Finding Free Camping Spots

One thing a lot of our family and friends know about us is that we really like to go camping. Another thing many of them know is that we like to do things pretty cheaply when possible... (Really though, have you seen some of my past posts? Why else would I make homemade T-shirts if not to save a few bucks. lol.)

That being said, it shouldn't be a surprise to most people that we are always on the lookout for free places to camp! Although my family never did the free camping without a bathroom thing, John's family almost exclusively camped this way. To be 100% honest, the "no bathrooms" thing is actually the worst as a girl. Which is why I usually just wait as long as I can to get to a bathroom in the mornings... and why I always want to go to the free spots that are actually close to a bathroom... especially when I'm pregnant.

Although we don't have a huge list of free camping places near us, we do have enough that we can switch it up when we want and not feel like we're always camping at the same place every time!

Alright, before I go on, I do have to say that these tips come from my sweet heart, John. When we want to find a new place to camp for cheap, he's always the expert in our family for finding a great camping site! So, without further ado, here are a few of his best tips for finding a free camping site near you.

1. Use Google.

When I asked John how he finds free campsites, his first response was google earth. He literally looks for places near where we're going that have little fire pits everywhere. That's usually a decent indication to him that people have camped there regularly enough and he can look more into the area. (P.S. when I first heard him say this, I busted up laughing. It just sounded like such a funny, random thing to do, but apparently, it works, so...)

2. Check the BLM website.

BLM stands for Bureau of Land Management but it might as well just be called the Free Camping Agency since that's one of the best thing they do in my opinion... lol. Their website has a lot of resources (including maps) that mark all the open land that is free to camp on.

3. Use an App or Website

One of John's work buddies recently told him about an app called iOverlander. Basically, people can mark where they've camped in the past creating a huge list of great camping spots! Since John hasn't had a chance to use this app very much yet, I can't vouch for how great it is... but the idea of it is enough that it sounds like a winner to me. :) (Also, there are probably other apps that do similar things. We just haven't had the need to use them yet.)
Another resource similar to this app is a website I recently found called campendium.com. When searching for camping places on their map, one option is to filter by price. By doing this, I was able to select "free" and find a ton of new places to camp! I'm not sure if this website has every free camping place there is, but it had quite a few I didn't know about before using their website.

4. Ask around.

One way we found out about a more local spot for free camping near us was just from asking around. John works with a few people that are even more into outdoors activities than we are and they were able to give us some great tips! Even people that aren't particularly huge campers have given us great tips on where we could look for free camping.

One other thing to note, you might want to look into the area a bit to make sure it's a safe place to camp and that it's not on someone's property. That could get awkward...

In the end, wherever you end up camping, remember to pick up your trash, put out your fire, keep your food locked in your car (if you're in an area that might have bears or something... or just don't camp alone in an area that has bears. lol.) and don't forget the toilet paper! Really, that last part may save your weekend.

Oh yeah, and good luck! Happy Camping!