All topics
Browse by subject
The topics that cut across the main sections. Where you sleep, what you sleep in, whose land it is, and what changes when the season turns.
Car Camping
Sleeping in the vehicle you already own. Where it is legal, and how to make it bearable.
Vanlife
Van builds, stealth, and what the lifestyle actually looks like on a Tuesday.
National Parks
Different agency, different rules, and almost no free camping inside the boundary.
BLM Land
The biggest free-camping landlord in the west, and the least explained.
National Forests
The other big free-camping landlord, and the one with the most local variation.
Campground Alternatives
Truck stops, lots, and driveways. For the night you just need to stop.
Seasonal
Where to be in January, and what changes when it gets cold or brutally hot.
Start with the rules
Know before you go
Every rule on this site cites an official source and shows the date we last checked it. Where we have not verified something, we say so and leave it blank.
Free camping by state →