Continuing from the last post regarding ‘Finding A Place To Boondock’, I probably should describe the term better. To summarize, the concept, Boondocking is free camping on public land, usually in the “boonies,” away from town and without public utilities to hook up to. It is a traditional way of being in nature, deep in the woods, the desert, or up in the mountains, away from town and without hookups to electricity, water, or sewage.
Obviously, you need to be fully prepared by having enough water and food for the time you’re planning on living in that mode. Most of the time when campers talk about boondocking, they are referring to camping in national forests or on BLM land.
The Bureau of Land Management administers more surface land (245 million acres or one-tenth of America’s land base) and more subsurface mineral estate (700 million acres) than any other government agency in the United States. Multiple uses under BLM management include outdoor recreation (such as camping, hunting, rafting, and off-highway vehicle driving), which encompasses a massive amount of land that includes campgrounds, and what is referred to as ‘Dispersed Camping’. Most of these locations are in the western part of the country. (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
If you explore the BLM website, you quickly discover that the guidelines, rules and regulations may vary from one state or region to another, however, you’ll generally be advised to contact either the individual campground’s website or the local field office for details.
As I mentioned in the last post, I prefer to have an easier-to-manage source at my disposal when I’m planning out my excursions, and have found this one to be reliable.
Full disclosure, if you click the image linking you to Amazon, and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission, however, you won’t be paying more.
There are two other publications that I will include in this post. First, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversees a number of camping locations around the nation, and this source does a very good job of distilling the information to again, provide a convenient source to consult if you wish to stay at one of their facilities.
And finally, I’m including a compilation of the State Parks Campsites, saving you the time to search out each state’s website to decipher where you might wish to stay.
I hope you find this helpful as you embark on your weekend, vacation, or even if you’ve decided to explore our nation on a full-time basis. Whether you’re a Rver, Backpacker, or a ‘Tenter’, may your travels be trouble-free, and your exploration brings joy to your life.
