Check out the roadside spots off Quinault Ridge Road, which is Forest Road 2258, just off Highway 101 north of the town of Aberdeen. You can’t disperse camp within Olympic National Park, but it is allowed in Olympic National Forest, not far from the entrance to the national park. Washington: Quinault Ridge Road, Olympic National Forest The cool forests around Olympic National Park (Photo: L&S Studios/Stocksy) (If you can’t drive all the way, be sure to hike up the road for the view.) Camping is popular here in the summer months, but if it’s completely full, there are campgrounds and other dispersed zones in the surrounding area. If you have four-wheel drive and more clearance, you can continue up the bumpy dirt road toward Summit Rock, which has panoramic views from the top. Camping is allowed in designated sites along this road, but larger vehicles like RVs or trailers should stick to the first few sites. Just a few miles from the northern entrance to Crater Lake National Park, you’ll find Forest Road 960, in Fremont-Winema National Forest. Oregon: Summit Rock, Fremont-Winema National Forest (Photo: Chris Boswell/Getty) Overuse in the area has recently led the BLM to close off certain zones to campers and install a new (albeit free) permitting process, so be sure to check requirements and restrictions before you go. And note that while dispersed camping is allowed here, it’s also extremely popular. To get here, drive up Whitney Portal Road, a few minutes from the town of Lone Pine, on California’s Highway 395, approximately three hours north of Los Angeles along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. This BLM-operated land is covered with massive boulders and rock formations, which form relatively private camping areas with stunning views of Mount Whitney. Near the base of 14,505-foot Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48, is a vast area known as the Alabama Hills. The Pacific West California: Alabama Hills, Lone Pine OK, here you go: the best places to camp for free (or almost free) in all 50 states, organized by geographic region. (Gaia GPS is owned by the same parent company as Outside, and Gaia GPS is now included with an Outside+ membership.) Gaia GPS has topographical maps to get you there. To come up with the best free campsites across the U.S., we solicited input from a range of seasoned campers, including Jake Heller, founder of Campnado, a platform dedicated to sharing free, dispersed campsites road-trippers Gabe and Rocio Rivero, who’ve spent four years living in their van and frequenting dispersed camping sites around the country Geena Truman, a van dweller and the adventure blogger behind the site Beyond the Bucketlist and a handful of gracious moderators at iOverlander, a crowdsourced mapping project.įor additional data on where to find dispersed campsites, check out Campendium, Free Campsites, The Dyrt, and the BLM’s dispersed camping map and regulations. Read more about responsible practices in our 101 Guide to Dispersed Camping. So you’re in charge of taking care of the land and your waste ( all of it), following all fire bans and guidelines, and leaving the place like you found it (or better). With limited services or infrastructure, most don’t include things like trash removal, toilets, or fire rings. ![]() While most of these campsites are free of charge, they aren’t free of responsibility. And in the few cases of states with little to no free or dispersed camping, we’ve included remote, quiet campgrounds with fees of $25 a night or less. In some states, we’ve highlighted free, primitive campgrounds-developed sites with minimal amenities that don’t require reservations. We’ve included that style of camping here, whenever possible. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in places where dispersed camping is permitted. ![]() You can pitch a tent or park your van overnight on grounds managed by the U.S. The federal government owns over a quarter of our nation’s landmass-more than 640 million acres-and a good chunk of that is available for you to use and enjoy and, importantly, take care of.įree camping in these spaces usually equates to dispersed camping, which means camping outside of designated campgrounds. ![]() While everyone else is scrambling to get a coveted campsite in state and national parks across the country this summer, there’s a whole bunch of public land that’s open (and free!) for you to enjoy.
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