I’ve been camping since I was little. I remember setting up an old pup tent in the backyard, actually I was too small then and dad had to set it up, yet feeling like I was on the edge of the frontier, the fringe of an unknown wilderness … until I got scared and ran to the comforts of the house. Before long, I was able to set up the tent by myself and muster enough courage to stay out all night regardless of the many sounds from savage beasts that lurked in the country neighborhood.
Since then, I’ve been camping with my brother and friends many times. Ventures have lasted from one night to more than a week at a time. I’ve stayed in tents, vehicles, campers, and primitive cabins. Although cabins push the limits of camping, you shouldn’t judge until you’ve seen some of the “cabins” I’ve stayed in, they were what I like to call hard-sided tents. I’ve been backpacking, camping where you carry everything you need with you, several miles into the forest … sometimes reminding me of that old childhood fear when I heard strange noises in the night.
Camping has provided me with many pleasurable moments and many learning experiences. On a recent excursion, I decided that I wanted to camp out of my vehicle (literally … I actually made a sleeping platform in my Ford Explorer), and that I wanted to camp for free whenever possible. As it turned out, I succeeded in finding free campsites each night out (10 nights of camping). I thought I might share what I learned with you in case it would help you save a few bucks on your next camping adventure.
First off, I should probably qualify the article by stating my rig allowed me to simply park my vehicle at any level spot without setting up a tent or any other tell tale signs of camping so my camping opportunities were wide open. Also, I didn’t do any backcountry camping. But I want to at least discuss all forms of dispersed camping as it is generally free and a much more natural form of camping … but also usually without facilities.
There are national parks, national forests, and many other large tracts of land administered by various organizations that allow backcountry camping and most of them are free (but you many require you to acquire a free permit). If you intend to go backcountry camping, I would encourage all of you to research the backcountry camping rules for the area you will be visiting. Many areas have regulations like registration, Leave No Trace, no fires, limited number of nights in one campsite, and etc. And even if you don’t have to register, it is a good idea to let someone know your route and plans … a good practice anytime you head into the backcountry.
Outside of backcountry camping, there are many places that you can camp for free throughout the country. Choosing a site depends on the type of camping you are doing and where you are heading. If you are simply in the process of getting from one place to another, and have an RV or a way of blocking out the light, you can even stay in the parking lot at Walmart or most places where there is overnight parking. Just know that you may be bombarded with lights and noises, and possibly asked to leave if it is discovered that you are “camping”.
State parks and national parks tend to charge for camping at campsites but have many parking areas and pullouts that allow overnight parking, especially if the location has backcountry camping trailheads (some require a backcountry permit in the vehicle for overnight parking). Again, I must warn you that you could be asked to “move along” if a ranger catches you in your vehicle “camping” at an overnight parking spot. I don’t want to give the wrong impression. I’m not encouraging camping in overnight parking areas, I’m merely pointing it out as a possibility.
One of my favorite types of camping is the non-backpacking dispersed campsites that are found in several national forests (not every forest has dispersed, non-backcountry campsites, and other organizations may have these types of campsites as well but I’m not currently aware of any). All it takes is a simple phone call or visit to a forest office and inquire about “dispersed camping” opportunities. If you aren’t backpacking, make sure you specify that you don’t mean backcountry camping because that is usually what they think you are asking about. The forest employees are usually very straight forward about places that you can camp for free. They range from sites that are simply pullouts where someone has made a fire ring to developed sites with tent pads, picnic table, fire ring, lantern post, and even a primitive privy.
Important note: all dispersed campsites are first come, first serve basis so make sure you scout the sites and get there early (mid-week and shoulder seasons are good options).
I would have to say that my favorite spots for dispersed camping on my recent excursion were in the Blue Valley Area of Nantahala National Forest just south of Highlands, North Carolina. The Blue Valley Area had many dispersed, free campsites with a variety of scenic options from overlook areas to stream side spots. They also had a group area for those interested. And they were one of the ones with fully developed sites!
For additional information and ideas for free campsites, you may want to check out these web sites: Free Campsites (www.freecampsites.net), Free Camping Directory (www.freecampingdirectory.com), and Free Campgrounds (www.freecampground.com). If you have GPS you might try Boodocking (www.boondocking.org).
That about sums it up. If you’d like more specific information about the sites I stayed at, especially the Blue Valley Area, please let me know and I’ll dig out my maps and help you out as best as I can. Until next time, I hope to see you out there!
