Vanlife Guide: How to Find Free Camping
This is one of the most common questions I get (other than ‘How do you shower?’ and ‘Where do you go to the bathroom?’) so rather than writing long-winded texts to each person individually I’ll just create this guide so I can link to it later. You gotta work smarter, not harder, ya know? If you’ve never camped for free before on public land, check the bottom of this article for some key terms to know before you jump in.
Apps I Use to Find Free / Dispersed Camping
iOverlander (Android / iOS) - I use this app the most and while the UI is generally pitiful for Android, it gets the job done. The cool thing about this app is that it doesn’t just show campsites, it shows all types of other services (free campsites, paid campsites, showers, propane, dump stations, wifi, etc.) It works great when you’re out of service because it downloads everything (except pictures) offline. You can view a map of services around you, filter by what type of service you are looking for, read reviews of services, and (if you have cell service) view pictures of the campsites. See screenshots below!
Free Campsites (Android / Desktop) - this UI is even worse than iOverlander but sometimes it has campsites that iOverlander is missing (and vice versa) so I always check it. Unfortunately it can’t be used without cell service, so make sure to do your planning before you leave the city. In order to use the Android app, you search for the location in the upper left of the screen, wait for the map to load, click on whichever site you want more information from (green = free, red = pay, blue = permit), wait again for the campsite preview to load, click on the campsite preview, wait some more, then you can view the address, get directions, read reviews, and see pictures.
Campendium (iOS / Desktop) - a lot of vanlifers swear by this app and I agree the UI is much slicker than the other two I mentioned but unfortunately they only have an iOS app (and I have an Android device) but I pinned their desktop version to my home screen so I have started using that. I don’t have screenshots for this one, but it’s much more user intuitive than iOverlander or Free Campsites.
Avenza Maps (Android / iOS) - this app doesn’t find free campsites but rather allows you to download thousands of offline maps of any type (hunting, private land ownership, BLM maps, National Forest maps, hiking trail maps, etc.) so it’s a great tool to have in the backcountry without service. For the purposes of this article, we are focused on one type of map: Motor Vehicle Usage Map (or MVUM). These maps are generally produced by the BLM or USFS and show which roads are open to motorized traffic and also allow dispersed / free camping. This app is more complicated to use: you have to download each map individually, search for ‘MVUM’ under keywords, switch over to map view, scroll through until you find the map for the area you’re looking for, make sure it’s the MVUM map, wait for it to download, open the map, then find all of the roads that allow dispersed camping, and pray. Just because the map says that dispersed camping is allowed doesn’t mean there are actual spots to camp! I have driven down so many dirt roads for miles and been completely unsuccessful, I’ve gotten smarter now and Google Map satellite view the roads before I drive down them now to look for pulloffs / fire pits. This method is definitely not foolproof but you can find some incredible camp spots with NO ONE around because they aren’t listed on any of the other free campsite apps. Best of luck with this one.
Google Maps - before showing up to any of the sites I’ve found with the previous apps, I always do a quick Google Maps satellite view so I can see what I’m getting myself into and highly suggest that.
Happy Camping!
Key Terms for Free / Dispersed Camping
Dispersed camping - means the same thing as free camping. Generally most dispersed camp sites are fairly wild: no toilets, no running water, no picnic tables, no fire grates, etc.
National Forest Service - US government organization that manages almost 200,000,000 acres of National Forest land (fun fact, the US Forest Service (also known as USFS) governs and maintains more roads than any other organization on the planet). The USFS is primarily an organization meant to manage the lumber supply in our country, but with lumber = forests = camping!
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - another US government organization that manages more than 240,000,000 acres (another fun fact: the BLM was created in 1946 by merging the General Land Office and U.S. Grazing Service; its original purpose was to manage miscellaneous scraps of land that were neither set aside as forest reserves nor claimed by homesteaders.) Although the BLM and Forest Service are different federal agencies, they often share common borders and similar management plans, and for the purposes of this guide: both National Forest and BLM land is where I find the bulk of my free campsites.
Leave No Trace (LNT) Principles - because there are no services at most of the dispersed campsites, you must follow the 7 LNT principles that keep the public land clean, safe, and ready for the next vanlifer.