Boondocking Tips for Beginners - Boondocker's Bible

Become a Boondocking Expert!

Learn how to cut the cord and go off-grid. Written by veteran RV boondockers and full time road nomads. Get away from crowded campgrounds and RV parks!

Get started by enrolling in our weekly, “Boondocking Series”. It’s free!

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Is it Illegal to Live in a National Forest?

It’s not illegal to live in a national forest. Many boondockers already do so.

If you know the “occupancy rules” of each national forest, you can live continuously within the national forest system by moving to another part of the forest, or to an entirely different forest altogether.

Learn the “occupancy rules” of the U.S. Forest Service and become a master at knowing how long you can stay in the same place, how far away you have to move, and how long you have to wait to come back.

Where Can I Camp for Free?

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Dude Ranch Lakeside Use Area, Oacoma, SD

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North Shore Recreation Area, Fort Thompson, SD

Highway 31 Landing, Lake Eufaula, OK

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Read the Latest From the Boondocking Blog

Alabama Hills Now Closed for Boondocking Due to Fire Danger

The very-popular Alabama Hills, a dispersed camping area in the Eastern Sierra Mountains of California, is now closed for all camping due to a CodeRED Alert as a result of the nearby Alabama Fire. The Inyo County Sheriff is now ordering all existing campers and recreationists to evacuate the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area near […]

Nevada BLM Wants Your Boondocking Photos!

Nevada BLM announced yesterday it is asking to public to submit their photos of Nevada BLM lands for to be included in an upcoming Travel Planner. The promotion is co-operative between Nevada Bureau of Land Management and Travel Nevada, a publication of the Nevada Commission on Tourism. Winning photos will be printed in Travel Nevada’s […]

Dispersed Camping Now Shut Down in Five Areas of Colorado

On Thursday, May 13, 2021, the U.S. Forest Service announced that it shut down dispersed camping in five (5) areas of Colorado, covering Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, claiming recent visitors had destroyed and contaminated much of these areas. “…National Forest visitors created thousands of new campsites as they pulled off roads and damaged resources, […]

How Far in Advance Should You Make Reservations for Camping?

You should make reservations for camping as far in advance as possible. If 2020 was any indication of how the COVID-19 pandemic created a surge in camping, it’s going to continue for 2021. USA Today reports that both state and national parks across the country are urging people to make their reservations as far in […]

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Don’t Share All of Your Boondocking Sites Online!

Instead, keep at least one site in each state your “secret boondocking site”. Don’t share this site on FreeRoam, or Campendium, et al. The reason why is because boondocking is getting tougher to find. COVID-19 changed the United States in many ways. It pushed more Americans into camping and RVing. Instead of going to Disney […]

Finding Free Camping at Flaming Gorge

Aside from how gorgeous Flaming Gorge is, the beauty of camping there is that much of it is free. The problem is finding a campsite that isn’t already taken, or already congested with RVs, or somewhat close to town, or finding a place that has usable cellular data. That’s when it gets tough. Flaming Gorge […]