Camping On Free Or Almost Free BLM Land
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Camping in your RV (recreational vehicle) is fun and sometimes free. Here are some RV camping tips to get you started. Camping on free or almost free BLM land.
BLM
RV camping can make for a great trip almost anywhere, but I think it is best in the West. In many areas, you can just drive into the desert, and stay there for free for up to two weeks. It’s true of most BLM (Bureau Of Land Management) and national forest lands, and many state forest lands are free too. You have to move every two weeks, but how far is open to interpretation, and mostly yours will be accepted. Long Term RV Camping on BLM Land RV camping, or “boondocking,” is growing in popularity. In fact, the BLM has begun to establish special areas for longer stays, particularly in Arizona. A permit fee is around $180 now, but this allows you to stay up to six months, and you get pump stations, dumpsters, and water. Also, short term for $40 for two weeks to stay at BLM land.
Quartzite
People are living in some of these areas. It’s cheaper than paying property taxes or renting a lot to park on. RV camping is common in the winter in Arizona. One of the largest gatherings of “boondockers” is in Quartzite. Several hundred thousand people spend at least part of the year here in their RVs. It’s near the California border, on Interstate 10, only 20 miles from the Colorado River. Surrounded by BLM lands, Quartzite is famous for gem shows, and swap meets, which increase its population each winter. If you ask around when you are in the desert southwest, you’ll find there are RV communities that form every winter. Some of these temporary towns, like “Slab City” in California, have bookstores, grocery vendors, and other businesses run by RVers. Once summer returns, these boondock communities disappear and reappear again the following winter.
Other RV Camping Opportunities
Just look around, and you’ll find “hidden” places where you can park your RV for a week or a month in the desert southwest. Some are inexpensive, others are free. The Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area, for example, north of Bowie, Arizona, costs $3 per night and has nice hot springs and plenty of wildlife. An annual permit costs $30, but you’re limited to two weeks per month (permits are sold at the BLM office in Safford). You can stay outside the fenced area for free, but then you don’t get the hot springs and shaded picnic tables. For information on other areas, contact the Bureau of Land Management. They can tell you what’s available under their jurisdiction. Also, Woodall’s campground guide lists campgrounds that are free. Keep your eyes open for other RVs parked out in the desert or forest.
In Conclusion
Finally, ask around. Other RVers will give you the best information on RV camping.
