Where are safe and free places to park overnight?

[ernie z]

Mary & Bob: We stopped using our mtr. home for long trips [gas] about 3 yrs. ago. Maybe there was a change in corporate policy but we asked in Brunswick and on I-81 and in N.Y. and always got permission. If it no longer holds, that's unfortunate because it probably resulted from misuse. It also could have been some unsafe incidents. It no longer is a "leave it to beaver" era. Ernie

[Bob Miller]

The Wal-Mart corporate policy to allow RV parking stills exists, but it also states that it is subject to local managers discretion, existing rules from the property owner, as well as local ordnances.

The latter two seem to be the major issues.

[mary and bob]

i called a few ernie, and they said yes, that was virginia, so thast great, have supper and breakfast there

[ernie z]

Mary: I mentioned to Dee about C.B. and she reminded me about the map that we got from Cracker Barrel about 4 or 5 yrs ago that showed the locations that you could stay over in. She thinks it's in the mtr.home. If it is we"ll send you a copy. It would work for your trips to Ga. Maybe it only applies to certain locations or is a franchise owners decision. Ernie

[rgrugg]

We've stayed at WalMarts, casinos, truck stops (many Flying J s have special rv parking areas set aside), church parking lots, Cabela's main store & headquarters in Nebraska actually as a full hookup rv park on the grounds, have stayed at a Fred Meyer store in Fairbanks, Alaska (not to be confused with Fred Meijer in MI and other midwestern states). Police are helpful in directing you to safe places.

[ThomKat]

This has been an interesting and informative discussion...
I have friends who full-time, going all over the US. They collect friends everywhere, and often stay with people they met at rallies or campgrounds...

Wouldn't it be great, now, if we could all swap around- have a membership arrangement and list, so we could park in a fellow RVer's yard overnight...
I understand that not everybody has enough yard to park in, and some places have ordinances against it, but still...

And anybody here traveling past Clarkston, Michigan, should get in touch; I will give you a safe spot for the night. TK

[Dave and Kathie]

Originally Posted by ThomKat

Wouldn't it be great, now, if we could all swap around- have a membership arrangement and list, so we could park in a fellow RVer's yard overnight...
I understand that not everybody has enough yard to park in, and some places have ordinances against it, but still..

Here is a website that does just that! | Boondockers Welcome

Kathie

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by ThomKat

This has been an interesting and informative discussion...
I have friends who full-time, going all over the US. They collect friends everywhere, and often stay with people they met at rallies or campgrounds...

Wouldn't it be great, now, if we could all swap around- have a membership arrangement and list, so we could park in a fellow RVer's yard overnight...
I understand that not everybody has enough yard to park in, and some places have ordinances against it, but still...

And anybody here traveling past Clarkston, Michigan, should get in touch; I will give you a safe spot for the night. TK

here is a thread already in place
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...amp-38507.html

[steve dunham]

The objection to camping in Walmart parking lots often comes from local campground owners The campground owners have to comply with local and State rules about water, sewer, dump facilities and trash removal which Walmart does not. When there was talk of building a Walmart in the small town by me ,the local businesses grouped together to raise every objection possible . I realize that camping in a Walmart lot may save you money but it does little for the local rural economy and I can sympathize with the small business who object to being trampled by Walmart. It's all a matter of perspective

[deryk]

Now I can understand the point of the local rv campground objecting... but when your traveling from A to B and driving as many hours as you can how many of those local campgrounds are open at 10pm? I havent done alot of long distance drives(towing or not) but when Im enroute to a destination I drive as late as I safely can and motels are generally open 24 hours so whatever time I stop I could get a room...is that true with campgrounds? If it isn't then the point of stopping at a Walmart Parkinglot for a few hours of sleep and hitting the road seems valid.

Now if your on vacation and think about staying in the local walmart parkinglot for several nights would be a totally different thing.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by deryk

Now I can understand the point of the local rv campground objecting... but when your traveling from A to B and driving as many hours as you can how many of those local campgrounds are open at 10pm? I havent done alot of long distance drives(towing or not) but when Im enroute to a destination I drive as late as I safely can and motels are generally open 24 hours so whatever time I stop I could get a room...is that true with campgrounds? If it isn't then the point of stopping at a Walmart Parkinglot for a few hours of sleep and hitting the road seems valid.

Now if your on vacation and think about staying in the local walmart parkinglot for several nights would be a totally different thing.

Deryk ; I also see your point but I can see the other side of the argument. I have several friends who own campgrounds and they constantly complain about having to comply with every little regulation yet Walmart is exempt . If I was running a small business and was barely making a profit I would object to someone else getting special treatment. By the way , the same campground owners complain about local , county, and state parks which offer camping and cut into their business using their tax dollars .We have no local or county parks in our are that offer camping due to their objections . If everyone acted like you when staying at a Walmart the objections would diminish but I have seen people CAMPING in a Walmart lot complete with outdoor lounge chairs ,charcoal grills ,loud boomboxes and dumping their waste tanks down the storm sewer

[Bob Miller]

According to the Wal-Mart Yahoo site, the object to staying overnight at a Wal-Mart is to NOT look like you are camping. Of course there are always that will do what ever they want and ruin a good thing for everyone.

And about the "Camp Ground Owners" thing:

This is a popular misconception brought up numerous times on that site. While there have been a few proven examples of local campground owners keeping overnight parking prohibited at Wal-Marts, theses are really few and few between.

Most complaints come from ordinary citizens that see a few that abuse the privilege and throw out the baby with the bath water.

In several cases Wal-Marts have been overrun and begin to look like hobo camps and it's just easier to say NO than sort the wheat from the chaff.

There is almost no OP allowed at Wal-Marts in all of SoCal, but all of the state beaches are full almost every night as are almost all of the (very few) private campgrounds in the area.

For the price of an overnight spot in most SoCal private campgrounds and the state beaches you can often get a room at a Motel 6, so why pay the same to pull in, have to hook up everything and then take down leave the next morning when a motel can be as cheap.

Everyone like to complain about Wal-Mart, but almost everyone goes there, some incognito I guess.

[Byron Kinnaman]

I think that the people that object to Walmart parking overnight don't really know what the traveling public sees. I for one, when traveling where all I want is a place to park my trailer and go to sleep for few hours don't see where I gain anything by paying $50+ for 5 or 6 hours sleep. If a Walmart parking lot isn't available by local ordnance then a truck stop will do. Do this effect the local economy, well maybe. When I stay in a Walmart parking lot I spend a few dollars in Walmart. If can't stay in that parking lot, I'll spend a lot less at a truck stop. I'll also remember the town and drive right on through the next time. If the town/city doesn't want my dollars the next one down the road does.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

The Wal-Mart corporate policy to allow RV parking stills exists, but it also states that it is subject to local managers discretion, existing rules from the property owner, as well as local ordnances.

The latter two seem to be the major issues.

That last one is most important!!If they have tanks or patrols with shoulder mounted rocket launchers, we move on!

[tractors1]

I don't bother with campgrounds when all I want is 6-7 hours sleep when on the road. Walmarts or similar work fine for me -point is not to save money but to save time and hassle when enroute to a new adventure.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by floyd

That last one is most important!!If they have tanks or patrols with shoulder mounted rocket launchers, we move on!

I thought that those things were typical of most city police departments.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

I thought that those things were typical of most city police departments.

Around here, "ordnance", for the local police, means a shotgun on the dash and a side arm...and our neighborhood is so rough that even the flowers carry pistils!

[jwcolby54]

I carry a walking stick to beat off the deer.

[Mikmay]

A few years ago a customer of mine moved from Windsor to Toronto he hired me to do some work in his new house in a massive subdivision.i thought it would be a good chance for a weekend getaway . I planned to use his driveway to park the trailer and stay in the trailer . My customer gave me the postlal code and I would just put it in the gps find my way there . I left late on a Friday night and my customer was going to arrive early Saturday morning.to unlock the house. I got into Toronto around 11pm gps took me right to the postal address I pulled into the empty driveway proceeded to hook up the water and power from the house to my trailer and turned in for the night. About 4am in the morning I heard a car pull in the driveway and park next to me must be my customer pulling in early and of course they don't want to bother me and go in the house all is fine. Wake up about 9am have my coffee get ready to work and go knock on the door after a few moments the door opens and a lady says can I help you . Are you kidding it's not my customer ,it's not even the right house thanks to putting 1 wrong number into the gps I asked her why she did not kick me out in the middle of the night and she said she did not want to disturb me. I think our trailers are just not that intimadating

[cpaharley2008]

funny story….