Free and inexpensive places to stay with your RV in the U.S. and Canada!
Updated weekly
When it comes to free places to stay a night in an RV, Walmart is the best bet. We estimate that about 65 percent of all its stores in the USA allow stays in self-contained RVs.
Other businesses that allow free overnight stays include Flying J Travel Centers, Cabela’s, Cracker Barrel restaurants (official policy is overnight stays are NOT permitted although most stores allow the practice), Costco and Kmart. Many RVers routinely stay in shopping center or factory outlet parking lots. Many casinos allow or even encourage overnight stays in RVs.
Recent reports of free and inexpensive places to stay with an RV:
From OvernightRVParking.com
Cracker Barrel #195, Lansing, MI
FREE! Overnight parking is allowed but please obtain permission from the store before parking. Park in one of 8 marked Bus/RV spaces in the back, or as directed. RVs that won’t fit in those spaces may receive permission to park along one edge of lot, or may need to park RV in one of these spaces and then unhook toad or trailer. Small RVs that will fit in a single auto parking space may receive permission. Well-lit, appears level; no apparent safety concerns. If you park overnight here, please purchase your evening meal and/or breakfast here. Click here for details.
Long Jim Loop Camping (USFS?), Tusayan, AZ
FREE! Overnight parking is allowed and permission not required. This appears to be part of the Kaibab National Forest, administered by USFS. Numerous camping pull-offs along Long Jim Rd, many with stone fire rings. No hookups, no water, no dump station; no known amenities other than fire rings. Pack your trash out with you. Some sites level, others not. Unlit, quiet, and appears safe. 8 -10 eating places in Tusayan. Park-N-Ride lot nearby, which is a pick-up point for Grand Canyon shuttle. Maximum stay: 14 nights. Click here for details.
Overnight RV Parking, with more than 14,000 locations listed, is the largest and best resource for locating free and inexpensive places to spend a night in an RV. For membership information and a demo of the site, click here. A modest membership fee required, but try the free demo. Watch a video about OvernightRVparking.com.
Two new guides to free campgrounds
Roundabout Publications has teamed up with the Ultimate Public Campground Project on these two new guides. Discover thousands of designated camping areas in the West and in America’s Heartland – real places – not big box store parking lots. Included are areas managed by various governmental agencies. Learn more about the West edition or Heartland edition.
Please join our Facebook group, Free Campgrounds, and share your favorite free camping spots or submit free or inexpensive campground information to us here. Thanks!
See last week’s free (or almost free) locations here.
Resources
• Walmart Directory: Best printed directory of Walmart locations
• Overnight RV Parking: More than 14,000 location listings. Inexpensive membership required.
• Harvest Hosts: Members can stay free overnight at farms & wineries.
AFFILIATE OFFER: Save 10% on campground fees when you join the Good Sam Club!
Helpful videos
• Video: Where to camp for free in an RV.
• Video: How to camp in an RV at Walmart for free.
• Video: Best source of free and inexpensive RV camping.
• Video: Which “Big Box” stores allow free RV camping?
• Video: RV camping for less than $1 a day. Stay months.
• Video: Okay to stay overnight at truck stops?
• Video: Camping at Elk Lodges. An amazing bargain.
Walmart Free RV Parking
• Walmart’s official policy about overnight stays in RVs.
• The ABCs of “camping” at Walmart.
Good Reading
• RV park owners say “Walmart campers are cheapskates.”
• The appeal of boondocking in the desert.
• Articles and information from RVtravel.com about boondocking.
• Six safety tips for overnight RV stays at casinos.
• Free camping at wildlife refuges.
• Why overnight RV parking at truck stops is a bad idea.
• Try winter boondocking at LTVAs in AZ and CA deserts.
