Boondocking: What It Means and How to Do It on Public Land

Boondocking is RV camping without hookups. No water connection, no sewer, no shore power: just your rig, its tanks and batteries, and a spot to park. Most of the time it also means camping for free on public land, well away from a campground.

The word gets used loosely. Some people say "boondocking" for a night in a store parking lot; on this site it means camping on land where it's legal to camp, such as Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land and national forests.

Boondocking vs. dispersed camping vs. dry camping

On BLM and Forest Service land, boondocking simply is dispersed camping in a vehicle, so the same rules apply.

Where boondocking is allowed

• BLM land: dispersed camping is allowed on most BLM land unless an area is posted closed to camping. Stay on designated roads, camp within about 150 feet of the route, at least 200 feet from water, and at least a mile from developed campgrounds, trailheads and picnic areas.
• National forests: allowed across most of the forest, with each forest setting its own rules. The forest's free Motor Vehicle Use Map shows which roads are open to vehicles and where you may pull off to camp.
• Not usually in national parks. National parks generally limit camping to campgrounds or permitted backcountry sites; check the park's own camping page. Boondocking happens on the BLM and national forest land around them.

Before you head down a dirt road in a big rig, check its condition with the local BLM field office or ranger district. Plenty of roads that look fine on a map are washboarded, narrow or impassable after rain.

Stay limits

The BLM's general rule is 14 days within any 28-day period, after which you move, often 25 to 30 miles away. National forests set their own: the San Juan National Forest in Colorado allows 16 days in any 30-day period and asks you to move at least 5 road miles.

The BLM also says not to leave property unattended for more than 10 days (Idaho and Alaska differ).

Long-Term Visitor Areas: boondocking all winter

If you want to stay put for the winter, the BLM runs Long-Term Visitor Areas (LTVAs) in the Arizona and California deserts. With a permit, you can stay for up to seven consecutive months. The LTVAs are Hot Spring, Tamarisk, Pilot Knob, Mule Mountain, Midland, La Posa and Imperial Dam.

LTVA permits are sold for the Yuma Field Office's La Posa and Imperial Dam LTVAs and are valid at all seven LTVAs:

La Posa has vault toilets, water faucets, dump stations and trash service, which makes a long stay much easier than true off-grid camping. Outside the winter season, La Posa charges $10 a vehicle for day use or $15 overnight, with a 14-day limit in any 28-day period.

What your rig needs

Boondocking is only comfortable if your RV can look after itself for several days:

• Fresh water. You'll arrive with all the water you'll use. Know how many days your tank actually lasts.
• Holding tanks. The gray and black tanks are usually what ends a boondocking stay. Find the nearest dump station before you need it.
• Power. Batteries plus solar, a generator, or both. Generator rules and quiet hours vary by area, so check the local rules.
• Trash space. Everything goes out with you.
• Offline maps and a backup plan. Cell service is patchy, and a popular area may be full when you arrive.

Boondocking etiquette

• Use an existing, already-flat site rather than making a new one.
• Give your neighbors room. Out here, people come for the space.
• Keep generator use short, and never run it late at night.
• Leave no trash, no gray water and no fire rings full of foil.
• Follow current fire restrictions, and put fires dead out.

Where to boondock

We're writing guides to specific free camping areas, starting with the Southwest:

• La Posa and Imperial Dam LTVAs in Arizona (see above) for winter stays

• Dispersed camping in Colorado

• Dispersed camping in Utah

• Moab BLM camping

• Dispersed camping in Arizona

• Sedona dispersed camping