to be safely parked at least two hours before dark so anyone driving around in the dark is pretty much in self-inflicted trouble.

Thanks for the tip about save on foods Gary. That should be useful and they have an app that gives locations. Should be a good supplement to Allstays and iOverlander for those areas where no camping signs seem to grow overnight and all the gravel dumps and quarries are chained off.

[AKsilvereagle]

Well Gary, I am not lookin to pick a fight either -

However to any outsider that is totally unfamiliar having never been in a specific area (especially one that might arrive at night), one will not immediately find a free overnight place to park once they see numerous "no overnighting" and "no parking" signs everywhere around.

Two towns that come to my mind in BC upon enduring that scenario were rolling into Prince Rupert and Kamloops for the first time.

Upon initiating the potential plan B (monkey see monkey do) meaning "the signage is there but not strictly enforced" places as I case out areas looking for parked overnighters and if it looks safe enough, I will feel more comfortable to park right along with them.

I initiated a successful plan C overnighter in Kamloops but the Prince Rupert area was harder to get around that without paying to park somewhere....

Every rest area turnout along the way to Prince Rupert was posted "day use only" and no one parked in any of them during the night as I finally backtracked out of Prince Rupert, lucky there was one spot available at Prudhomme Prov Park at 1200am because the ranger told me someone had it reserved but never showed up....she roped off the campground access area with a "campground full" sign after I checked in and paying the campground fee...I was glad to pay the $16 after dealing with pitch black darkness, intermittent hard raining, and intermittent dense fog upon backtracking on the highway at that.

I sure was not going to attempt overnighting at the ferry terminal area, nor at the paved RV park full of crammed RV's or at Cow Bay to pay big for a overnight parking spot there, as I was thinking I could get away with roadside parking or overnight at either Safeway supermarket, the mall, or Chances casino parking lots but all those places posted no overnight parking signs there too and did not see anyone overnight anywhere in the areas that I was at.

Once I witnessed two different towing wreckers cruising around Prince Rupert at random during the night, that deterred me from even trying to chance it to park anywhere in Prince Rupert for free so I decided to backtrack out of town upon getting real tired.


Kamloops took quite a bit to find a free overnight spot while unfamiliar with the area and arriving late at night there (from Valemount Hwy 5 direction south), as I stopped upon high ground at the Aberdeen Mall and looked thru the binos monitoring traffic patterns and such...All the chain stores had no overnighting posted (even Walmart with patrolled security), as the one Petro Canada station clerk I talked to on pointers told me he didn't know where I could park overnight for free in the area without getting hassled as he offered that I could park in back of the store - which I didn't feel comfortable doing with all the various types of clientele customer traffic going in and out and not buying that answer from the clerk while "offering a free parking spot there" at the same time, so I was determined to look elsewhere.

I didn't notice any semi truck traffic go in any one particular direction thinking there might be a truck stop nearby (which I found the following day) and I didn't really want to backtrack to Paul Lake road to overnight there knowing I could.

My plan C kicked in by seeing random RV'ers using the dump station at the visitors center throughout the night (while the RCMP station was also nearby), so I parked nearby there which was actually posted annex mall parking property (across the road from the mall itself) at the very one corner parking space surrounded by a tree brush line on two sides to where my rig can only be easily seen on the front and driver side, with two cement curbs lining around the corner parking spot (landscaped along the same tree lines) by backing in my rig and turning the front passenger wheel against the side curb as an extra precaution where it would be harder for a tow truck to potentially lift or drag my rig away which would give me plenty of warning if it were to be a worse case scenario.....

I felt safe while not going to be potentially hassled for just an overnighter there, as I did not see any patrolled tow trucks lurking in Kamloops compared to Prince Rupert.

The reason for the strategic thinking here for parking is because I was raised in the Los Angeles area and I always found free or cheap convenient parking spots like commercial or business parks nearby stadiums or venues attending my sporting and concert events where tow trucks would always target the more plentiful easy vehicles to snag up to their impound yards, rather than paying for those other extortion parking fee rates most of us do not want to pay for back in the day.

The overnighter at Kamloops went well for a few hours of parking there (I was the only one parked there), and no RCMP officials that could clearly see me when driving by ever bothered me at all either.

I even spent an extra full day in Kamloops venturing all around downtown, north, west and east sides of town as I really enjoyed the whole surrounding area and got much more familiar on where the private RV parks were located, the govt. parks on the outskirts, and other areas on where to potentially overnight at as well for any future visits.

I do tend to agree that I have been able to find a free overnight spot at most every place else in BC that I have been at, once in a while I will go to a govt or private campground and pay for a spot if I am familiar with an area or not for two main reasons :

One - if I really like the park and am familiar with it...

Two - if I am not familiar with the area and it is more convenient rather than lurking around for other areas, just depends how determined I feel as roughly 85 percent of the time I will boondock somewhere to help keep travel costs down.

Some BC parks are reasonable priced and worth it, others are worth staying at that are higher priced with the landscape and scenery, and then well....there are a small handful of BC parks that are high priced with no scenery or perks to show for it.

All Yukon campgrounds are a great deal which includes firewood as mentioned, pristine and clean at most Yukon parks.

Every Northwest Territory park I been to were the cleanest and most well up kept that I ever seen, which does account for being sparsely used however you can tell they take such great pride in keeping all the parks well maintained whether day use or overnight designated campgrounds....Reasonably priced too however I never have needed to pay for a camping spot when there is nothing but wilderness and boondocking galore everywhere in the NWT.

Also well noted is the fact that once one is north of Edmonton or away from southern Canada in general, boondocking opportunities get a lot more permissible.

Along the Alaska Highway, once you get past Fort St. John (northbound), there are many places you can find an easy boondocking spot which wont be much of an issue anymore about where to pull over and rest and such for free.

Too many times to count I have overnighted at the Petro Canada truck stop and Humptys restaurant (just north of Chances casino) in Fort St. John along the Alaska Highway since the mid 1980s even before I had an RV as no one bothers you and perfect for winding down and gearing up fresh on the haul northbound...Wind down, Wake up, Grub up, Gas up, while you're in and out with immediate highway access from the frontage road with no traffic to fight across or any indirect time wasted. Still the same in 2016 when I was last there.

Dawson Creek Walmart does allow overnight parking and I have overnighted there a couple times....

Enroute thru Alberta I overnighted at Grande Prairie Walmart a half dozen times or so as well.

As also mentioned - Valleyview has a couple spots one could boondock overnight with no hassle that I am familiar with....I would prefer the back of the Esso station on the east side of the highway as there is a lot more room there (where the semi trucks are) compared to the Shell station on the west side of the highway where there is more traffic.

I have also overnighted at the rest area (southbound side) south of Mayerthorpe on highway 43 (divided four lane).....Farther south (northbound side) there is another rest area.

In Red Deer I was just glad I was near a campground arriving at night (130am) and decided to stop in at the Lions Club campground there which had a 24 hour gate as the attendant granted me access in and to pay the following day...at the time the overnight was $10 and they let me use the shower facilities for free - turned out to be a really great deal.

As others have also mentioned about the links and sites pertaining to free boondocking information, I will browse thru them for planning upon any potential future routes I might roll thru that I am unfamiliar with while never been there before - quite useful information.

[SideHillSoup]

garyhaupt wrote:

SideHillSoup wrote:
Now I’ve been camping in campgrounds and out in the bush for free for as long as I can remember. There are tons of places up here that you can park over night or even camp for free, you just have to make sure you know where you can’t park overnight or camp.
So here is a list of a few places you “CAN’T” camp or park for free overnight:
Any Canadian National Park, BC Provincial Parks, most cities, towns or villages, any private property, any First Nations reserve, or any places posted by signage. There are a couple of Walmart’s that don't allow overnight parking in BC that I know of, but I believe that’s because of a city bylaw, and not because Walmart won’t allow it. There are probably exceptions to the list I have written above so don’t jump all over me if you know of an exception to one or the places on my list.
Have fun on your trip.
Soup.

SideHill..I ain't lookin to pick a fight with you, but I am going to disagree on one of your lines in where one "can't camp". There is no city in BC that one can't find a night place. Every Save-On Foods store (but Nelson), for starters..and they provide wifi. I have never been in any BC locale that I haven't been able to find spot to overnight. And yes..I mean boondocking..as opposed to paid camp sites. Or stealth camping...parking for a night someplace within city limits.

Gary Haupt

I guess Garry you didn’t read the second to last thing I said.... and yes, as I said “ MOST” ... I also said I have been doing it for most of my life... so yes Garry you can do it...
I just sep t two months in the south western USA, we as they call it down there Boondocked most of the time. However Gary, I asked and found out the “rules” before we did it. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t breaking a law, Rule, or Bylaw before I got into something.
Did it off and on for two months and had a blast, I was sure glad I talked with the locals that told me the rules, before I broke one?
Safe travels Garry.
Soup.