Plan Your Camping Trip
The type of planning tools you use will depend on what type of camping you want to do and what your budget is. For full-time RVers, you may want to save some money and look for camping on public lands. Or maybe you’ve already been boondocking and are looking for something more glamorous. If you are a weekend camper perhaps you’d like something close to an attraction like a national monument. We have discovered that there is a seemingly endless list of websites and apps to help you find campgrounds and also attractions along the route.
Developed Camping
Campgrounds with amenities like restrooms, showers, clubhouses and swimming pools as well as hookups for RVs are known as developed campgrounds. Private campgrounds don’t offer as much space for your RV and aren’t as scenic, but you will find more amenities there. There are also public campgrounds that have developed sites and hookups. These sites are typically larger than what you will find at a private campground and offer more privacy and tranquility.
Prices – Sites with hookups range from about $25/night to $80/night. With our Good Sam discount, the average seems to be around $45/night. If you stay for a week, usually a private campground will give you one day for free. The rates for monthly stays are even lower.
Finding Campgrounds
This is the easy part; there are so may websites, books and apps to help you with this that I can’t even list them all.
Primitive Camping
Primitive campgrounds do not have hookups and do not have any amenities. However, there may be fire rings or picnic tables available. This is also referred to as “rustic camping”, “dispersed camping”, “dry camping”, camping “off the grid” or “boondocking”. Typically these campgrounds do not take reservations and are free. There are restrictions on how long you can stay at these sites (14 days seems to be the most common), so make sure you check the rules.
Prices – FREE
Finding Free Campgrounds
For more information and tools on trip planning, free camping and more, go to our pages below.
