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 60 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

US 82 Roadside Picnic Area, Hope, NM
FREE! Overnight parking is allowed! The state of NM allows parking in rest areas, roadside picnic areas, etc., for a maximum of 24 hours in any 3-day period. This picnic area is off and well separated from the highway, with a paved roadway and entrances at both ends. Park along the shoulder of the interior roadway, without obstructing traffic movement in any way. Level, unlit, but believed to be safe and quiet. Four sheltered picnic tables on site. Click here for details.

Michigan Carpool (Park-N-Ride) Lot, Moline, MI
FREE! Overnight parking is allowed! There is no restriction on how long a vehicle may remain in MI Park-N-Ride lots; however, if a vehicle appears abandoned it may be tagged and towed by local law enforcement. The recommended maximum stay is 36-48 hours. This lot has about 18 auto parking spaces. Small RVs that will fit in a single auto parking space should do so. Longer RVs should find another location. Level or nearly level, unlit, but appears safe and quiet. Residence adjacent, so please be courteous with generator use. 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 excellent 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.

And this guidebook should be an essential resource for RVers who boondock on public lands: Bureau of Land Management Camping.

From Facebook user Barb Cunningham on our Free Campgrounds Facebook group: “We stayed one night at the Savannah International Airport Long term parking! It was raining cats and dogs so we just stayed put!! Cost us $8.00 … just for parking there!! Used the generator too!”

Please join us in our Facebook groups, Outstanding but affordable RV parks, and Free Campgrounds.

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.

FREE STAYS AT TRUCK STOPS:

Here’s Pilot Flying J’s directory of locations that allow free overnight RV parking, plus info on fuel discounts, propane and dump stations.

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.