Tips for spot cost

[atravis4]

It appears it can be quite costly to stay at campgrounds. Just googled and arbitrarily chose a campground to see what the costs were and $40/night was an average. Tips for less costs would be appreciated. I see the acronym BLM used on the forum . What does it mean?

[PNW_Steve]

Take a look at: www.freecampsites.net

Many of us will take advantage of friendly Walmart, Home Depot or Cracker Barrel parking lot for an overnight.

[johnbloem1974]

Originally Posted by atravis4

I see the acronym BLM used on the forum . What does it mean?

BLM is the Bureau of Land Management. They are part of the Department of the Interior and they manage public lands, primarily in the West. There are many areas where you can dry camp(Boondock) on BLM managed land for free or very little cost!

John

[Cdimples67]

I just bought a membership for Passport America and it paid for itself already this week. Also I've found a few places that do weekly, or there's boondocking and we do that a couple times a month.

[atravis4]

Thanks for replies.

[JDOnTheGo]

Originally Posted by atravis4

It appears it can be quite costly to stay at campgrounds. Just googled and arbitrarily chose a campground to see what the costs were and $40/night was an average. Tips for less costs would be appreciated.

What are you trying to do? Are you traveling around the country, are you sitting in one place for long periods of time, are you camping for recreation, are you living in your rig, do you plan to be in the east or the west, etc.????

[somewhereinusa]

Boondockers Welcome https://www.boondockerswelcome.com

For a small annual fee, less than one night in most campgrounds, you get access to hundreds of places to stay. Most are at someones home, usually in their driveway. Some offer electricity for a small fee, many offer it for free if you aren't running a bunch of air conditioners. Host memberships are free, you can earn free stays as a guest when you host some at your place. You can search an interactive map even before you join. We have had quite a few guests, everything from a 45 foot class A to a Vardo type wagon. Contact and reservations are made through the web site. Actual host location is made after you request a stay.
Since there aren't any particularly interesting local attractions to us, most of our guests have been Canadian snowbirds on their travels to and from the south.

[atravis4]

Originally Posted by JDOnTheGo

What are you trying to do? Are you traveling around the country, are you sitting in one place for long periods of time, are you camping for recreation, are you living in your rig, do you plan to be in the east or the west, etc.????

Ah yes that info would have been helpful. We would be traveling around staying 4 days max in one place sightseeing in the western Area of the US.

[JDOnTheGo]

IMO, short stays make it a little harder. The advice already given is good. Just about any discount program will help at one point or another. Some (like Passport America) have pretty limited usage dates (varying by campground) so you have to hit it just right. However; the discounts are worth it.

There are many places to boondock (really boondock) in the west (BLM and NFS (National Forest Service)) but that usually takes a bit of effort. IMO, it just isn't worth it for short stays. Of course, that depends on you and your rig. I have to do a good bit of research and scouting to find a place that I like and then I'd prefer to say there as long as possible (typically two weeks).

All of my experience is west of the Mississippi and east of the Sierra Nevada's and always far from large population centers. Within those constraints, I've found RV Park spots are pretty easy to get without reservation. With my coach and just me, I typically pay $25 to $35 per night. It seems many places charge for extra people. All that said, I don't stay at RV Parks very often.

Some places to watch for - most of these have a very low nightly cost:
1. Fairgrounds (with a campground).
2. Town parks that allow camping (many in the mid-west), some even have electric hookups.
3. Corp of Engineer campgrounds.
4. Forest Service/National Park Service campgrounds.
5. State Parks. Some states have a nice annual camping pass program that decreases the cost given enough use.

[Mr4btTahoe]

Originally Posted by atravis4

It appears it can be quite costly to stay at campgrounds. Just googled and arbitrarily chose a campground to see what the costs were and $40/night was an average. Tips for less costs would be appreciated. I see the acronym BLM used on the forum . What does it mean?

Check state parks. Our state parks here in Indiana charge $18-23 a night for a site with electric.

[brokedown]

If I"m travelling I don't bother looking for a campground. For a single night you can park anywhere, it's the second night that's the trick!

But I have been frustrated by parks who don't make primitive camping available to regular folks, or charge a lot for them. One park told me that you had to be a non-profit org to use their primitive camping area, and even then they wanted $20 per day. (Looking at you, Florida!)

Some state parks with primitive camping options let you stay free if you have a state fishing or hunting license, and don't necessarily tell you that before you get there. Finding out that you need to drive for an hour to the closest Walmart to buy a 1 day pass for $2 and then an hour back, that's not a good way to make friends! (Looking at you, Louisiana!)

We didn't do a lot of sitting still on our last trip, to it was mostly parking lots for us. When we leave again I hope to spend more time at places and less time driving!

[RevyRev]

Originally Posted by atravis4

It appears it can be quite costly to stay at campgrounds. Just googled and arbitrarily chose a campground to see what the costs were and $40/night was an average. Tips for less costs would be appreciated. I see the acronym BLM used on the forum . What does it mean?

Might I suggest the iOverlander and Campendium apps. They will show you anything from Walmarts to free safe boondocking spots to campgrounds.

[Itlives]

I second the motion for freecampsites.net
Also, if you're 62 or older, get a National Park pass for $20 @ year. On the forth consecutive year, you can get it for life. It saved me a lot of money this year.
BLM is great, too.