Keep your wits about you and choose your location wisely.
You may be far from cell service or other means of communication. While a ranger will likely come to the local campgrounds and maybe stop in known boondocking spots, there’s no guarantee. Note other conditions, such as forest fires, for example. Keep potential exit strategies in mind as you drive, and if you’re not comfortable backing up or turning around in tight quarters, think twice before venturing down an unknown road. For example, you drive 18 miles back a thin dirt road only to find you can’t fit in one of the available campsites…or turn around. Regardless of why a place doesn’t end up working out, you’ll want to consider your comfort with getting out of what might be a sticky situation. You should also take care not to park in a wash itself, or too near a low creek that might turn into significantly more than a babbling brook. This doesn’t just mean you might not get to the place you want to go, but that the place you want to go might not have a road back out should the rains start falling heavy and a dry riverbed you crossed is now a raging flow or muddy sinkhole. Especially in the mountains and areas with dry washes, changing weather can quickly alter conditions, making a previously easy-to-navigate route impassible. An easy drive near the end of summer might be a nightmare come snowfall or the rainy season. As our fearless founders say, “Just because it’s listed doesn’t make it accessible, and just because it was accessible to a big rig last week doesn’t mean it’s still accessible.” Check reviews to get a general idea, then always scout ahead by foot or in a suitable truck or car before taking your precious RV down some unknown road. Some places are big rig friendly, others are more suitable to smaller RVs or vans, and plenty of the “in-between” exists. Nothing spoils a good old fashioned campout like a double-barrel shotgun tapping on your door at 3am.Įven if you have found a place where you’re sure you can boondock, that still doesn’t mean you’ll be able to do so. Common sense should apply – for example, simply because an open field exists doesn’t mean you’re legally allowed to stay there. Just because you’ve found a place to boondock, doesn’t mean you can. Our goal today is to help you stay safe and understand our impact on the places we choose to camp in the boondocks. That definition is key here because while you can find national forest campgrounds, or other places, where you can camp without hookups, these are usually easier to access and have some sort of oversight that boondocking doesn’t. While there’s no official definition, what we’re talking about in this article is dry camping (i.e., no electric, water or sewer hookups), typically outside of a developed campground.
For boondocking to remain an enjoyable, and an available experience for all of us, it’s important to live by a few guidelines. While many an adventurous RV dweller understands the vast differences between boondocking and paid camping (and find the experience preferable), there’s definitely more to it than just driving out into the desert and setting up shop. Not to mention that nine out of ten boondockers look better holding an axe while wearing a flannel shirt than your average American. There won’t be a guy on a golf cart driving by every five minutes to make sure Fido’s on his six-foot leash.
The spots you’ll camp are typically more wild, secluded and beautiful. The benefits of boondocking are numerous. Just as RVing transports the comforts of home to your weekend camping trip and can provide the life-changing ability to live full-time on the road, so can boondocking open your world up to an entirely new type of freedom while traveling.