Preference for one night camping

[BlessedProperty]

When looking for a quick overnight camping spot, do you prefer something closer to the highway or would you drive a few minutes off to get away from the highway noise?

[Lantley]

Closer to the highway is preferred.

[wapiticountry]

We stay in RV parks almost exclusively. If we were traveling, I doubt we would pass up a park close to the highway to travel to one further away. About the only circumstance that would change that would be where the highway RV park had terrible reviews and the other park had stellar ones. Even then, we would probably be more likely to just either stop sooner or drive further along our route than spend that time traveling off the route.
Of course the million dollar question is just how far, how long, and how inconvenient is your definition of a "few minutes" to get there?
Narrow roads, congested side streets or dense urban travel all work against leaving the main highway. And then there is the cost issue for many. With many rigs every 7 miles adds two gallons of fuel to the costs (7 miles in, 7 miles back). With diesel around $3.00/gallon that's adding $6.00 to the site costs. Plus those 14 total miles on side streets are adding 30 minutes to the trip (figure 30 MPH average with stop signs, turns and side road speed limits). On several levels it seldom pays to go very far off the beaten path for us.

[bukhrn]

TexasShadow wrote:
en route to our destination, we stay alongside the highway we're using. we use rest stops, walmarts, truck stops, city parks in small towns, sam's club etc.
if in doubt, we ask the managers for permission.

X2, usually pull into a truck stop late at night, crash for 4-6 hours then up & move on, generally before sunrise.
Call me frugal, cheap or anything else, but I just don't see paying a campground $30-40 to sleep.

[jdc1]

If there's a road parallel to the highway I can park on...I'm using it. That is, unless my wife is with me.

[bikendan]

Closer to the highway.

[TexasShadow]

en route to our destination, we stay alongside the highway we're using. we use rest stops, walmarts, truck stops, city parks in small towns, sam's club etc.
if in doubt, we ask the managers for permission.

[Trekkar]

Ed C wrote:
It doesn't matter much to us but quieter is better.

X2. You might want to install the RV Parky app for your phone. It lists everything from Walmarts to CrackerBarrel to standard parks. For an overnighter just to travel, it works well for us.

[IB853347201]

Generally looking for the closest full hookup level long pull thru. KOA's usually fit the bill.

[Ed_C]

It doesn't matter much to us but quieter is better.

[Lwiddis]

To each his/her own. Depends on the highway. Not usually in a hurry.