How to Find Free RV Camping to Save Money on Your Next Trip
Are you saving up for a road trip, but you find yourself searching for the best free RV camping? We’ve got you covered! Exploring while on a road trip can be such a fabulous bonding experience. We’ve got the scoop on how to find free RV camping to keep your funds going strong.
Why consider free RV camping spots?
If you’re looking for ways to find free RV camping sites, you’re in luck. With a little bit of research and travel, you can easily camp for free and save yourself a lot of money. The camping world is full of free or cheap RV camping. The key is to find places that are complementary and are able to accommodate the size of your RV as well.
Of course, as newlyweds or whatever your stage, having a budget is always a good thing! If you explore options for free RV parking, you can allocate those funds towards something else. Possibly you’re saving for a house, or you have a few more expensive sites planned for your road trip.
Either way, finding free RV stops is a fabulous idea. Who doesn’t like saving money? We certainly do!
4 Tips on How to Find Free RV Camping
1. You can often find free RV parking overnight on public land.
Every state will vary on free RV stops on public land, so you’ll want to verify and keep that in mind. Before just launching and hoping that they’re free, do your research. However, in most states, public areas serve as free RV camping sites.
For example, the state of Missouri offers free camping in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) areas as well. In fact, several states have BLM land that serves as free FB campgrounds. If you’re traveling down the road and see one of those signs, you can technically pull over and camp overnight in those spots. For BLM land specifically, check here to see rates and which states offer free RV parking.
The main tip to keep in mind is that public land is really for just overnight stays. These aren’t meant to be taken advantage of for a week-long camping trip or long stays. It’s a place to park for the night for free. The idea is for you to wake up in the morning and move along on your trip.
2. Sometimes city parks can serve as a free RV campground.
Along your travels, you’re going to see a lot of city parks along the way. Some of these allow free RV parking overnight. Sometimes it can be a bit difficult to find out which ones allow it.
So, the easiest way to check is to call the local police or sheriff’s office in town. Ask them if RV parking is allowed or go ahead and ask for their permission to park and stay the night.
Camping at city parks is a great way to immerse yourself in the town while you’re there.
3. Quite often, roadside parks will offer free RV camping spots.
The great thing about camping at a roadside park is that they’re located right off the highway. This makes them easy to spot, and they are easily accessible. Since people are just stopping typically for a short trip, you can park your RV out of the way and rest easy for the night.
The downside to RV parking here is that there will be quite a bit of foot traffic and noise. Consequently, the highway noise will be loud, as will the noise of people getting in and out of their cars. Another downside is that you’ll be competing for space with larger semi-trucks as well.
4. See if any fairgrounds serve as free RV campgrounds.
Fairgrounds are different from city parks and are another great choice to RV camp for free. There are some fairgrounds that actually have specific spots set up for campers and RV’s.
Therefore, there’s a chance that you’ll run into one of those and have plenty of room, too. Use the city fairgrounds as a great resting point on your road trip. Fairgrounds are a way to relax for a few days and explore the town.
Want to find free RV camping? Save it!
Photos: Matheus Bertelli, Lance Anderson, Rota Alternativa, Aiden Bowen, Gaetan Werp
This sounds like so much fun! A good friend of mine just bought an RV for this very purpose!
Oh wow very cool! Such good info! One of my friends just bought an RV. I’ll send this to her.
I’ve never done RV camping before. I’ve only been in an RV once and it was with my grandmother when I was really, really young, so I don’t remember much aside from feeling nauseous and cramped haha. I think it would take some serious getting used to! I didn’t know that there were so many options for RV camping. This is a great resource.
This is great! Every penny is valued so being able to find free RV parking is such a huge deal. Thank you for sharing this. Bookmarked your post for future reference.
Since I have never done an RV trip in US, I wasn’t aware that you had to look for paid spots for parking. Now this particular post busts that myth. And if anyone ever asks me, I can definitely pass on these tips about the public parks and looking out for the free spots. I am going to bookmark this to share it with people soon. Well done!
I’ve always wanted to take an RV road trip. They seem so adventurous and peaceful just by how many sceneries you’re going to see.
My husband and I love camping with our campervan, George. And, we have failed free camping overnight already! LOL. I think it’s because we’re so choosy, that’s why! But it’s good to keep this advice in mind, like fairgrounds. So true, huge space and it’s a good point when planning to explore the town. I think this would fit us best. But the truth is, in Germany, free camping is sometimes prohibited, especially now that we are on lockdown and curfew. Nevertheless, keeping this for later reference!
Wow traveling in a RV will be my dream trip. I have been planning for such trip and been doing the research. Anyway I agree that finding a free RV camping is very crucial to keep things under budget. In Australia, we do have many free camping sites where one can park their RVs for the nights.
Aw, I adore that you named your campervan. May you and George have lots of adventures together!
These are some very useful tips! As someone who has never done this before, I would never have known how or where to find free RV camping. With your tips, it would surely help us cut down on our expenses a bit. Thank you!
Being not a great camper with very little exposure, this was certainly interesting to get these tips on finding free sites for camping. During these Corona times camping certainly is a great option and a great way to holiday without the crowds.
What an informative guide on RV camping in the US! I think it’s a little bit different in Europe, there are stricter regulations on wild camping depending on the country. Here in France, it’s more accepted and there are a lot of free camping spots like the experiences you mention in yours. We do van life and for us, the best places are the ones for free with a view and off grid, so we totally agree with you on this one!
I can understand to find a good and free parking spot is so necessary for any vehicle when on road trip. RV’s are huge in size and so it needs a good space and that too if it is free we can save lots of money. I never knew about these spots and how to find it. Good you shared that to check the city-parks and road-side parks.
With the resurgence of van life this is a such a helpful article. Who doesn’t fantasize about the carefree road trip? I love the tips you shared about accessing land, and for free! It makes for the perfect spontaneous RV trip.
Ooh, I’ve actually never been RV camping before! I am not a big camping fan in general but I think going in an RV would be more fun for me because I’d have access to more of my stuff than I would in a tent!