TrekAlongWithME

For those who don’t live in the western states of United States, then boondocking or dispersed camping is most likely a completely foreign subject to you. Or heck, even if you do live in either of these countries like Matt and I do, and still have never heard of this idea, then listen up. Trust us, boondocking or dispersed camping is the best thing out there for any budget travelers or just lovers of the outdoors.

To put it simply, boondocking or dispersed camping is essentially free (or mostly free) camping on non-private land with little to no amenities.

It’s the most popular if you’re travelling via an RV or campervan/ converted vehicle, but you can also do it with just a tent as well. If you’re thinking on embarking on an adventure and planning boondock or disperse camp for your first time, read on to see what you’ll need to know.

How do you know where you’re allowed to legally camp?

There are several different ways to find out where you’re allowed to camp — but the best way, especially if it’s your first time, is through apps. My favourite one to use Campendium. It really helped us find some great campsites on our most recent trip through Utah and Colorado. It contains information such as location, price, any available amenities, photos and even available cell service! In 2020, knowing what cell service you have is crucial.

The apps I’ve seen are based on a user-review basis and rely on others to mark different sites where they’ve camped. Now, there are definitely other places than the ones marked on these apps but if it’s your first time, I would definitely stick to these ones.

Public parking lots also make a good last ditch effort – just be aware of any signs that say “No Camping” or “No Overnight Parking.”

Other apps/websites if you want to explore other options include:

iOverlander (also helped us find some great places in less well-known areas!)
The Vanlife App
Freecampsites.net

So now that you know where to camp, what else do you need to know? Here are my five top tips:

Firstly, you get what you pay for – don’t be a princess.

As I mentioned above, dispersed camping is pretty much free. That means, you really can’t expect a 5 star hotel or the amenities that come with it. While there are TONS of absolutely beautiful campsites surrounded by the most beautiful scenery, the trade-off for this is that there are very limited, or normally no amenities at all.

Yep. This means no toilets, showers, electrical hookups, running water, and all that other stuff (most of the time – you can find some sites with some of these amenities but they’re normally rare, or usually pretty packed). If you’re absolutely horrified reading this right now, then this is not for you. This is a free service, for the sole purpose of camping and that’s it, so come prepared with all your gear. With that, also be prepared to be in some of the most beautiful landscapes you wouldn’t be able to be in if you had all those things.

Always abide by the “Leave No Trace” principle.

Jumping off my last point, since this is a free service, there is normally minimal maintenance, which means they generally depend on campers to keep the sites clean.

Campers must take all their trash with them and leave the place as they found it, or even cleaner. And yes, that includes all toilet paper if you’re doing your business out in mother nature (which you most likely will, unless you have a portable toilet).

General rule is to dig a 6-ft hole if you’re going number two, and stay at least 100 ft away from a water source for ones and twos.

Leave no trace, and be respectful of all other campers!

Get to campsites early.

This is especially true if:

You have a big rig
You’re dead set on a particular campsite due to accessibility, views, possible amenities, etc.
You know the campsite is highly trafficked or popular
Or, if you’re coming in during a busy season or time, including holidays and weekends

Most times, these sites have a limited amount of campsites and it’s first come, first serve. There’s no such thing as booking ahead of time and depending on the area and season, these sites can fill up pretty early. If you’re restricted to certain sites due to things like accessibility or you’re going to a remote place and this is the only free area to park in, do come early.

Generally, we found that campers come when it starts to get dark, so it goes without saying – come before that! This highly varies on the site though. If you have multiple vehicles, it’s a good idea to come to save your spot then use your alternate vehicle to finish off your itinerary for the day, or even walk if you can.

Be mindful of accessibility.

The nature of boondocking or dispersed camping is that it can be in remote areas. Not always, but sometimes. This means that there’s not always perfectly paved roads leading to the site.

If you can, research or read up about the roads leading up to it to make sure that your vehicle is well equipped for it. Use the “landscape” feature on Google Maps to get an idea of what the terrain looks like, and whether you’ll need things like a certain clearance of a 4WD before you go out of your way for it.

We’ve seen some sites with some gnarly road access, so better to be prepared rather than getting stuck and having to be towed out!

Lastly, don’t be afraid to take a little risk!

When doing research on sites, there’s definitely going to be campsites with tons of photos and reviews, which will probably sway you towards these places.. Which definitely isn’t a bad thing. Matt and I, however, during our most recent trip, decided to take a bit of a chance on a few sites with little to no photos and/or reviews.. And these ended up being our favourite sites to stay at!

While it’s important to read reviews and to trust your gut.. Sometimes, taking a little bit of risk really pays off. Through our experience, we found that the ones with less reviews/photos generally are the ones that may be a little harder to get to or a little off the beaten path, but sometimes make for great sites and often times, have the most spectacular views. Plus, a bonus is that much less people are usually coming out to these places, which we think, makes for a much more enjoyable experience.

Be safe and make sure to give yourself some extra time in case the site doesn’t pan out and you have to find another place to sleep at, but don’t be afraid to do a bit of exploring! Isn’t what all of this about anyways?

I’m a big believer that your curiosity should be larger than your fear, because you’ll never get to go beyond your comfort zone if you never do things you’re scared of.