feltham
Rochester, NY
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DW and I are in the planning stages of our next great trans-America excursion for August 2012. We'll be going from the Western NY area to Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP, Grand Tetons NP and then home again...all in a 3 week trip. We are very excited.
We have broken the trip down into segments of driving with 2-night stays in Apple Vally Minnesota (DW needs to see Mall of America) and Medora, ND (I need to see Theodore Roosevelt NP). Other than that, we'll be doing quick stops for the night before resuming early then next morning. So my question...is there a resource I can use to find out where on our route overnight stays in rest stops are allowed? Here in NY, overnight stays are only authorized in certain areas.
My ideal plan would be to drive day 1 with a quick overnight then drive day 2 with a 2 night stay (seeing the local area attractions)...repeating this cycle out and back. Our 2 night stays would be in local campgounds and quick overnights right in highway rest areas. I'm hoping to save the time driving from the highway to the campground, setting up/taking down and returning to highway. I'm picturing driving late, pulling off, crashing in our TT and up early the next day to resume.
We did a similar trip to the Black Hills area in 2010 in a 2-week trip and I felt we wasted a lot of time going from the highway to campground and back again... Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.
Me, DW & Sons 13, 11, & 7
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Joined: 12/18/2004
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Hi,
These websites may be of some help.
Free and Low Cost Campsites
Band of Boondockers
Bob's Cheap or Free Campsites
Boondocking Sites
not necessarily boondocking
Regards, Don
Kustom Koach Class C 28'5" 256 watts solar, 875 amp hours in two battery banks 12 volt batteries 2500 watt inverter.
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gbopp
The Keystone State
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Free Campgrounds and Free Campsites may have something closer and more convenient.
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concord32
Indianapolis
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KOA's are usually near the highways.
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TravelerDan
New York State
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We use truck stops to sleep over with the camper while travelling. I believe all the major truck stop chains allow RVs to stay the night.
Walmarts are good too. This site tells where all the Walmarts are located.
http://www.allstays.com/c/wal-mart-locations-map.htm
Some Walmarts do not allow overnight stays for RVs. Be sure to check before staying the night.
Just roamin' the country, one state at a time...
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dahkota
Washington, DC
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Joined: 01/20/2011
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We did a similar trip in July 2011. Before we left, I got an idea of places to stop overnight by going to various state website with listing of their rest areas. I also checked the FlyingJ/Pilot website as they will list what is available at each location. We did not make well defined plans because we never knew what the traffic situation would be (for example, Indianapolis was hell and an experience I wouldn't want to repeat) or how long we would feel like driving. We ended up with one day of 850 miles - I would never have planned that.
We ended up staying at a Flying J once. The noise was unbearable. We tried a Walmart once but the parking lot was very crowded with RVs. So most of our on the road stops were in rest areas. (A Tip - park in one of the end spots, between two other RVs, or between two trucks without refrigeration. We tried over and over to park away from everyone else and always ended up with a refrigerated truck next to us at about 3AM.)
Off the top of my head we stayed: Chamberlain in SD, Beach in ND, Emigrant in MT. They were all clean, fairly quiet, and we got a decent night's rest.
Definitely stop in TRNP. We loved it and will go back.
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rockhillmanor
On the Road
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Joined: 12/06/2003
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feltham wrote:.... I'm hoping to save the time driving from the highway to the campground, setting up/taking down and returning to highway.
I think what some newer RV'ers don't realize is that you can stay at a safe CG for the night and NOT have to unhook, set up or take down. I have always found CG's 'right off the interstate' no matter where I travel. Most locate there for just that reason.
Ask for a pull thru site. All CG's have them. You pull your RV in plug your electric in and settle for the night. Simply unhook an electrical plug and just pull out in the morning whatever time you please.Actually if you don't even want to plug in you don't have to!
There is NO need to unhook, set up or take down in a CG and IMHO, JMHO it is much safer thing to do. 
Have a safe trip and enjoy! 
We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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Joined: 12/17/2003
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We OFTEN stay in rest areas when trying to make good time traveling. Roadside rest areas are of course under the authority of the state in which they're located, even on federal routes so rules concerning their use is completely dependent on the state. What we've found is that many states have posted signs stating "no camping allowed" but most of the time this does not mean you can't park there and catch some shut eye. Most do not consider that camping as you see people in cars doing it frequently, day or night. Some even say "no overnight parking" which again is sometimes open to interpretation. If you stop at say 10:00 PM and head out again at 6:00 AM it is often quite acceptable. If you put out the awning in these area and sit outside relaxing in the evening it may be interpreted differently.
IN Kansas, roadside rest areas are actually DESIGNED with the RVer in mind and most have a large circle near the exit that is specifically for the purpose of providing a parking place for cars and or RVs to park while sleeping overnight. They are located away from the hustle and bustle of the facilities of the restrooms, the overhead lights and noise of idling trucks etc. They are quiet, dark and inviting and most have free dump stations.
We always carry a copy of both volumes of "Don Wrights Guide to Free and Low Cost Camping" so we have information concerning nearly every state park, county park, municipal facility, COE, TVA, NFS, BLM and other federal campgrounds. If they offer SOME sites for less than $12.00 per night they're in the books.
Good luck / Skip
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jauguston
Bellingham, WA
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Rest areas by definition are for resting. That resting is not restricted to commercial truckers that are required by Federal Law to take rest periods at regular intervals. We have as much right to utilize them to "Rest" as any one else. I believe 10 hours is generally the posted limit where there is a posted limit. Resting in a "Rest Area" is free mainly paid for with your Federal or State tax dollars.
Jim
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westernrvparkowner
montana
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I travel a great deal in the west, and there are almost always national forest campgrounds, state parks, Walmarts, Truck stops and private campgrounds a stone's throw from the highways. Most rest areas tend to be located between our "cities" (which would qualify as small towns to those from the eastern metro areas). They are the one place I would not overnight, ever. Way too many transient people on the highways going a long, long ways away. Just too great a temptation to someone with ill intentions. They could commit their crime (or vandalism, since there are a few people who feel rest areas are not for RVs to stay in) and then be 100s of miles away before you ever discover you have been hit. There are usually no security cameras, and people will be driving within 10 feet of your rig all night long, so a bad person has the perfect cover. Police in the west also cover vast areas, often 100s of square miles per officer, a bad person doesn't really have much fear of running into one accidentally. A vehicle pulling in and then leaving 10 minutes later is the rule, not the exception. There are just too many convenient free and low cost options that are safer and more secure. I would opt for one of those.
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