Eastern US boondocking

[Minivanmotoman]

So where and what are the most frequently used places on the east coast besides Walmart? State forests?

Out West, BLM and USF are plentiful and easy, for 14 days.
Not so much available back East.
How and where do you boondock?

Just blows my mind that people are doing it so easily and everywhere, they make it seem like anywhere and all the time. Can't be...
Can it?
But then, with the guy living in his toyota RV in Manhatten on the streets...

 

[lenny flank]

My go-to's are Walmart and Cracker Barrel. They are virtually everywhere out in the suburbs, and they have everything I need--a bathroom, wifi, food, water, and a place to sleep.

They've gotten me all over the US.



(The problem with rural boondocking in the East, of course, is that there's not much rural area to boondock in. Cities/suburbia cover most of the country.)

 

[rvwandering]

Yeah, Walmart is the easiest and we use it a lot. Also Sam's Club, Home Depot, Lowes, and casino lots.

  True boondocking is so much harder in the east that every place we find is a treasure.  National forests are a good place to look. Some states allow dispersed camping in state forests. Check the rules. A free pass may be required. Also look at the Water Managment Areas and Department of Natural Resources.

 I've joined a couple of sites that offer camping that may be cheaper especially in high tourist areas:   Harvest Hosts which is usually just for one night. There's s fee to join, camping is free but buying something as a thank you is suggested.  And Hipcamp which is free to join. Campsites prices vary wildely.

 Boondocker Welcome might be a good option for you. Fee to join but free camping, usually short stays only.  We've never done this but it looks like a good idea.

 

[John61CT]

If you're just passing through, in most rural areas overnighting in a pullover is fine, I've had a couple knocks where they were just checking we're OK, and when asked to move they told me where I could go instead.

In fact, you can just ask a policeman (if you can find one) where's a good spot.

There are also huge areas of farming land and forests that haven't been touched for centuries.

I have had no problem making friends with locals that let me camp on their land for a while, sometimes in exchange for giving them a hand.

In winter many ski areas don't mind people using a less used spot in their huge parking lots.

Obviously all this depends on you and your rig's presentation as fine upstanding citizen type, and traveling with kids does open a lot of doors.

Visit Niagara while you're at it, and Montreal's like visiting another country

 

[Cammalu]

Freecampsites.net has a jillion campsites listed all over the US

 

[RowanFae]

Campendium.com is a site I've recently come across that is very helpful.

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Freecampsites.net has a jillion campsites listed all over the US

You mean I have to go through a jillion campsites to find the answer to my question?

I won't live that long, could you give me the condensed soup version?

What has been your experience?

 

[Cammalu]

You can search by state or area I think. Might even have a map locator

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Tonyandkaren
True boondocking is so much harder in the east that every place we find is a treasure.

Share that treasure, lest we be forced to make ye walk the plank, ye scalliwags!

What, you have a blog? With all the juicy details?
Well done and with lots of pics? And no difficult posters pestering the forums?!!?

Subscribed.

Someday I want to grow up and be just like you.
Serious doubt on the first part puts the whole sentence in question.

All we are is dust in the windddd, the wind....

 

[Weight]

Walmart, Cracker Barrel, and all the rest do not permit Boondocking. They permit overnight parking. There are many state and local parks that permit camping in wild areas. You generally need a permit, sometimes free sometimes a fee. Check Batstoe Forest in the Pinelands Preserve.

 

[Bobflhtc]

There are three free campgrounds along the Natchez Trace Parkway that starts in Nashville and ends in Natchez. The campgrounds are actually very nice with designated sites and a restroom. I think it was a 14 day max. They were still free as of last year anyway. The West is so much better for boondocking.

 

[bullfrog]

Lots of launch ramps and fishing docks with parking around in National Forest lakes that allow overnight parking, just go to the picnic area to cook , hang out, shower in day use areas or campground and only sleep in lots.

 

[John61CT]

Note the term is often used to mean "camping off grid" as in for free, no mains power or water hookup, even if just overnight in an urban area or parking lot.

As a binary, opposed to renting a serviced site in a campground.

Functional criteria, rather than the type of landscape, otherwise we'd need vocabulary for dozens of contexts.

 

[highdesertranger]

boy I am so glad I am out west.

to me boondocking means being in the boonies not in the city. highdesertranger

 

[Cammalu]

“Thank” on HDRs thank button... when is that coming back anyhoo

 

[skyl4rk]

Michigan has a lot of area covered by national and state forests. I would not say that boondocking is easy. The forest roads are often muddy and rutted, and trees cover almost all the land. If a site is not regularly used, brush will take over and in just a few years it will be an impassable forest. Freecampsites.net is not widely used so you have to explore to find places. Because of the many swampy areas, the forests are infested with mosquitos, deer flies, bear and sasquatch. There are campsites out there but you have to work to find them. There are many homes and cabins scattered through the forest so it can be difficult to know what land is public and what is private. Some of the people living in the forest are pretty scary. There are a lot of low hanging branches on forest roads so you need a rig that can take the scraping. The forest rangers seem to be closing off access to many side roads because of a lot of quad traffic, and those side roads often lead to camp sites.

 

[lenny flank]

To me, boondocking means free with no hookups.

I do go to national parks and state parks, but most of the things I am interested in seeing---museums, zoos, historical places--are in the cities and suburbs. So that's where I spend my time.

 

[Weight]

To me boondocking is being able to spread out maybe have a bbq lounge chair nice view a favorite adult beverage It is not a walmart parking spot.

 

[John61CT]

Michigan is not an eastern state