20 Best Free Camping Spots in USA | 2020 UPDATE

what's up everyone Kyle here you're watching driving in vibin today's video is all about 20 of the best free campsites in the USA so stay tuned [Music] welcome back to the channel everyone thank you for joining me here today I'm excited to be filling you in on 20 of the best free camp sites in the USA these sites can accommodate anything from tents in bands to huge rigs and hey they're located all throughout the country so before we dive into this list it is 20 spots long but we're gonna be running through the information pretty quick to keep it fast-paced so if at any time you want to reference these 20 spots you can click the article either in the link or in the comment section that will follow along spot for spot as we work our way down a list to number one and you can bookmark it for the future if you want to visit these campsites sometime down the road without any further ado let's jump in at number 20 and work our way to number one coming in at number 20 is Natchez visitor center in Natchez Mississippi now this is an unlikely spot on the list because at the end of the day it is a visitor center parking lot and that doesn't sound like the most attractive thing in the world but rest assured this is a beautiful campsite it's located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River you have the Natchez visitor center right there but best of all they provide free water and electric for anyone camping at the Visitor Center you can stay there for I think two or three nights and you can also access the southern portion or the southern entrance of the Natchez Trace right there from the visitors center so if you want to do the Natchez Trace whether you're starting or ending in Natchez it's a great place to camp for a few days now all sized rigs can camp here it's a big old parking lot the only thing I would caution people on is that a lot of the spots are uneven so you're either gonna just have to sleep on even for that evening or you can put a few blocks down but some of the sites are pretty uneven but overall beautiful beautiful free campsite within walking distance to downtown and hey free water and electric you can't beat it let's jump over to number 19 coming in at number 19 is naval observation road and this is in Flagstaff Arizona one reason we love Flagstaff is because it's just north of Sedona but not only is it north it is at a higher elevation so once you get those hot days in Sedona you can really retreat to Flagstaff and camp in these awesome forested free campsites naval observation road is probably seven miles from downtown Flagstaff tons of shopping and restaurants stuff like that but it's also tucked far enough away that you can have a lot of privacy in this forested camps campground we saw rigs of all sizes when we camped here definitely fifth wheels and motorhomes but the smaller your rig is the more tucked back in a private spot you can get but you know either way no matter what size rig you have you should be able to camp here my only word of caution for this campsite is that if you stay to the right you're gonna go up to the Naval Observatory which there are so many signs that say regular vehicles aren't allowed up there and if you do continue to follow it you're gonna come to a gate that's kind of hard to turn around so just take heat on those signs and don't go up that road number 18 on our list today is blakenship bridge this is right outside of Glacier National Park in all honesty I would have put this spot in the top five at least but it can only fit small rigs so if you have even a Class C I would be super hesitant about taking it back there because the road in is very rutted and it can be challenging with all that said it is beautiful beautiful waterfront camping right on this rocky riverbed you really can't ask for a more beautiful free campsite so close to Glacier National Park now if you want to get into the water like Olivia did it's gonna be super cold some people go in there and swim I could barely put my toes in there because the water was so cold but there are tubers rafters and fissures all taking part in the water activities there so hey bring your fishing pole you might be able to catch some dinner too coming in at number 17 on our list is Lake Elk City Park this is on route 66 in Elk City Oklahoma one of the reasons we love this park is because it's very easy to access from the interstate making it a great overnight spot but the park is located on a lake with disc golf courses with bathrooms with pavilions and picnic tables and outdoor grills and best of all they also provide free water and electricity you can't go wrong it's not often there's free electricity and water and a beautiful camping spot right off the interstate so easy to access all sized rigs can camp here I'm not completely sure about how level it would be in a larger rig but from our experience we've camped there at least three times every time it's been super easy to get situated and a plugged up to that electricity number 16 on our list is American girl mine this is right outside of Yuma Arizona but it's actually across the border in California located in Winter Haven there's not much at this campsite but that's kind of the beauty of it because it's opened Southern California desert where you can bring so many friends gather you know gather around the campfire and just have a great friend camping experience there is an interstate rest up right near American Girl mine where you can fill up with water and you can dump your trash but other than that the amenities are sparse out there but on the plus side the cellular internet is blazing fast so it's a great boondocking location where you can spread out big rigs can access it and you can have fast internet access so we have camped at American girl mind for the last four winners in love it and hey can't wait to come back number fifteen on the list is Blackwell horse camp south of Bloomington Indiana any free campsite east of the Mississippi River is a very valuable commodity they are just not as easy to come by as they are out west we really liked Blackwell horse camp because it is a huge lush grassy field with kind of a figure-eight style road that goes through it so lots of camping options and they have two central bath houses there and if you have horses I mean that's what it's made for it's encouraging horse campers to get out there and take their horses out on the trail all sized rigs can fit here they make this spot very accessible because they expect you to take your large horse trailer there and if you want to get out for the day you can go up to Bloomington have lunch they have a nice historic downtown area we definitely explored there for a day or so and had a good time Blackwell again it was as we were working our way from Alabama to Michigan and it was just great to find a free campsite so beautiful and River our dog really enjoyed it too alright guys so next up on the list is Savoia mesa this is just north of Taos New Mexico this is another spot that would be in my personal top five but it didn't make it quite that high on this list because it is hard to access if you're in a large rig this is ideal for small travel trailers maybe even a risky Class C driver couldn't make the trip out there but there's a lot of low hanging branches and kind of sharp turns as you get to the campground which is down a preview long dirt road but it's the payoff of the campsite that makes it such such an amazing spot you're on a cliff overlooking the Rio Grande Gorge you can hike down to the bottom of it Olivia and I did it we almost died we definitely wouldn't recommend it if you're not prepared for a long hike because the elevation change is huge you're hiking down the canyon to the Rio Grande River it's a challenging hike but well worth it and overall the campsite is just gorgeous and it's a great place to camp for free near Taos without having to be in the hustle and bustle of Taos and another great thing is that we had wonderful cellular internet at this location which seems to make no sense because it is in the middle of nowhere it seems once you get out there down that dirt road and you're sitting on that cliff you feel like you have the whole place to yourself but hey at the same time you're working with fast 4G LTE internet so best of both worlds at Subaru Mesa high highly recommended by us next up is Oliver reservoir in Nebraska Nebraska is not one of our go-to States when we think of travel destinations but this campsite truly is beautiful it's located on a nice manmade body of water but the great part is no one comes to this campground so you can camp lakeside and have it all to yourself when we were there there were probably four other campers but the park is huge if you find yourself in Nebraska and you want to get something scenic definitely check out Oliver reservoir because it is so much more than just cornfields the downside is that there is a train track near the campground and the train track does run at all hours of the day and night those type of things don't necessarily keep us up but if you are sensitive to sound you might want to consider that before you can't behead all of a reservoir but otherwise it is a hidden gem in Nebraska with waterfront camping so that's a big win for us next up is number 12 and this is Padre Island National Seashore it's what they call North Beach located just before the visitor center of Padre Island and it is free camping on the beachfront all sized rigs can camp there but the thing is you have to be brave enough to drive on sand and you have to constantly watch the tide the tide will change daily and if you are camped too close to the water that tide will sweep your RV away we were intimidated into learning about this before we camped there but once we did camp there it you know we felt pretty safe about the tide movements we arrived during high tide to get an idea of what the highest marker is going to be and then just parks back from there and it was a great beachfront campsite one more thing you're gonna want to keep in mind is that this is golf front beach camping which means a lot of saltwater is going to be blown up on your RV or your tow vehicle whatever you're bringing down there is gonna get covered with saltwater there's a lot of truck and car washes right outside the area so you can spray it down but I have to admit our trailer and our truck we're never the same after camping there I wouldn't say they were super rusty but there were rough spots that I definitely never went away after that so you got to keep that in mind if the price you pay for beach camping we did it once and we loved it we probably won't be back there but it was one of the most memorable campsites we've stayed at next up is number 11 and this is cherry Creek Road outside of Durango Colorado this campsites to the west of Durango but it sets you up as a good base camp if you want to be in the area and there aren't many free campsites right near the heart of Durango this is actually probably one of the closest ones so if you want to go to de-rank Durango and do some free camping cherry creek is probably your best bet we have seen fifth wheels here and class C's and we towed our travel trailer there but I don't know if a class that he could fit in this spot not because it's not big enough but the entrance is a little steep in rocky so if you don't have the clearance or if it has just rained specifically it's gonna be pretty hard to access up the steep entryway you're gonna want to keep that in mind maybe scout it out in advance but like I said you're not going to find a closer free campsite to Durango it is a good site and just a little hard to access for the bigger rigs so keep that in mind check it out though we love Durango it's probably our favorite town in America and this is one of our favorite free campsites whenever we go there all right guys the first half of the list is down now we're getting in to the good stuff I try to get a little exercise out here while I'm doing this but man it's hot already we're here in Alabama in September almost October they say it's fall but I'm convinced it's still summer let's get in to number ten number ten on a list is craggy wash and this is in Lake Havasu Arizona Lake Havasu is a hot spot for our viewers in the wintertime and definitely there is a lot of free camping in the area craggy watch though is our favorite of all the spots for a few reasons it is a beautiful sight and it has nice land formations around it and you can hike right from your site and kind of explore the area but also it's close to all the shopping on the north end of town that means you'll be close to Walmart Home Depot there outlet mall type thing so it gives you kind of a good central location if you are in Lake Havasu because if you are camping in Lake Havasu your intent is probably not to be out in the middle of nowhere but it's more about being in the community there are lots of our beers in the area we're not really trying to get out in escape2 nature whenever we're camping and Lake Havasu we're really trying to be part of that RV community that is there camping and craggy wash is great for that we did see all size rigs there but once it gets full in the wintertime it's going to be challenging to get a Class A or fifth wheel there just because you're gonna have a drive for a way as to scout out a spot and then you're gonna have to maneuver into that spot and it could be kind of tight doable for sure but if you're in a larger rig and it's during the prime camping season I would just say scout it out first number 9 on our list is Lake Hattie which is in Lake Hattie Wyoming but it's right outside of Laramie Laramie is one of the bigger college towns in Wyoming there is a lot of great camping sites in Laramie but Lake Hattie by far is the most scenic the most enjoyable the most chill one of our favorite campsites of all time any size rig can camp at Lake Hattie but if you have a small rig you can get down on the beach in camp at some of the prime campsites that's what we did we absolutely loved it it was so relaxing we had the water right by our front door set our chairs out on the beach the dogs are playing the water perfect perfect situation and campground one of my fondest memories to look back on and be excited about going there again number eight on our list is from one of our other favorite towns in Colorado and that's Pagosa Springs Jackson mountain road is where the free campsite is located and it is probably only five miles from downtown Pagosa Springs Inn in Pagosa Springs there are the deepest thermal National hot springs in the world not just the US so great hot springs soaking there but the campsite itself is in a beautiful wooded San Juan National Forest the upside is that most rigs can fit in the first spot which is pretty easy to spot but the downside is there are only a few spots there if you're in a big rig and if you don't get to that first spot it gonna be pretty hard to find another spot that can accommodate if you are lucky enough to snag that first spot you will be able to get situated in the forested campsite have stream and fast internet and be able to drive downtown Pagosa Springs in just a few minutes so this is a highly recommended site from us we love Colorado we love Pagosa Springs and Jackson Mountain Road has been one of our favorite free campsites that we've been in over our four years of RV life next up is number 7 and this is North Creek outside of Zion National Park setting up camp at North Creek right outside of Zion was one of the best experiences all size rigs can fit here but let me tell you it is ideal for vans in tents because it does get pretty crowded there during the peak season so vans and tanners fill the spot up pretty pretty quickly we were able to easily navigate our 16 foot trailer there into a spot and there was even a large 5th wheel near us who got a spot pretty easily but beyond that you're really good want to scout it out if it's not so crowded when you get there definitely a large array can fit but if you have a lot of smaller rigs spread out it's gonna eat up those big spots it's just a few miles from the entrance of Zion National Park even though the campsite the free campsite is busy it pales in comparison to how busy it is camping inside Zion National Park we've done both and we've thoroughly enjoyed both but anytime we go back we're gonna be going to North Creek from now on alright guys I'm starting to work up a sweat out here it is early morning still and I can't believe how hot it is but the list must go on next up is number 6 and that's sacred white shell Mountain this is right outside of the Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado the Great Sand Dunes I heard an amazing formation and it's right in the middle of flatland Colorado which is bizarre these dunes are just beautiful white sand and they go on for hundreds and hundreds of acres so that in and of itself is beautiful if you want to camp in the national park campground it's it's a good spot we've camped there and it stays pretty busy but if you're looking for a free campsite outside of the National Park sacred white shell Mountain is by far our favorite choice it's not very heavily trafficked out there it's down a long dirt road that any size rig can access and it puts you at the foot of a beautiful mountain so the scenery is awesome too I would scout it out in advance if you're in a bigger rig because you never know if the spots are gonna be open for big rigs but if you're in a smaller rig even a Class C you should be able to find a spot pretty easily and in addition to being by the great sand dunes and being free camping and having awesome internet it's also an alien hotspot from what we hear so if you're into UFO sighting this I believe it's the San Juan Valley here's an awesome place to scope out extraterrestrial life number five in the list is Snake River this is a beautiful free campsite located right in between Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park it's kind of like one of those two for Tuesday things you get access to both national parks and you get free camping this free campsite of all the ones on the list has the most pristine vault toilets these vault toilets are nicer than so many flush toilet path rooms we've been in props to the National Park Service for keeping these things beautiful the way the campsites are set up is there's probably five different entrances down the road and down each entrance is a spot for one or two RVs or campers or tents and each of those five different pull offs have their own vault toilets Oh awesome toilet amenities I know it's not important for everyone but seriously to have clean toilets right by your tent or camper or van huge plus in our mind overall if you're visiting Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park this is one of our favorite spots so check it out for sure number four on the list it's probably one of the most epic sites we've stayed at and that is no man view in Buffalo Gap South Dakota also known as a mile from the entrance of the badlands national park awesome location it also puts you on the cliff that overlooks thousands of acres of Badlands and it is so beautiful one of our favorite things while we were camping here was to watch thunderstorms roll in from 50 miles away you can just see them coming and it is actually it is just an absolutely beautiful sight to see when you're out there camping in the middle of nowhere in the Badlands the site can't accommodate most size rigs but our friends the getaway couple just tried to stay there in their 5th wheel they went after a fresh rainstorm and they actually got stuck so you got to know your rig you got to know the conditions of the road and then make your mind up whether you're gonna try it or not because it's definitely off-road but with all that said we've seen Class A is there we've seen fifth wheels there and we were able to easily access it in our trailer and truck whenever we went nomad view in Buffalo Gap grassland one of our favorite free campsites of all time number three on the list we're getting down to the good stuff this one is the main drag five to five in Sedona Arizona here are the good things about the site all sized rigs can find a spot there if there is spot to be found so we've seen motorhomes fifth wheels vans tents we've seen them all it situates you to be so close to Sedona where you can obviously do hiking you can do shopping eating so many things to do in Sedona one of our favorite towns to camp in and visit and if you know Sedona at all it can be pricey so getting a free campsite there is a huge plus it also puts you close to Cottonwood and the ghost town of Jerome Arizona multiple things you can do there on different days your schedule can definitely be full if that's what you're looking for now the bad parts about this road or this campsite is that the road is wash boarded it's not bad because if you find sight within one or three miles definitely doable the road goes on for a long time you can drive it down ten miles and find a spot but I just don't like driving down washboard roads for that long so the spot we found was within two miles of the entrance number two on the list is a famous free camping hot spot in Texas maybe you can guess it before I say it but it's Magnolia beach beautiful beachfront camping that's so much less intense than Padre Island we loved Magnolia beach they have bathrooms on site they have picnic tables they have pavilions but the best part in our mind is that the tide doesn't fluctuate as much as it does on the Gulf front campsites this Beach is actually on a Bay that leads out into the Gulf so it's much more relaxed our dogs loved playing in the water everything about Magnolia Beach was very enjoyable all sized rigs can easily fit at Magnolia Beach I don't think there's any obstruction at all that would prevent a large motorhome or fifth wheel from camping there we saw a ton of them it is flat Beach it is hard Beach so you don't really have to worry about sinking in the sand too much but definitely know your rig and gauge it yourself the downside is though it is a popular spot so there are definitely gonna be other campers there this is more like staying at a campground because of that it's not out in the middle of nowhere you don't have the spot all to yourself you're sharing it with other campers in our experience they've been completely respectable and very courteous no one was making loud noises or anything or running generators through the night so our experience was great at Magnolia Beach if you're going through Texas and want a beautiful free beach front campsite check it out all right guys we've made it to the number one spot I think I've lost a pound while I've been walking out here maybe I should have just done it standing still but hey it's early morning and I wanted some exercise so don't hold it against me I know some people don't like these walking videos but we just got a gimbal so it helps with the steadiness I guess let me know if you've noticed the gimbal huh number one favorite free campsite of all time for us personally but also in our mind because it's very accessible for all size rigs and that is the wedge overlook in Utah this is north of Moab it's what they call the little Grand Canyon we were able to park right on the edge of the canyon and be blown away with the gorgeous views and a complete lack of campers near us there were probably five other campers there but the Pampa area is very big you can spread out and we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves ah Olivia really pushed us to go here because I was struggling to find a free campsite in the area we were traveling during the time and every time I pulled this site up to do the research on it I was turned away because it says 20 miles of dirt road driving before you access the campsite that immediately makes me think I'm gonna go see if there's something else out there but Olivia thought well we should give it a try and I'm so glad because that dirt road was nicer than some interstates we've been on it's nicer than just it is a beautiful dirt road and they keep it I guess oiled so the dust doesn't fly up and there was not one problem whatsoever towing or driving down that road there wasn't one stretch of wash boarded Road it was awesome so huge props to the road leading in even though it's dirt you will find that it's nicer than most paved roads once you get to the camping area there are lots of different sites you can choose from and that the main camping area might not be conducive to huge rigs there are camping areas right outside there though that bigger rigs can camp at but I would say at Class C could easily find a campsite in the main camping area that overlooks the canyon there is a bathroom facility on site there is despite it being 20 miles down a dirt road great internet access to everything about the wedge overlook was amazing so it is our highest recommended free campsite that we can recommend and if you are ever going to move at Moab or leaving Moab and heading to the north make sure you check it out it will definitely be a great experience and remember anything that we said in this video is on the article we wrote so you can reference that article in the future without having to scroll through this video and the article has links to the sites as well I am gonna go cool off in the AC now and see you guys out at the California RV show next week so lots of fun stuff coming up thank you for taking this morning walk with me let me know what you think about this gimbal let me know if you think if it worked or not and tell us your favorite free camp site in the comments below we'll see y'all next time

Channel: Drivin' and Vibin'

Views: 935,582

Rating: 4.9336786 out of 5

Keywords: FREE CAMPING, CAMPING, FREE CAMPGROUNDS, FREE CAMPSITES, BEST CAMPING

Id: joecuvHwf7Q

Length: 29min 46sec (1786 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 29 2019