The biggest problem with boondocking is . . . .

[profdant139]

that it spoils you for any other kind of RV camping. And unforunately, boondocking is not always (or even often) available.

We just spent several days at a very nice campground (Palomar Mountain State Park), east of Oceanside, Calif. We were the only people in the whole area for three nights -- absolutely silent. (The fourth night was a Friday, and the campground was half-full and not silent.) The camping was very pleasant -- about 5000 feet in elevation, cool days, cold nights, plenty of shade, nice hiking, good stars at night, etc.

But it was not boondocking. There was pavement underneath the trailer. There was a bathroom and water and trash cans. Although the trip was very relaxing, it did not satisfy that deep urge to get into the back-country, far from everything. So beware -- once you start boondocking, everything else seems a little tame. (My guess is that a wilderness backpacker would find that RV camping in a national forest is also "too tame," but backpacking would be too rugged for me.)

[atreis]

Main problem: Not enough of it in the east and lower midwest. Another problem: Lack of blazed trails.

[kylekai]

WishWeWereCamping wrote:
For us it's the people who park right next to you and run their generators to make a cup of coffee early in the morning, or late at night to warm something up in the microwave. And then there are the domestic disputes with people screaming at each other at 1 AM. When you boondock, you shouldn't have to use a generator. That's what propane or a fire is for. We never camp anywhere hot, so no A/C is needed.

I'm not completely anti-generator, we have two of them and use them when our power goes out at home to keep the refrigerator and freezer cold. I hate listening to them even when they're outside the house. Even the Honda genny gets on my nerves.

Well said. Nothing worse than finding that perfect boon docking place and someone pulls in near you without a thought to anyone and powers up their noisy generator.

[JiminDenver]

Sounds like my kind of place.

[Quality_Johnson]

My favorite campsite is a single spot 3/8 mile down a two-rut from the main dirt road, with no chance to turn around until you get to the site, and little chance to turn around there if someone is in the spot. So you unhook at the road, drive down to be sure it's clear, then go back for the trailer. The trailer scrapes vegetation on both sides all the way down. The river makes a pond at the campsite, there is one picnic table and one rock firepit and a wilderness style latrine, not an outhouse. The nearest official campground is about 5 miles up the main dirt road, and you can get water there. This spot does not make the official list of dispersed campsites.

Sunsets across the pond, with a bald eagle in the old standing dead pine across the river, fish and beaver in the pond, moose and fox wander through the campsite after dark.

Second favorites are any of the many free campgrounds, but they often have people in them, so not as good.

Then there are the state parks. Nice facilities, potable water, even electric hookups, and dump stations on the way out, but WAY too many other campers usually.

I need to get out. It's been a long, long winter.
🙂

[autiger74]

Too many spots. Not enough time.

[NinerBikes]

was_butnotnow wrote:
We love to boondock and have solar and a quiet Honda gen. We travel in the northwest in the summer and fall for fly fishing and the quest to find that "A big rig looking for a tent experience"
You can find the places we have found "just don't go there" in our blog of the last many years of travel. www.fulltime.hitchitch.com
We winter in AZ (Quartzsite BLM) and have reported on this place extensively over the years. It's all there in our blog. We now have a seasonal winter place to go to after Q to recharge east of Tucson before we head out for summer travels.

Wow, some very nice places to fly fish in low season in your blog. PM me some of the stuff you liked in SW Montana for fly fishing and camping locations. I'm not old enough yet for all the Senior discounts at most campgrounds at 55 years old, gotta keep on a budget.

[blaker]

korbe wrote:
When we take that last turn on the back roads........and we see someone in 'our' spot.

Been there

[was_butnotnow]

We love to boondock and have solar and a quiet Honda gen. We travel in the northwest in the summer and fall for fly fishing and the quest to find that "A big rig looking for a tent experience"
You can find the places we have found "just don't go there" in our blog of the last many years of travel. www.fulltime.hitchitch.com
We winter in AZ (Quartzsite BLM) and have reported on this place extensively over the years. It's all there in our blog. We now have a seasonal winter place to go to after Q to recharge east of Tucson before we head out for summer travels.

[dannytas]

korbe wrote:
When we take that last turn on the back roads........and we see someone in 'our' spot.

Yes--I feel your pain on that one. Everytime, DW and I are hopeing that no one is in that particular spot. Other wise plan B. The next one...:(

[JiminDenver]

jamway wrote:

WishWeWereCamping wrote:
For us it's the people who park right next to you and run their generators to make a cup of coffee early in the morning, or late at night to warm something up in the microwave. And then there are the domestic disputes with people screaming at each other at 1 AM. When you boondock, you shouldn't have to use a generator. That's what propane or a fire is for. We never camp anywhere hot, so no A/C is needed.

I'm not completely anti-generator, we have two of them and use them when our power goes out at home to keep the refrigerator and freezer cold. I hate listening to them even when they're outside the house. Even the Honda genny gets on my nerves.

I don't feel like we are boondocking if we can hear another camper's generator.

This

[RoyB]

ZMAN-AZ wrote:
I wish there was a mandatory read of the sticky thread about boondocking before people could use the word boondocking in a post.

We usually camp off the power grid here on the east side of the US and the word 'BOONDOCKING' doesn't quite fit.

I always refer to 'camping off the power grid' in my stories.

We also have very few 'DISPERSED' camping sites here on the East side of the US as well. You can throw a rock into the woods here and will probably get three or rocks being thrown back at you. Too many peoples here on the East side of the US.

Doesn't really matter what the correct word might be just as long as you can get out in the woods and enjoy them while we still have such areas to use... When the Great SouthWest Desert extends from the MIss River to Calif due to the on-going climate changes we may have alot more places to camp off the power grid coming up...

I can remember running deer out in West Texas back in the 60's and not seeing another person outside our base camp for over a week... That just doensn't happen anymore

Roy Ken

[Unyalli]

Or park way out in a parking lot with 50 empty spaces around and some $#@! parks right next to you. What is that! Some inbred insanity?

[colliehauler]

dave54 wrote:
Counting National Forest, BLM public land, and others, there are over a half billion acres of land available for boondocking.

So why does the nitwit with the loud generator, loud music, screaming kids, motorcycles, and idling diesel pickup have to set up camp 30 feet from my camp?

For the same reason someone will park 30 feet away from some person running a generator and then complain about the noise.

[dave54]

Counting National Forest, BLM public land, and others, there are over a half billion acres of land available for boondocking.

So why does the nitwit with the loud generator, loud music, screaming kids, motorcycles, and idling diesel pickup have to set up camp 30 feet from my camp?