Camping ... it’s out there!
Photo by: Victor Zuydweg (Stock Exchange)

Today’s AllCampgrounds blog will explore what we might call “advanced” RV camping.

Even with RV parks and campgrounds dotting the landscape all around North America, there are a few unusual RV camping opportunities that even seasoned campers might not know much about.

For this post, AllCampgrounds will be shining a light on one of the more intriguing, less well known styles of RV camping, to really give you an idea of how versatile your rig can be.

Yes, today’s AllCampgrounds adventure is all about boondocking!

Boondocking for RV Campers

For RVers, boondocking is a form of low cost, long term camping. It might be thought of as the equivalent of backcountry camping among tent camping enthusiasts, which we talked about in Camping for Everyone: “Primitive” Campers. Boondocking gives you access to some unusual locations off the beaten path, as long as you’re willing to go off the grid, leaving conveniences like electricity hookups behind in favor of your battery.

Naturally, you shouldn’t try boondocking where RVs aren’t actually welcome. However, not all RV camping takes place at developed RV parks and campgrounds! Here are a few resources to help you find legal free and low cost camp grounds you won’t usually see on the map.

The Boondocking Guide: This great boondocking site includes routes and destinations, principally on the west coast and extending out as far as about Salt Lake City, Utah. It ranges through North America all the way up to Vancouver, too! But probably the most valuable resource here is the guide to long term camping on public land, derived from the official guidelines at the Bureau of Land Management.

Free Boondocking Database: This “crowdsourced” database of free RV camping includes entries from astute campers, public land visitors and even private landowners who have welcomed RV campers to pay an occasional visit. You can search or add to the database at will, but be sure to do your homework and double check on the recommendations before you build any camping plans around the database.

RV Boondocking News: A new but very promising blog focusing on issues surrounding boondocking. Though it’s fresh off the presses, it’s already been updated with a number of insightful and interesting articles. At AllCampgrounds, we’re always excited to welcome a new source of high quality camping news and camping information, and we hope that RV Boondocking News will be out there for a long time to come!

This isn’t the end for our “advanced RV camping” series. In future posts, we’ll cover more of the most creative, interesting, and unusual ways to put your rig to use as an RV camper. Don’t forget to visit AllCampgrounds again next Friday!