Top 10 states for free camping and boondocking

By Cheri Sicard
Are you feeling the pain of expensive crowded campgrounds? The team from Campendium has compiled a list of the top 10 states for free camping and boondocking.

How did they compile this list? By tallying the 5-star-rated free campgrounds—so it’s about quality as well as quantity.

So which states made the Top 10?

#10 Nevada: Red rock canyons, wide-open spaces, large bodies of water and more await you in the Silver State.

#9 Montana: Montana free camping features pristine rivers, jagged rocky mountains, and densely wooded pine forests. More than thirty million acres of BLM land fall within Montana’s borders.

#8 South Dakota: You can find free South Dakota camping near the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore National Monument, and Badlands National Park.

#7 California: The Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Mojave Desert provide tons of free camping opportunities in the Golden State.

#6 Texas: Camping in Texas can be a diverse experience, from prairies to deserts to mountains to marshes, and everything in between.

#5 Colorado: Free camping here comes with some of the most amazing scenery the Rocky Mountains have to offer. Free camping in Colorado is plentiful with more than a dozen national forests and national grasslands within the state’s borders.

#4 Wyoming: Nearly half of the state is BLM or National Forest land, which makes for lots of world-class free dispersed camping opportunities.

#3 New Mexico: Uncrowded camping awaits in New Mexico, with sprawling deserts, stunning mountain ranges, and plenty of space and fresh air.

#2 Utah: From the gorgeous red rock desert of the south to the snow-dusted mountains of the north, Utah has something for everyone, including five national parks and amazing outdoor recreation opportunities.

#1 Arizona: From rolling deserts to cool pine forests, the Grand Canyon state shows extreme geological diversity and offers world-class camping throughout the state.

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