By Cheri Sicard
Robin Barrett of Creativity RV (one of the winners of our 2024 RV Video Awards) became one of my personal favorite RV YouTubers because I love the thrifty way she RVs. In the video above she shares her method to find amazing secret boondocking spots in just three easy steps.
Sure, you could use one of the camping apps to help you find boondocking spots, but the problem with that is that those spots often have lots of other people camping at them. But Robin’s 3-step method helps you find secret boondocking spots the rest of the world does not necessarily know about.
Robin’s best secret boondocking spots criteria:
- Legal and on public land
- Accessible
- Private
She begins with an overview of public lands in the U.S. and who manages them, then continues to the 3-step process, using a recent experience at Arizona’s Kofa National Wildlife Refuge as an example.
#1 Begin with a good camping app like Campendium, as this will give you general information about the area, including cell signal strength, road conditions, and the general vibe of the area.
#2 Next, go to Google and search the area for “images.” You are looking for a map of the area that tells you where the public lands start and end.
#3 Once she knows about the general area and road conditions, Robin goes back to the camping app to get the nearby coordinates posted—but don’t camp there! Put the coordinates into the satellite view on Google Maps. Look for other roads nearby, power lines on BLM land, or Forest Service roads in National Forests. Those are the clues that will take you to great, secret boondocking spots.
Watch the video as Robin shows her method in action. She also shares a method for finding awesome secret boondocking spots when you don’t know much about the area where you are going. You’ll be well on your way to some bodacious boondocking!
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##RVDT2384
Now this comes under the heading “news you can use”. And note that Robin wisely does not give away any of her locations. Nothing ruins great boondocking sites quicker than publicizing where they are.
Robin used to strike me as informative at first but now it seems she’s into doing infomercials that present fabricated needs for whatever she’s trying to promote.
Want to ensure you’re not trespassing on what looks to be a great, secluded and level spot? Use the free BLM ArcGIS web app.
You can use satellite view to study what the road looked like when it was photographed and you can confirm if it is with the BLM Administrative Offices management area (shaded yellow). Google Earth is neat but thinking power pole roads are public domain is a great way to get cited for trespass.
https://blm-egis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappvie
Thank you, Cheri! 🙂 Very clever of Robin! 🙂 Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂