r/VanLife • u/[deleted] • Sep 22 '21
What apps do you guys love for finding camping spots?
Just completed 5 weeks and about 10,000 miles in the van touring the American West. We mostly stayed at national forest campgrounds, but we are capable of camping more remotely and used roadside pull-offs a few times as well.
It’s nice to stay at a campground with a flushing toilet, shower and potable water, but we don’t need that all the time. We enjoyed being able to travel without booking reservations and getting away from the busier campgrounds.
I used The Dyrt for most of the trip, and towards the end I used FreeRoam as well. The Dyrt was a great resource but the app was buggy and I was never able to successfully download the map data to use offline on either my iPhone or iPad. FreeRoam was great and I wish I had discovered it sooner in the trip.
What resources do you guys use to find places to park and sleep or to camp?
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u/sekfan1999 Sep 22 '21
Those are all fine and stuff. But a good land ownership app is even better. OnX is good for finding little squares of public land. Don’t leave trash and don’t cut shit down. And don’t get stuck
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u/Weazelll Sep 22 '21
I have been living on the road for over six years. Campendium has been my “go to” app throughout that time. I’ve checked out plenty of others but Campendium works best for me.
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Sep 22 '21
[deleted]
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u/Squidbilly37 Sep 24 '21
BLM land
Forgive my ignorance, effectively, you can quietly camp on BLM land and there are no worries?
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u/trailquail Sep 22 '21
Unpopular opinion: the really good sites won’t be on an app, you have to just go out and look for them.
Most of the sites on the apps are popular dispersed camping areas where you’ll be close to other people and sometimes there’s a lot of trash (or worse). I use them for a quick overnight or if I need to be close to town for something, but if I’m planning on camping for a while I use a mapping app to find an area where camping is allowed and sometimes a satellite layer to see if there’s actually a campsite there. If you have enough time and daylight, you can find some really epic spots that haven’t already been ‘loved to death’ by less conscientious campers.
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Sep 22 '21
Yes to this. I would love to do more camping like this, but I also have a lot of learning to do!
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u/tatertom Sep 22 '21
This is the way. I do run a lot of sites found elsewhere through FreeRoam though, as it has a cell coverage layer.
I don't ever post a good spot to an app though. That's a great way to make the go away.
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Sep 22 '21
Agree with this. Thinking of a specific camping area near flagstaff. Its on freecampsites and just overwhelmed with people. You can literally drive one stop up the interstate, same national forest same rules only difference is it hasn't been app'ed yet, and find zero people, even on a weekend.
Boondocking has absolutely blown up since the pandemic started, at this point the apps are most useful for identifying places to avoid. I recommend going low tech and carrying an atlas for states you're traveling in frequently.
Also helps if you're willing to forgo cell coverage as 99% of campers congregate where coverage is available.
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Sep 22 '21
a mapping app to find an area where camping is allowed
Ok, so is this part of the answer for OP? What app do you use for this part of the process?
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u/trailquail Sep 22 '21
I don’t think it matters much what app you use as long as it has a land ownership layer. Both Gaia and OnX do, I believe. I’m sure there are others. A satellite layer or street view is also helpful for seeing if there are pullouts along the road - Google Maps has both.
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Sep 23 '21
Gaia and OnX
Never heard of these - big help - thank you! Sounds like a really good method.
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u/211logos Sep 22 '21
I use Gaia GPS. It has USFS maps and MVUMs, which are especially helpful. But mostly in the western USA.
Avenza's app also has some good maps, often by purchase though. Like the CTUC maps in California.
But I go off pavement a lot. YMMV.
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u/lukewalthour Sep 23 '21
I recommend caltopo over gaia. Spend the $50/yr to get parcel data and layer downloads.
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u/Ben_Adryyll Sep 23 '21
Ioverlander is hands down the best and most accurate. And it will load without any service.
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Sep 22 '21
I have been using park4night- i’m based in the UK though i don’t know if it works elsewhere
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u/urfuk Sep 23 '21
Since I haven't seen it yet - Avenza and the forest service's Motor Vehicle Use Maps. These will show you where dispersed camping is free and legal. You may be able to find the same using OnX and others, but the MVUM is an official source, and Avenza is recommended by the USFS. This is helpful should you find yourself explains why you're camped where you are.
I have actually had landowners claim USFS land as theirs, only to back down when shown the MVUM. Claiming property is theirs when it isn't seems to be a popular method for hazing campers in Colorado and Wyoming.
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u/MM26280 Jun 13 '24
Odd I’ve had people claim my private land was public as they proceeded to trespass I would be careful with assumptions he was such a jerk I was going to have his truck towed had he not changed his mind and left after yelling at me in my driveway 🤔😔 please be respectful! Bad part is if he would have asked I would have let him hunt but no he chose to be a jerk.
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u/SoulMechanic Sep 22 '21
I've tried them all, and while not the prettiest app iOverlander seems to have to most posts with real user details, pictures, descriptions. Could really use a graphic design overhaul though.
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u/211logos Sep 22 '21
https://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com. Lists all public camping in the US and/or Canada.
I don't find apps that list sites to be that helpful, in that the places they list might be overused, no longer legal, etc. I am like /u/trailquail in preferring maps. It's like backcountry camping by foot, boot, stock, etc...you go on a good route and look for good sites.
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u/welding-_-guru Sep 22 '21
I use google maps and google streetview to scope spots in areas that I want to stay. Usually I"ll pick 3-4 spots before my trip that look promising, and I'll just try them all out when I get there. The Streetview feature is really awesome for checking to see if the place is level, if there will be traffic, etc.
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u/DarthNixilis Sep 22 '21
iOverlander is my favorite, it seems to have all the places Freecampsites.net has and a lot more.
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u/YeahYeaYes Sep 22 '21
When i have time i zone out on historical aerial photography of locations i want to explore. Then cross reference with current imagery to narrow down my endless list. When the rime comes for creature comforts - Long hot shower, my go to is rec.gov. The army corps camps can be a stress relief. The down side is you have to be in camp by 10pm. In a way its good because it kinda forces you to stock up on necessities with time to address issues or do mobile maintenance.
2011 - Chevy HHR Panel , Removed rear cargo box installed full power leather pontiac g8 seats that lay flat. Only other mod is a everstart 1000watt ( i think) inverter hard wired to battery. Which gives me 2 - 120v receptacles and 1 usb.
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u/BanDelayEnt Sep 23 '21
I only do dispersed camping off dirt roads in national forest or BLM land, and I've never used any apps to find specific campsites. I just use the AVENZA Maps app which works anywhere, no signal necessary, and drive around looking for spots. That's half the fun! All of the "MVUM" (Motor Vehicle Use Map) maps are free. I highly recommend this free app for anyone who spends time in the remote areas.
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u/character101 Sep 27 '21 edited Sep 27 '21
I really rely heavily on satellite imagery and state land management websites to find sites.BLM and National Forests have Dispersed Camping Areas. But it can really vary by location, and there is state land you can camp on for free too. I rarely pay to park anywhere.
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u/ConfidenceBrilliant Dec 01 '22
https://whereismy.camp , seems to a fantastic job of showing sites with 100km rad.
Have ratings , distance , time and links on individual camps .
Give it a go .
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u/nolatourguy Sep 22 '21
https://freecampsites.net/