What is dispersed camping, dry camping and boondocking?

There are various terms that are common in the RVing and camping community that we’d never heard of before we got our truck camper.  Today I thought I’d talk about a few of those terms that describe how or where you’re camped.  If you’re new to camping, whether it be with a tent or motorhome, it’s a good idea to think about what you need/want out of a campsite before setting out to find one.  Do you need bathrooms?  Water?  Electricity?  If you don’t need those things, do you want to be in a campground with neighbors or somewhere secluded away from it all?  Being familiar with the terms I’m about to describe is super helpful when seeking information from Ranger Stations and BLM offices on where you can camp.  The more information you can give them on what you’re looking for, the more likely they are to give you a recommendation that fits your interests.  When we’re in a new area and stop by a ranger station or visitor center, we’ll tell them that we have a truck camper with 4wd, we’re not towing anything and we’re looking for a secluded dispersed campsite.  If we didn’t tell them that, they might just point us to the nearest campground which would be a totally different experience than what we were looking for.  Here are four common terms that define a type of campsite:

1.  CAMPING WITH HOOKUPS

A campground with hookups means there is the option for you to “hook up” to one or more of the following services: water, electricity and sewer.  The term full hookups means all three services are available.  It’s most common to find full hookups at RV parks.  State parks often have electric only sites or electric and water.

2.  DRY CAMPING

Dry camping means you are camping without hookups.  It doesn’t mean you are camped in a campground or not, you just are camped without being hooked up to any services.  Some campgrounds will have more than one option.  For example Ridgway State Park in Ridgway, Colorado offers the following three options:

Basic tent-only campsite: $20

Electric hook-up campsite: $26

Full hook-up campsite: $30

(These are summer rates.  A $7 per day entrance fee is required in addition to your campsite fee)

Most forest service and BLM campgrounds we’ve been to only offer dry camping options.  The amenities at those campgrounds are typically a few vault toilets throughout the campground, one dumpster and fire rings and picnic tables at each campsite.

3.  DISPERSED CAMPING (also known as primitive camping)

This is our favorite type of camping.  Dispersed camping is usually free camping on public lands outside of a campground with no amenities.  There is a certain amount of knowledge combined with luck that it takes to find these spots, which I’ll save for another article, but generally speaking you start by finding public lands then look for a previously used location to park at.  A good way to know you’ve found a campsite is when you see a rock fire ring.  National Forest and BLM are the types of public lands we usually seek to find dispersed camping.  Some other types of public lands we’ve found dispersed camping at are National Conservation Areas and National Recreation Areas.  National Rec Areas have entrance fees and sometimes also charge for their dispersed camping areas.  For example, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (surrounding the northern side of Lake Powell) offers a variety of primitive camping areas:

Stanton Creek, Hite, Farley Canyon & Dirty Devil: $12 per night per vehicle

Lone Rock Beach: $14 per night per vehicle

Glen Canyon NRA Backcountry: free

In addition to camping fees, a $25 vehicle entrance fee is required and is good for up to 7 days

4.  BOONDOCKING

Boondocking is more of a slang term that I’ve heard people define differently.  In my opinion it’s one and the same as dispersed camping – camping off the grid on public land, typically for free.

A few notes about the various types of places to camp:

  • BLM land and National Forests have a 14 day camping limit.  You may remain in the same spot for 14 consecutive days before it’s required to leave that spot.
  • All camping in BLM and National forests operate under the “Pack it in pack it out” policy or Leave No Trace.  All your trash should be taken with you and it should look as if you were never there.  The number of campsites we come upon that have trash scattered everywhere is disheartening.  Not only does Mother Nature deserve more respect but so do the people that come after you that would like to enjoy their public lands also.
  • Dispersed camping on BLM land and National Forest are available on a first come, first serve basis.
  • Every campground is different regarding reservable vs. first come, first serve sites.  Some have both, some only have one or the other.
  • Many campgrounds as well as National Forest and BLM roads that lead to dispersed camping are only open seasonally.  This can be one of the biggest challenges for us since we usually camp during the winter months.
  • Length restrictions may apply depending on the campground.
  • National forest and BLM roads come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are suitable for passenger cars and others require 4wd and high-clearance.  Be sure to read all signs and information provided to avoid getting stuck.

Online research is always a way to get a leg up on what you’re likely to encounter when setting out to find a place to camp.  When you get within the vicinity of where you’d like to camp, BLM field offices and National Forest ranger stations are also a great source of information.  We use Delorme Atlases to find the public land we’d like to seek out.  Motor Vehicle Use Maps provided by the Forest Service are a great tool as well.

Happy camping!

7 Comments

Leave a Reply to micheleCancel reply

  • Thanks for another great post, Michelle!
    I hope you and Mark are well.
    Being tired of what I’m seeing people do to our public lands in the West I’ve branched out in my travels.
    I’ve discovered that Canada and the Great Plains of the U.S. are great places for adventure. Canada has many great Provincial Parks and forests. Kind of like what we had in the U.S. forty years ago. The Northern Great Plains has more museums, historical points of interest and activities than I can list. Luckily every state has a web site to get a person started.
    In the various small town campgrounds, parks, restaurants and bars I always meet some great people. They love good conversation and are happy to point out places to camp, the best fishin’ holes or the local collector of “Odd Things”. This also applies to Canada. Rural folk are the same no matter where you are.
    Here are some of the websites I use to find a camping spot:
    Forestcamping.com
    Freecampsites.net
    USAcampgrounds.info
    Campgroundslocal.com
    Ultimatecampgrounds.com
    I doff my cap to the people that created these sites, as well to you and Mark for your time and efforts!
    Happy Trails!
    -Matt-

    • Thanks so much for your great comments and kind words Matt! We sure would love to get up to Canada one day, we’ve heard of so many great things!

    • Thanks Michele, I found your blog a year ago and read it with a lot of enthusiasm. My wife and I purchased a four wheel popup camper at the end of last summer, and we have been off and running (camping) throughout the West. I thought I had read all your blogs, and that maybe you had retired from writing on the Web, but today I was looking for some information on electrical stuff for the camper and I stumbled across your Web page, I was happy to see that you had a June 17, 2017 writing, and was excited that your blog was still up and running. You are a inspiration to us. Thanks for love of the Wandering. Mike Stewart

      • Thanks so much for your kind words! I let the website go for a while but am getting a renewed desire to build it up into a great FWC resource. I’m so glad you’ve found it inspiring. We absolutely love the FWC lifestyle and are going to work at promoting it more! I hope you and your wife are enjoying your travels as much as we do : )

  • We returned today from a 2000 mile loop thru CO & NM. Dry camping is our style, like BLM sites Better than any others. Remember US Corp. Engineers, usually by lakes also. We love to follow your stories and routes, always on the lookout to run into you and others we follow on instagram.

    • Sounds like a great trip! Thanks so much for following along with us, we look forward to maybe crossing paths one day!

By michele

About

Hi!  We’re Mark & Michele, a couple of modern-day nomads perfecting the art of slow, perpetual travel.  Our tiny home on wheels and slow-paced travel style allows us maximum freedom at minimal expense.  This blog is where we share our travels as well as our insights in to this lifestyle that we absolutely love.  Thanks so much for being here.

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