Places You Can Camp for Free

Here are 1001+ places you can camp for free within the United States! Whether you’re in a tent or an RV there are tons of campgrounds who offer free camp sites! Here are some great resources that will save you a lot of money when you’re planning your camping trip.

• Camping in a tent or an RV is also a great way to save money as hotels can get to be quite expensive. Finding free camp spots, and cheap ones beyond that is great so you can do more and spend less.
• You should always look for great deals on camping equipment too when you’re preparing a trip. Then use our tips on packing for a road trip if you’re traveling for a long distance (and especially with kids)!

If you haven’t camped with your kids yet we explain why they have been some of our best family vacations and how it’s connected us. If you’re new to camping with kids these places you can camp for free are perfect because if you only last one night and booked a few you aren’t out a lot of money.

Some kids (like mine) take to it and beg to go back, others have to try it out a few times to get it in their blood but overall it’s usually a win with kids.

Here are some places to camp for free and resources I found that are helpful!

1001+ Places you can camp for free

• Freecampsites.net is a great resource when you are looking for campgrounds that are free to use or very cheap. In many places, like Ca., you can easily camp all year long so having something like this on hand is great when exploring new places.
  • To find great developed campgrounds just enter the type of site.
  • Then click on the state you are visiting
  • They will give you a list of inexpensive and places you can camp for free.
  • Some are only for RVs, dry camping, tents, or all.

•  AllStays.com lists tons of places you can camp for free or offer a discounted rate for 14 days. They’re usually about as cheap such as KOA sites.
• Another great site that has TONS of places you can camp for free across the U.S. and you can camp an unlimited number of times with 1 small yearly fee called Thousand Trails. You can read more about their program here.
  • We are a part of their Southwest region. There are more sites listed than we could visit in a year. A great resource for avid campers in tents and RVs.

• Campendium offers free campgrounds state by state so you can search for the area you want to visit.
• You can find inexpensive campsites on gocampingamerica site too.

Good ol’ KOA Campgrounds offer very reasonable rates for camping. They even offer a rewards program if you go often.

• Another way you can travel and camp for free is to earn points just by shopping online. This translates into free gift cards, which pays for your gas and camp fees along the way.
  • We have done this several times and how we travel for free year after year to some of our favorite spots!!
• Here is a site for free RV camping if you have access to one of those or maybe want to rent one. They’re great if you want to take a really long trip together. Some truck stops offer free overnight parking too if long stops are necessary. This is a great way to visit public lands and take cheap road trips.
  • Use this list of easy RV meals to save money too.
• Bureau of Land Management BLM lists tons of camping info. too.

Looking to camp around a National Forest? The Forest Service has many resources. It may not be free camping but the fee is worth it!

Things to consider when finding the best camp sites for you and your family:

1. If you’re traveling with children look for:
   1. Bathrooms – and how close they are to each campsite
   2. A picnic table in your site – will make meals easier
   3. Playground
   4. Pool
   5. Small store stocked with essentials
2. Overnight parking
3. Power hook ups if traveling in an RV – and is there an extra charge to use them
4. Barbecue – makes it a bit easier vs. lighting a campfire to cook food
5. Level ground 

Once you’ve found free camp sites go a step further and save money this way!

• Then when you’ve found the free campsite of your choice you can find trails to hike here! There are tens of thousands of great trails out there and that is what camping is all about…exploring….and as always, it’s free!
  • We share our tips on hiking with kids here to help you out and make it fun for them (and you). 😉
• Grab free admission to National Parks here if you have a child in school.

Download this free printable things to pack for camping checklist so you don’t forget anything. Forgetting items will cost you money when you get there (and aggravation).

Looking for more road trip and camping tips + our favorite place to visit?

• Things to pack for camping printable
• Easy camping recipes and free meal planning printable
• Discount camping gear 

• Inexpensive camping, cabins, and RV spots at Zion Ponderosa (our favorite spot)
• Best vacation spots for kids
• Road trip games for kids