How To Camp For Free
You can do van life many different ways, but for those that are looking for the cheapest route, this guide will help you learn how to camp for free (legally)!
OPTION 1: IOVERLANDER
The easiest way to find free camping is downloading the iOverlander Legacy app, it’s FREE! You’ll want to stick with the iOverlander Legacy app, NOT the iOverlander 2 app. That one is complicated and doesn’t even show free campsites. When you open the Legacy app it will always ask you to upgrade and you should just decline that option.
There is also a website but the app is much more user friendly!
How It Works:
- Open the app to see the Main Menu, click the icon next to “Map”.
- Hit the “Filter” tab on the upper right-hand side and only have “Wild Camping” toggled to be on.
- Go back to the Maps and then zoom into the area you are looking for.
- Once you are zoomed in, the icons of all the free wild camping spots will start popping up. Pick a spot and next to the title you’ll see a blue “i” icon. Click that to find out more information: the exact coordinates, information about the conditions from people who have camped there before, pictures (not all have pictures), and a link to Google Maps to direct you to the exact spot.
Things I’ve Learned Since Using The App:
- The comment section is VERY helpful to decide if the vehicle you are taking will make it to the camping spot. Due to these spots being free, it often comes with very rough terrain to get to them, so make sure you are reading the comments to figure out if you’ll be able to make it.
- Places get closed down sometimes so the comments also help give you that information.
- If you pull into a place that says “no camping for the next 2 miles”, and your Google maps is taking you 2 miles further, you should be good, but if you Google maps is only taking you a ¾ mile, you won’t be able to camp there.
- Some places will have a gate that you have to open and close to get in. As long as there are no “private property” or “no camping” signs, then you are fine to open the gate and go to that spot.
- Not all states are built the same. The Midwest doesn’t have nearly as many options as the West Coast. However, that’s just based on what is on the app already. There are other ways to find free places to camp!
OPTION 2: cAMPENDIUM
Campendium is another website & app you can you use to find free camping. The one thing I’ve noticed is that some campsites we found for free from iOverlander say they cost money on Campendium so I would recommend checking iOverlander first and then using Campendium!
Also the website on a computer is much more user-friendly than the app on your phone!
OPTION 3: bLM LAND
I had never heard of BLM Land until I started to think about doing van life. BLM Land is public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. There is more than 245 million acres of BLM Land and you can camp on any of it for free!
If you’re like me you probably are thinking, no way there is that much land that is free to roam and explore on. Well the purpose of the Bureau of Land Management is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Finding where to camp on BLM Land on your own is a little more advanced than using the apps that tell you exactly where to go. You can visit the Bureau of Land Management website and then look for info about camping and maps for specific states or regions.
They have interactive maps that highlight public lands but they don’t give you exact GPS coordinates to a wild camping site. Each state office has resources and maps that detail accessible lands.
If you are truly trying to get “off the grid”, then going this route will leave you pretty isolated from other people doing van life. You just are taking a bigger risk with not knowing what the road conditions are, if there’s service available, if there will be a flat spot to park, etc. But you will be rewarded with camping at spots that most people will never see in their lifetime!
You can camp on BLM lands for a maximum of 14 days within a 28-day period. Specific regulations may vary depending on the local BLM office, so check with them first for details.
OPTION 4: US NATIONAL FORESTS
Just like BLM Land, you can also camp for free on most National Forest Land in the US. To find places to camp in US National Forests you will have to look for clearings. These are areas on a map that are surrounded by trees and good for wild camping. This is similar to BLM Land where you sort of just have to go searching for it on your own!
You can camp for free on most National Forest land for up to 14 days as long as you are outside of developed recreation areas (campsites, picnic areas, trailheads) or an area specifically restricted to camping and 100 feet from any stream.
Find an interactive map locating National Forests here.
OPTION 5: PARKING LOTS
There are a lot of stores that allow free overnight parking in there parking lots!
- Walmart
- Cabela’s
- Sam’s Club
- Costco
- Cracker Barrel
- Some Casinos (do your research first on the casino because not all allow it)
There are other places that you could find that would take some asking around / investigating of signs but these stores will all allow you to park overnight without getting “the knock” – someone knocking on your door telling you to leave because camper van parking is not allowed.
Not all parking lots have a view but this Wal-mart in Salida, Colorado sure did!
OPTION 6: REST AREAS
This is my least favorite option but if you’ve been driving for a while and just need a quick place to rest, this will be the easiest spot to pull over. If you are sensitive to noise or light pollution when you sleep make sure you have window covers and earplugs. Semis run there trucks all night long and there are lights all over the parking lot.
**NOTE: Not all rest areas allow overnight parking. Google the state you’re in to see if it’s allowed. For instance, Minnesota only allows up to 4 hours at a rest area but you can overnight park at a travel information center. Iowa allows up to 24 hours at their rest areas so you could sleep overnight at those!
Rules to Follow
I’m sharing this information because I want you to experience the adventure of wild camping that has brought me so much joy, but I also want to make sure you are respectful of the land!
Leave no trace. Very simple, clean up after yourself!
Leave the campsite better than when you arrived. If I see a piece of garbage laying around that I didn’t cause, I will pick it up. If you have spare firewood to leave behind, do that as well!
Try your best to drive on existing roads as much as you can so that you minimize your impact on the land.
Always camp at least 100 feet away from any form of water, river, ocean, etc.
This seems obvious but make sure to use existing fires rings.
So many van lifers head out West where there are higher risks of wildfires. Always check fire restrictions ahead of time and follow them!
Noise pollution. Don’t do it. Imagine rolling into a wild campsite for some peace and quiet and hearing a bunch of people 30 feet away blasting music on their Bluetooth speaker. If you are looking to party and have a good time, go somewhere else.
Here are some of my favorite things I’ve used to survive while wild camping:
