How To Go Camping For Free
Many people don’t know this, but it’s possible to go camping all over the United States for free. When I say free, I mean there is no cost to stay at certain campgrounds. This is also known as dispersed camping, and it’s a public service offered by several federal government agencies.
The primary places you’ll find dispersed camping is in national forests and on BLM lands. BLM is The Beauru of Land Management.
Even though these camping areas are free, there are some rules and there are some limitations. The rules are fairly simple and are in place for very good reasons. Different forest ranger and BLM offices in different states can sometimes have small variations in the rules too, so it’s always best to check online for specific information about a given dispersed camping area before you go.
In most cases however, the primary rules include:
- A stay limit of 14 days within any 28 day period. In order to preserve the land in as close to its natural state as possible, you’re only allowed to camp in the same spot for 14 days each month. That’s 14 total days too, not consecutive. Once you’ve used your 14 days in one area, you must move to a camping spot not less than 25 miles away from the one you were previously at.
- Leave No Trace. This is a rule that means you are not allowed to leave any evidence that you’ve camped in a given area. You cannot leave any trash of any kind, and you must put things back into place before you leave. If you’ve cleared a spot of rocks so you could put up your tent for example, then after taking the tent down you should put the rocks back into the area you removed them from.
- Use existing campsites. If you find camping spots in a National Forest or on BLM land, you’re supposed to use those instead of creating a new one. This is particularly true if there is already a fire ring in an existing site. This rule helps prevent the spread of disruption to the natural habitats in the area.
Now there are other rules of course, so be sure to check with the areas you plan to go camping at. Some places in the desert southwest will not allow open campfires or charcoal barbecue grills to be used while camping at certain times of the year for example, and you’ll need to know this before leaving for your trip.
Other important limitations to know have to do with accessibility. Many of the dispersed camping areas around the United States are in remote areas. There is no cell phone service, often no water or bathroom facilities, and you usually have to travel some rough gravel or dirt roads to reach the camping areas. Sometimes large RVs and camper trailers cannot access dispersed camping sites, because the road is too rough, narrow, or winding. In some areas a four wheel drive is needed and passenger cars can’t access.
The best place to gather information for your dispersed camping trip is the National Forest website, and the BLM website. You’ll also find various maps and GPS units mark these camping areas too.
