Free Campgrounds

The following list of free campgrounds, almost-free campgrounds, boondock campsites, and overnight parking spots have been field tested and RV-approved. Campgrounds of $10 per night or less have been included when there are no free alternatives.

Postscript Note (6-14-2010): These were the prices when we stayed there. They may have changed by time you read this. Check them out for yourself. They're good spots.

Campgrounds, Boondock Campsites, and Overnight Parking

Alabama   |   Arkansas   |   Colorado   |   Florida   |   Georgia   |   Idaho   |   Kansas   |   Mississippi   |   Missouri   |   Utah   |   Wyoming

Alabama

Nearest Town	Nearest Landmark / Settlement	Site Name	Type	Cost	Comments
Ashland	Pyriton	High Falls Trailhead	Park	Free	Wilderness trailhead to the Cheaha Wilderness. From Ashland, head north on 2nd St E (County Hwy-31) for 7.2 mi. Turn left at Highland Rd, go 0.8 mi. Take the first left onto Clairmont Springs Rd, go 0.7 mi. Dirt road to High Falls Trail is on the right. Overnight parking permitted.

Arkansas

Nearest Town	Nearest Landmark / Settlement	Site Name	Type	Cost	Comments
Harrison	Bear Creek Springs	Visitor Center	Park	Free	1-night free overnight parking. 3.6 miles north of downtown Harrison on U.S. 65, or if driving from Missouri, about 17 miles south of state line. Spacious parking area for many RVs. Picnic tables, fire rings, restrooms. Drinking water available.
Marianna	Bear Creek Lake	Lone Pine	Camp	$4	Forested lakefront campsites, big-rig friendly. From Marianna, head south on AR-1/AR-243 for 3.3 mi. Turn left at Lee County Rd 216, go 2.1 mi., turns into CR 230 for 0.4 mi, turn right at CR 241, go 0.2 mi. Take the first right onto AR-44, go 2.6 mi. Turn left at CR 239, go 0.5 mi. Slight left at CR 223, go 0.6 mi. Turn left to stay on CR 223. Campground at the end of road. Picnic tables, fire rings, restrooms, level parking pads, water available.

Colorado

Nearest Town	Nearest Landmark / Settlement	Site Name	Type	Cost	Comments
Colorado Springs	Divide	Fourmile Creek	Bndk	Free	Many dispersed camping sites off FS road to Crags Campground. Meadow or forest camping along creek. Take U.S. 24 from Colorado Springs to Divide. From Divide, take CO-67 south 4.3 miles. At Crags Campground sign, turn left (CR 62). Dirt road, very rough in spots. After Mennonite Camp, take right. Free campsites all along road to Crags Campground (there is a fee to stay at campground).
Guffey	Guffey	Paris Creek	Bndk	Free	Little known BLM pull-out on sparsely Traveled road, access to lake and forest. From U.S. 50, go north on CO-9. Turn left at County Road 88, go 3.6 miles. Designated camping turn-out on the left. Beware, CR 88 turns to slick mud in the rain. Attempt in dry weather.
Hotchkiss	Hotchkiss	Delta County Fairgrounds	Camp	$6	Electric hook-up included. 6 partially shaded sites, any size vehicle will fit. East side of downtown, entrance archway is on south side of Highway 92. Drinking water available. Easy walk to downtown Hotchkiss stores.
Rangely	Douglas Pass	Rope Canyon	Bndk	Free	Several RV camp sites along BLM road in wild horse country. From Rangely, take Colorado SR 139 for 24.8 miles. Turn left on unmarked dirt road, drive in as far as you like. Level boondock spots all along canyon. This is bear country.

Florida

Nearest Town	Nearest Landmark / Settlement	Site Name	Type	Cost	Comments
Crawfordville	Crawfordville	Bradwell Bay	Bndk	Free	Wilderness trailhead on the Florida Trail (National Scenic Trail). Monkey Creek trailhead access has room for many cars and RV. Not visited very frequently. From Crawfordville, go south on U.S. 319, turn right at Harvey Mill Road (FL-374). Go 1.5 mi, turn left on Lawhon Mill Rd, go 1 mi, turn right on FS 357, go 3.5 miles. At FS 365, take left. Turn right at FS 346, cross Sopchoppy River. Left at FS 329, go 1 mile. Level clearing for vehicles on left side of road. Florida Trail and Bradwell Bay Wilderness on right.
La Belle	Felda	Panther Pond	Camp	$7	Little-used campground in the headwaters of the Everglades. From La Belle, take FL-29 south for approx. 22 miles. Turn left on Keri Rd (CR 832) into Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest, go 8.8 miles from FL-29 to Wild Cow Grade, take right. Campground is 2.3 miles on the right. Fire rings, picnic tables, trash, some sites can accommodate big rigs. No drinking water.
Lake City	Wellborn	Palmer Energy Systems	Bndk	Free	Boondocker gathering site. No limit stay. Learn valuable boondocking techniques from fellow boondockers. From I-75, exit on U.S. 90 (Exit 427), go west approx. 5 mi. to County Rd 135, turn right, take until end. Turn right at the T, and take next left. If gate is closed, call 941-928-4573 (John Palmer) and somebody will let you in. Large acreage offering secluded forest spots as well as open fields.
Ochopee	Big Cypress	Bear Island	Bndk	Free	Group of free campgrounds deep in the Big Cypress National Preserve. Primitive camping, no facilities, no drinking water. At tiny Ochopee post office, go east on U.S. 41, turn left at Turner River Road. Go straight for 20.2 miles (go under I-75 overpass), road veers right. Campgrounds all along road. Note: there is no on/off ramp at I-75.
Tallahassee	Spring Hill	Clear Lake Wilderness	Bndk	Free	Boondock on a forest lake. From Tallahassee, take Crawfordville Rd (U.S. 319) to Bloxham Cutoff Rd (FL-267). Turn right, go 7.3 miles. At Clear Lake Wilderness sign, turn right on FS 307. Lake is on the left, several sites accessible by dirt roads all around lake.

Georgia

Nearest Town	Nearest Landmark / Settlement	Site Name	Type	Cost	Comments
Bainbridge	Faceville	Faceville Landing	Camp	$6	Corps of Engineers Campground. RVs to 40 feet long. 17.1 miles south of downtown Bainbridge. Take S Faceville Rd (GA-97) from Bainbridge for 13.1 mi. Turn right at Faceville Landing Road, go 3.1 mi. Campground at end of road.
Blakely	Hilton	Coheelee Creek	Camp	Free	Riverfront sites. Paved sites further in the woods. Historic site nearby. From Blakely, take GA-62 to Hilton. Before Hilton, turn right at Martin Rd (CR 25), go 0.4 miles, turn right on Old River Rd (CR 80). Follow road to end, left at fork, left at boat ramp. Sites along river, paved campsites further down road to left, then take right, dead end. Fire rings, picnic tables. No drinking water. Creek and bridge back on Old River Rd, turn north, back at fork.
Georgetown	Coffinton	Rood Creek	Camp	Free	Waterfront sites at developed campground. Take U.S. 82 to GA-27/GA-39. Take GA-39 north after departure with GA-27, go 12.1 miles. At CR 107, take left, go 1.2 mi. to end of dirt road. Fire rings, restrooms, picnic tables, trash, boat ramp. No drinking water.

Idaho

Nearest Town	Nearest Landmark / Settlement	Site Name	Type	Cost	Comments
Mackay	Mackay	Mackay Tourist Park	Camp	Free	Free campground, sites of various sizes, some big-rig friendly. Unlimited stay when register with City Hall. Turn on Capitol Ave from U.S. 93, turn right on Vaden St at end of road. No electric. Drinking water available. Fire rings, restrooms. Free dump station on east side of town.
Mackay	Chilly	Borah Peak Trailhead	Bndk	Free	Campsite for RV parking at base of Idaho's tallest mountain. Go north on U.S. 93 from Mackay for 20.5 miles. Follow sign for Borah Peak, turn right on Birch Springs Rd. RV campsite 2.8 miles up dirt road before first left-turning switchback.
Moscow	Moscow	Robinson Park	Camp	$10	Electric hook-up included. Tents $5. From Moscow, go west on ID-8 to Mill Road, turn left. Turn right on Robinson Park Road, stay on road until park. Campground entrance after park office.
Orofino	Cavendish	LeBaron Park	Camp	Free	1-night overnight parking. Approx. 15 miles up ID-7 (to P-1) to Cavendish. Park is on west side of road, north of town. Water pump was not working on last visit. Vault toilets.
Lolo, MT	Powell	White Sands Campground	Camp	$5	7-site campground along Lochsa River. All sites riverfront. Vault toilets, drinking water available. Swimming and fishing pond nearby. From Lolo, Montana, take U.S. 12 for about 44 miles west into Idaho, turn left at Elk Summit Road (FS 111). From Kookia, Idaho, take U.S. 12 east for about 89 miles to Elk Summit Road, turn right. Campground is 2 miles south of U.S. 12. Follow signs to campground. Price recently reduced from $8 to $5 per night.
Salmon	North Fork	North Fork	Bndk	Free	Boondocking campsites directly on the North Fork of the Salmon River. Free dump station nearby. North Fork is 17.3 miles north of downtown Salmon on U.S. 93. Take a left on Shoup Rd (FS 30) at North Fork, campground will be on the left 0.7 mi. Dump station is about a quarter mile further, on the right. Laundry, propane, gas and store on U.S. 93 at North Fork.
Stanley	Stanley	Iron Creek Road	Bndk	Free	Dispersed campsites along Iron Creek. Fire rings. Water at FS campground at end of Iron Creek Road. Take ID-21 north from Stanley, turn left on Iron Creek Rd (FS 619). Established campsites along creek after about 1 mile.
Rexburg	Sage Junction	Lava Fields	Bndk	Free	Dispersed sites in BLM land. BLM land on both north and south sides of State Road 33 between Henry Fork (creek approx. 8 miles west of Rexburg) and Sage Junction (I-15). Several dirt roads leading from highway. Expanse of sage brush, with stunning views of Tetons on the horizon.
Wayan	Tin Cup Creek	Tin Cup Creek Highway 34	Bndk	Free	Several sites located at the ends of short dirt trails leading from the highway. Highway 34 runs along Tin Cup Creek between Wayan and Freedom. There is also a semi-developed FS campground (Tin Cup Creek Campground) near Freedom, on eastern border of Caribou NF. Free campsites there.

Kansas

Nearest Town	Nearest Landmark / Settlement	Site Name	Type	Cost	Comments
Cheopta	Cheopta	East River Park	Camp	$2-10	Electric hook-up for $10, $2 to park overnight. Campground on east side of town, on U.S. 166, east bank of Neosho River. Overnight parking on southwest corner of park (enter, drive forward all the way, turn right), along river.
Chanute	Chanute	Santa Fe Safari Park	Camp	$10	2 nights free, $10 thereafter. Electric, water hook-ups. Dump station on site. South side of Chanute, at the intersection of S Santa Fe Street and W 35th Street. Golf course.
Chanute	Buffalo	Wilson State Fishing Lake	Bndk	Free	Waterfront forested campsites dispersed around a lake. From Chanute take W Cherry St (KS-39) approx. 10.5 miles. Entrance to lake is on the right. Camp sites along dirt road all along lake. Vault toilets at boat ramp. No trash. No drinking water.
Cottonwood Falls	Elmdale	Chase State Fishing Lake	Camp	Free	Waterfront tallgrass prairie campsites dispersed along a lake. From Cottonwood Falls take Main Street (turns into Lake Road) approx. 2.5 miles. Lake entrance is on the left. Campsites scattered. Vault toilets at boat ramp. No trash. No drinking water.
Great Bend	Hoisington	Cheyenne Bottoms	Camp	Free	Free campsites at entrance of a world-heritage ecosystem. From Great Bend take U.S. 281 approx. 6 miles, turn right at NE 60 Road. Campground is 1.3 miles on the right. Large trees, fire rings, picnic tables. No trash, no toilets, no drinking water.
Scott City	Smoky Hill River	Monument Rocks	Bndk	Free	Boondock among ancient rock formations rising from the high prairie. Private land. Be cool, let's not ruin this place. From Scott City go north on U.S. 83 for 23 miles. At intersection of Keystone Gallery, take right onto Dakota, go 1.6 miles, road turns left. Go 1 mile, road turns right. Go 4 miles, turn left. Go 2.5 miles over Smoky Hill River. Can't miss 'em. Map and information at the Keystone Gallery. This is a boondock. No facilities.

Mississippi

Nearest Town	Nearest Landmark / Settlement	Site Name	Type	Cost	Comments
Aberdeen	Aberdeen	Morgan's Landing	Camp	$10	2 nights free when stay 1 week. From U.S. 45 and Meridian Street in Aberdeen, take S Meridian south to Whitfield Street, turn left. Continue through intersection to Sharpley Bottom Road. Take Sharpley to end, campsites on left. Picnic tables, restrooms, electric hook-up included. Drinking water available. Dump station on site.

Missouri

Nearest Town	Nearest Landmark / Settlement	Site Name	Type	Cost	Comments
Branson	Kissie Mills	Coy Bald Trailhead	Bndk	Free	Wilderness access on west boundary of Hercules-Glades Wilderness. From Branson, take MO-76 to U.S. 160 to Kissie Mills. From Kissie Mills go 4 miles to Cross Timber Road, take left. Follow Cross Timber Road for 3.1 miles, through river. Take left at meadow fork, follow signs to Coy Bald. Very rough road, with narrow low canopy - not recommended for all vehicles. Wilderness trail goes also to Devil's Den.

Utah

Nearest Town	Nearest Landmark / Settlement	Site Name	Type	Cost	Comments
Vernal	Red Fleet Reservoir	Buckhorn Canyon	Bndk	Free	Several sites along side of road on BLM land. From its intersection of Main street in Vernal, take U.S. 191 for 11.2 miles. Turn right. Dirt roads and pull-outs all along road. There is a nice level spot on the right side of road, 0.9 miles from intersection of U.S. 191.

Wyoming

Nearest Town	Nearest Landmark / Settlement	Site Name	Type	Cost	Comments
Lyman	Lyman	Heritage Park	Park	Free	1-night overnight parking. East side of town on Business I-80, across from high school.
Cokeville	Cokeville	City Park	Camp	Free	2-nights free camping. West side of town. From U.S. 30 take Main Street to Park Street. Recommend parking on east side of park for shade. Water available, trash. Ask at City Hall to plug into electric. Railroad to the west is active at night.
Smoot	Smoot	Cottonwood Creek	Bndk	Free	Dispersed camping sites along Cottonwood Creek Road. From Smoot, go south on U.S. 89 to Cottonwood Creek Road (CR 153), turn left. After entering forest, free camp sites along creek and in meadows all the way to Cottonwood Lake Campground (there is a fee to camp at the campground). Water pump available at campground.
Thayne	Bedford	Strawberry Creek	Bndk	Free	Dispersed campsites along Strawberry Creek Road. From Thayne, take U.S. 89 south to Strawberry Creek Road (there will be a sign). Follow road all the way into the forest. Pull-outs and clearings along road.
Alpine	Alpine	Grey's River	Bndk	Free	Riverfront camp sites off Grey's River Road. From U.S. 89 in Alpine turn south on Grey's River Road. Go past large paved parking area at forest boundary (also suitable for overnight parking). Go 0.3 miles from end of parking area, turn left on narrow dirt road. Rough in spots, not OK for all vehicles. Several campsites in meadow along the Grey's River.

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