How to Find Free Camping in National Forests

How to Find Free Camping in National Forests

One of my favorite things to do is drive down a bumpy dirt road, deep into a National Forest. As soon as the gravel starts crackling beneath the tires, my cat stops napping and leaps up onto the dash, his eyes-wide, searching for squirrels. My water tank and propane are full, the sky is blue, and a cold beer and camp-chair are waiting for me to choose the perfect spot.

And the best part? It’s free.

Okay, it can be free, or it can be cheap. I’ll explain both options. Either way, as with this entire series “Cheap and Free RV Parking You Will Love”, this post is designed to help you discover how affordable, easy and amazing Boondocking can be.

Boondocking in National Forests helps keep your mobile budget low,
allowing you to live your life how you want to live it!

I live on about $1,000 a month, which allowed me to leave a life-extinguishing corporate job and write books and blog full-time. Plus, I get to live this life in the most beautiful places on Earth! I wrote a blog a couple of weeks ago that outlines my expenses in detail, but one of the essential tools in my budget arsenal is boondocking in National Forests.

The beautiful places you can camp in the United States feel almost endless. As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, National Forests take up about 15% of the land in the U.S. When added to BLM land, a staggering 25% of the country is dedicated to recreation, AKA camping, AKA your ticket to a more creative, happy life!

Unlike BLM land (which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of the Interior) The USFS (The United States Forest Service) is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers 154 National Forests and 20 National Grasslands, most of which allow free camping.

Both the USFS and BLM allow you to camp on public lands for extended periods of time. On National Forest land, this is called “dispersed camping.” Don’t worry about the verbiage; dispersed camping is the same thing as “boondocking” or “dry camping.” All three terms mean roughly the same thing: that you are camping without the benefit of electric, water and sewer hook-ups. This is no problem! When you live a mobile life, you travel in your home. Simply bring along the water and supplies you will need for the length of your stay (usually 14 days maximum dispersed camping is allowed in National Forests, then you move to a new spot).

Because you are not hooked up to electric service, having your devices charged when you arrive is helpful. I also keep several solar powered lights handy, some for light at night and some for security. One of m favorites is below and you can find more on my GEAR page.

The best part of dispersed camping is you are not right next to your neighbor like you would be in an expensive RV park. Sure, you may see another camper far in the distance, but for the most part it’s you and the breeze and the silence.

I have seen the most amazing scenery dispersed camping in National Forests.
Scenery so amazing it creates a subtle shift down deep — in your soul. Escaping the noise of the world to watch sparkling rays of light wash through the trees you makes you more grounded. More happy. More you. I literally changed the location I want my ashes spread, like, three times. My family now just smiles and nods. They get the idea.

 

If you are daunted by the idea of driving into a National Forest and finding a spot, don’t despair. It’s easy! Highways are carved through almost all National Forests; you normally only turn onto a dirt road to get to your personal, secluded spot. If you find camping deep in the forest is your jam, or you just want to make sure you have a map that outlines all the forest service roads that weave through the trees, I recommend A Benchmark Map 

Here is a tip: when you want to find dispersed camping in a National Forest, you don’t just four-wheel into the middle-of-nowhere. Most dispersed camping spots are carved out for you along maintained forest service roads. As you drive, you will see camping spots that feather out from the road (if you look at dispersed camping spots on Google Earth, they look like veins sprouting out of an artery).

When you begin to camp in the National Forest, you will see signs everywhere that read something like, “National Forest Access Road.” These are generally the forest service roads you can turn onto and camp for free.  Sometimes the road will be labeled “FSR” with a number, and sometimes you really score and see something like this:

Most of the National Forest is available for dispersed camping. The rules usually state that dispersed camping must be done at least one mile from a paid campground. Also, keep in mind, sometimes there are private properties laced through the National Forests so keep an eye out for no-trespassing signs and be respectful. There are also rules that you must pack-in and pack-out all your stuff. That means don’t dump your trash or sewage and take-off. I met a lovely family once in Idaho, who left several dirty diapers and dozens of empty beer bottles in their fire ring. Yuck. Don’t be that guy. Personally, I try to leave each site, paid or not, better than I found it.

There are also official campgrounds in National Forest that require a daily fee, usually around $10. I sometimes choose to camp at one of these spots if I’m short on time and need to know a spot will be open and level for me when I get there. They also usually have a dedicated fire pit and picnic table for each spot, plus trash and toilets. I recommend always checking on the site for your desired campground before going, as they will tell you how busy they are, how many spots are there, and if the campground is closed for maintenance. If you use one of the many camping apps available to find a campground, you can navigate directly to the USFS page for the campground you want. My favorite app for this is Park Advisor; they put a USFS icon over each spot and you can navigate directly to it using their navigation feature.

 

In my experience, USFS campgrounds usually don’t have a camp-host, but instead have a self-pay station.Just put your cash or check in the envelope (the fee will be posted and will also be on the website or app), put it into the designated slot and take your copy to put on your windshield or site post to let visiting rangers know you’ve paid.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit National Forests in Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and New Mexico. Each one has been divine. If you have a favorite dispersed camping spot, please share it in the comments below or on any of my social media sites (links on the bar to the left).

Thank you for reading! And, let’s help other people discover everything the RV life offers by Sharing, Liking and Subscribing.

Be Happy. Create More. Set Yourself Free .

Robin

CreativityRV

Creativity RV is on YouTube! Click here to visit the channel. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!

Check out my must-have RV gear recommendations here!