How To Find Free Camping Near Me

When I first started camping, I had no idea that you could find free camping spots. When I was traveling the world hiking and camping, I always paid for a campground. These campgrounds were pretty fancy with restrooms, picnic tables, and sometimes showers. For some reason, I thought that all campsites were like this in the USA (remember I did not grow up with a family that camped). So it was pretty wild to me when I moved to Washington and found out about all the free campgrounds in the state. Stunning places with mountain and lake views all for FREE! I started to take advantage of this. I have planned so many trips in June and July using some of the apps I list below. So I hope this blog post on free camp sites helps you save some moolah and find the perfect spot for you.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click one of them, I may receive a small commission (for which I am very grateful for) at no extra cost to you.

How To Find Free Camping Near Me

What Is Free Camping

Free camping is exactly how it sounds. It is free for the individual that is camping on the land. If you look at the government websites, they will likely call it “dispersed camping.” As unbelievable as it sounds, please note that many of the cool facilities you see at regular campgrounds, might not be at the free campsites (like restrooms, showers, potable water, picnic tables, etc).

Benefits of Camping Free

There are so many great benefits of free camping. I mean it being free is the main advantage, but there are other cool things about it like:

Flexible

One of the things I hate about regular campgrounds is how stressful it can be to reserve or find a spot. I have camped in so many national park campgrounds all over the USA, and I have had to reserve spots sometimes up to 6 months in advance. It can be stressful if you are planning to come in from out of state.

Also, some campgrounds in these busy national parks are first come first serve, which can be even more stressful. If you are coming to Mount Rainier in the summer during the weekend, you have a 0% chance of getting a first come first serve campsite. I guarantee it.

With dispersed camping, you can show up the day before and get a spot. You don’t have to worry about obtaining a permit or camping spot months in advance. You can even decide a few days before that you want to go camping on the land.

Recently I have decided that I want to go camping on Spectacle Lake in Washington the next weekend that it is not raining. For regular camping, I would have to go when I reserved the spot even if it was raining….. Well, if I want to get my money’s worth since I paid for it. Most camping spots do not give refunds.

Being Alone

Since you get to pick a spot to camp when it comes to dispersed camping, you can be far from other people. When it comes to regular camping, you don’t have a choice. You will probably be right next to people, especially if you are camping around any popular national parks.

Dispersed camping can bring that the feeling of solitude, and it can immerse you into the outdoors.

What To Expect For Free Camping

No Showers or Water

Dispersed camping usually has no water spouts or showers. You have to find your water source or bring it all in. If stinkiness bothers you, I recommend getting some wipes to clean yourself up before going to sleep. Do not get scented wipes, though, because you will be attacked by bugs (happened to me once when I was camping for free). >>>Check Out These Wipes Here

When it comes to drinking water, I recommend either bringing your own water and a filter in case you run out of water. >>>Check Out This Filter Here

No Trash/Leave No Trace Behind

Usually, most free camping spots have no trash bins, so it is your responsibility to bring back everything you brought in. I recommend reading about the leave no trace principles before your trip. The LNT principles are:

• Plan ahead and prepare
• Travel and camp on durable surfaces
• Dispose of waste properly
• Leave what you find
• Minimize campfire impacts
• Respect wildlife
• Be considerate of other visitors

No Picnic Tables

If being comfortable while eating is essential for you, I recommend bringing a portable chair with you. Most free campgrounds do not have picnic tables. >>>Check Out The Best Portable Chairs Here

No Fire Rings

There might be, or there might not be any fire rings where you are camping. Always expect there not to be any fire rings. Only make fires at established fire rings and always put water on the fire until it is out before you go to sleep or when you leave. Check if a fire is even allowed because it is not permitted on specific elevations or areas.

Rough Roads

The forest service roads are usually rough roads, that is why my husband and I bought a Toyota 4Runner. Even with a high clearance truck, the roads might be a little too crazy. There might be downed trees or crazy muddy spots. I recommend either calling the ranger or reading recent trip reports in that area. Some apps like All Trails have people reporting their journey to the area as well as local Facebook groups or local trail websites.

Backcountry Camping

To find some of these jaw-dropping beautiful campsites, you might have to go backpacking. I know that backpacking isn’t something that everyone does, so make sure the campground you pick has road access.

What To Pack For Free Camping Sites

1. Tent: I just bought this new Nemo 2 Person tent, and it packs so small, and it is light! >Buy The Nemo Backpacking Tent
2. Jet Boil: This is a portable mini stove that will boil water for you. This is great if you are bringing dry food >Buy My Jet Boil
3. Propane for Jet Boiler: You can buy this at Walmart or REI on the way to your campground.
4. Sleeping Pad: A sleeping pad is pretty much a small, packable inflatable mattress. I have tried many types of sleeping pads (cheap ones, light ones, comfortable ones), and the one I have linked is probably the best one I have tried. My husband uses this pad. I will mention, it is on the heavier side, so I recommend this for car camping or short/easy backpacking trips. >Check Out My All-Time Favorite Sleeping Pad
5. Spork: A spoon and fork in one. >Buy A Spork Now
6. Headlamp: A headlamp is an absolute must! It is a lot more portable and easier to use than a flashlight. >Buy A Headlamp Now
7. Pillows: Pillows can take a lot of room, so I recommend buying an inflatable one. The one I have linked, I have had for six years now, and it is STILL going strong. >Buy The EXTREMELY Packable Inflatable Pillows
8. Sleeping Bag: One of the most critical aspects of getting a good nights sleep! Bringing a sleeping bag is a must. >Look At Prices
9. Sandals: I hate wearing my hiking shoes when I am hanging around the campsite, so bringing some sandals for leisure is a must for me. I just bought these, and they are super comfortable. Perfect for camping. >Check Out These Sandals
10. Trash Bags: Everything you pack in, you must pack out. Bring a few trash bags with you.
11. Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Medicine & Toiletries
12. Fire Starter: If you want to start a fire, this is an easier way. Just pile up the wood on top, and you are golden! >Buy This Cool No Match Needed Fire Starter
13. Water Reservoir: You probably need more water than a water bottles’ worth. I use this when I go camping even if I don’t hike. It saves on waste on buying water bottles or water gallons and it saves money. >Here Is My Water Reservoir
14. Cookware Set: Love how packable my cookware set is. I can easily take it anywhere with me. We have used this countless times. >Buy My Cute Cookware Set

Read More About My Camping List: Click Here For More On Car Camping Gear

Places To Find Free Camping

National Forests, Forest Service Land and Grasslands

National Forests are owned by all of us. We pay tax dollars to be able to access them, but the federal government maintains these lands. National Forests and Grasslands are usually less crowded then National Parks. Take advantage of this. When I first moved to Washington, I thought the national parks were going to be my favorite areas. It turns out the national forests are now my go-to areas to explore.

National Forests are usually less crowded then National Parks because they aren’t maintained as well. And they don’t have the services like most national parks do like showers, potable water, trash bins etc. If you camp in these areas, make sure you are prepared with not having those amenities.

In most of the national forest areas, you can camp anywhere. As long as it is 1 mile away from an established campsite and 150 feet from any stream. Try to pick a campsite that has been used before so you don’t impact the plants and flowers. You can read more on dispersed camping here. You can also check out a map of national forests here. Also, the max number of days you can camp is 14 days.

Please note that not all national forest areas are free or do not need a permit. An excellent example of this is the famous Enchantments Area in Washington. This area became too popular so they decided to limit the number of people that could camp there.

BLM

The BLM is the Bureau of Land Management, and it mainly handles desert regions. Their mission is “To sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.” They also handle cattle grazing, mining, and homesteading, so it is not just about hiking and camping in these lands.

Like the national forests, you can camp for free in most areas as long as it is 200 feet away from water, and you can only stay a max of 14 days. Finding BLM land is a little more difficult to find then National Forests. The map is a bit wonky, in my opinion, and the layer is not shown on google earth. You can find the wonky map here.

Walmart

I know this is technically not camping, but just in case you didn’t know, some Walmarts allow overnight parking. Most Walmarts allow this, but make sure to check here if the one near you will allow it. Also, try not to bring any attention to yourself. Sleep in your car, no tents outside, park far away from the entrance, get in late and leave early, and I think you will be okay. Another great thing about parking at Walmart is that if you need anything, you can probably find it at Walmart.

Rest Stops

When I was young, my family would go on a road trip every once in a while, and I remember stopping at the rest stops. Since we didn’t have the money to get hotels, this was the way we did it. There are many rest stops on the highway, so you can get a potty break or rest. Don’t set up camp and make sure you lock your doors. You can check out the many rests stops on the highway here.

Resources On Finding Free Camping Areas

Free Roam

Free Roam is a pretty neat app and desktop tool. You can turn on and off layers from the sidebars. Some of the layers include BLM Land, National Forest Land, elevation layers, cell service, and satellite layers. I like being able to see the satellite layers but don’t depend on it too much as the quality isn’t the best.

But what kind of bothers me of this app is that it can sometimes be hard to find certain popular backpacking areas. I wanted to backpack to a place called Spectacle Lake in Washington, and I searched for it, but Free Roam took me to a lake in the Eastern United States. I had to go to Google maps to find the location and then trace it on Free Roam. Also, the satellite picture quality is not that great. But hey it’s free!>>>Check It Out Here

Freecampsites

This is another excellent resource for finding free campsites. It is limited for dispersed camping from what I can tell, but it still shows many options. >>>Check It Out Here

iOverlander

This app uses the experience of people to put together a list of free campsites. Since this app depends on us to input the data, it can be inaccurate and can be missing some great free camping spots. >>>Check It Out Here

Campendium

I really like this website. Some of the camping spots I found had many reviews and pictures. I also like that you can find all types of camping, not just free camping. It has categories for national parks, national forests, state parks, and RV parks. >>>Check It Out Here

US Public Lands App

The US Public Lands App is pretty similar to the Free Roam website. You can place a BLM and National Forest Layer on top of the USA map. The problem with this app is that you have to pay $2.99 to get access. The map is higher quality then the Free Roam (notice if you read above, I complained about the map quality), so if you would like a better quality map then definitely download this app. >>>Check It Out Here

Outly

The Outly App/website is pretty neat! I really like how you can highlight the trails and roads. Some of the other apps do not do this. You can also highlight streams, lakes, waterfalls, and cell phone coverage. Another neat feature is you can also make these highlights more transparent.

What I don’t like about this website is that it doesn’t do a great job of showing dispersed campsites. For that, I feel like Ultimate Campgrounds does a better job.

There is a pro version that gives you access to everything. All you have to do is sign up with your email. No payment is necessary. >>>Check It Out Here

Ultimate Campgrounds

This website is really neat. It shows all types of campgrounds, including dispersed and regular campsites. Not all that is shown is free, but if you click on the little tent symbol, it will give you the information. I feel like it does a great job showing dispersed camping. There is a dispersed campsite that I want to go to in a few weeks. Out of all the websites on this list, this website showed the most information on that campsite. Please note that this website does not show layers of the lands so you might have to combine it with other Apps. >>>Check It Out Here

Google Earth

Google earth is another great way to find campsites. Their satellite pictures are usually better quality than some of the apps on this list. I don’t use this as a primary way to find campgrounds, though, and I combine it with other apps. Once I find a campsite using any one of the websites on this list, I use Google to scope out the area on satellite. Please note that Google’s images might be a few years old and out of date.

U.S. Forest Service Website

Getting information from The Forest Service website is a great way to get the most accurate data. It is a little more challenging to find free camping here, but you can at least see the most up to date information on campsites. >>>Check It Out Here

Final Thoughts On Free Campsites Near Me

Thanks for reading all about finding a free camping spot. Make sure to check out my camping resources below:

• Car Camping Essentials
• Best Sleeping Bag For Women
• 10 best Camping Pillows
• The 10 Best Headlamps For Camping
• 60 Amazing Tips On Camping For Beginners

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