Overnighting at Walmart

[Chris C]

Any comments about spending the night in a Walmart parking lot?

[Chester Taje]

My wife and i have done this a few times while travelling, just for over night or when we have been shopping out of town.

[Gina D.]

It's OK for a rest stop. The ones that allow it usually have guards and personally, I feel pretty safe.

I don't aspire to do the wal mart tour tho.. it's just OK for a safe and easy place to stop on the way to somewhere else.

Always go in and buy something tho, to show you appreciate the freebie.

[Donna D.]

Don't deploy your awning, set out lawn chairs, put stabilizers down, run the generator, etc. or anything else that looks like you're "camping" in the lot. And always ask .... like when you first go into the store to purchase something. It's a good way to rest between point A and point B.

[bonnie w]

After arriving in Whitehorse, Yukon we did some shopping, took in a live stage show, and went for supper. Because it was quite late in the evening, and the campsite was further out of town, we stayed in the Walmart parking lot. It was pretty amazing that there were about twenty or so other rv'ers. Unfortunately though, the person in the big motorhome beside us had his generator up and running. Hmmm I got to thinking now, if I go outside quietly with my extension cord maybe I could find an outside plug on his rig and have power !!!! We did feel much more safe with others around though. Just a place to sleep that's all.

[John Perry]

Some towns have local ordinances that do not allow overnighting in store parking lots.
I was in Grand Junction Co. a couple of weeks ago and one of the Wal-Mart mngrs. told me that they could not allow overnighters for that reason.
Best to check at each store!
John

[Chris C]

Thanks for the replys. They are helpful.

[Gerry W]

To narrow down regions where it is possible to overnight in WalMart lots might be helpful to members who are travelling from point A to B. Perhaps this thread could be expanded to cover various routes, Chris C is likely interested in the central US area, while others on the board live all over the US and Canada.

For example: "The Escapists" are heading down I-5 shortly enroute to Baja Caifornia Sur from Vancouver Island. Is it a reasonable assumption we can overnight occasionally at Walmart locations in communities adjacent to I-5 in Washington, Oregon and California? "In my dreams" or a possible alternative to freeway pull outs or finding state or private campgrounds?

[Byron Kinnaman]

To narrow down regions where it is possible to overnight in WalMart lots might be helpful to members who are travelling from point A to B. Perhaps this thread could be expanded to cover various routes, Chris C is likely interested in the central US area, while others on the board live all over the US and Canada.

For example: "The Escapists" are heading down I-5 shortly enroute to Baja Caifornia Sur from Vancouver Island. Is it a reasonable assumption we can overnight occasionally at Walmart locations in communities adjacent to I-5 in Washington, Oregon and California? "In my dreams" or a possible alternative to freeway pull outs or finding state or private campgrounds?



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It really difficult to say which Wal-Mart stores allow overnight RV parking and those that don't. Here's a quote from their website.

"RV Parking

Many of our locations allow overnight RV parking. This decision is left primarily in the discretion of store management. Also, some communities have local ordinances, which prohibit overnight parking. We value each of our customers and allowing overnight parking can enhance the one-stop shopping convenience for RV'ers, where permissible."


Some of the rest stops along I-5 have a parking area behind the main area, not all but some. You can stay for 8 hours in Oregon rest stops. The only problem I know of has been truck noise as they come and go all night, hence the back parking areas are a bit quieter. Wal-Mart parking lots are very bright, kind of like trying to sleep in the middle of the day, but then so are many RV places. I guess there's a strong need to chase night away, or is it the boogy man that needs to be chased away.
The Wal_Mart store in Woodburn, OR, is right next to I-5 and yes you can stay there, along with a million trucks and a few RVs.

[Bigfoot Mike]

This website lists all the Wal-Marts and which ones that do NOT permit over night parking.

http://www.allstays.com/c/wal-mart-locations.htm

Click on the state your interested in and then scroll down to the city you’re interested in.

Also, here is California by Map View.

http://www.allstays.com/c/walmart-californ...cations-map.htm

[Donna D.]

I'm a member of Escapee's and there is a Good Neighbor Policy for overnighting and boondocking.

The following letter represents the code of conduct we expect all Escapees – as RV ambassadors – to follow. Please feel free to download or print this letter and distribute it when the need arises. Escapees RV Club led the effort to get RV clubs and other industry associations to support this policy. In addition to Escapees, the letter is endorsed by FMCA, Life on Wheels, Gulfstreamers Int’l RV Club, Wally Byam Caravan Club, Born Free Leapin’ Lions RV Club, and Bounders United, Inc.

Good Neighbor Policy

[Chris C]

Don't deploy your awning, set out lawn chairs, put stabilizers down, run the generator, etc. or anything else that looks like you're "camping" in the lot. And always ask .... like when you first go into the store to purchase something. It's a good way to rest between point A and point B.

Donna,

The Good Neighbor Policy makes a lot of sense to me, and I'd never do any of the things suggested against. My only concern was I've never pulled the covers up to my chin in a public parking lot before. Just wanted to know if it was safe. I've seen vandals (kids) do some pretty rotten things to people's property. Think after reading all the responses to my question on both this and the Casita Club Forum, I'll feel comfortable staying at Walmart when I'm heading down the road and don't have reservations at a campground for the drive.

[Art Davis]

This website lists all the Wal-Marts and which ones that do NOT permit over night parking.

http://www.allstays.com/c/wal-mart-locations.htm

Click on the state your interested in and then scroll down to the city you’re interested in.

Also, here is California by Map View.

http://www.allstays.com/c/walmart-californ...cations-map.htm

Trouble is---this list is not very accurate. One example: My wife and I wanted to stay in the Roseville, Ca Walmart (which is on the list as allowing overnighting) and they told us that the municipality wouldn't allow it. So---read the list with a shaker of salt at hand.

Art

[Reace]

"The Escapists"

Ha Ha .... Love it!

Sounds like your on a mission!

Reace :

[Karen T]

My only concern was I've never pulled the covers up to my chin in a public parking lot before. Just wanted to know if it was safe.

I've done it a grand total of twice now, so speaking from "experience," I felt safe because there were a few other people parked in trailers/RVs near me and because people came and went from the Wal-Mart all night long (including, in both instances, zamboni-like parking lot cleaners). Of course, that's the down side to it - I felt perfectly safe but got almost no sleep the first night because it was pretty noisy. The second night I was so exhausted I slept through the traffic, the zamboni and the 24 hour security driving around the parking lot. It was OK to do in a pinch during a cross-country drive, but I don't recommend it unless there are no other options available.

[Pete Dumbleton]

I always ask the management even if a 'no camping' sign is up. The Durango WM was signed that way but the manager told me that he had an unofficial understanding with the local CG owners (Guess who's behind a lot of the laws?) that one overnight was OK.

If there isn't an obvious place to park, I ask inside when I ask if it's OK. Preferred places are away from the main exit so customers and employees won't wake you up. I also park almost directly under one of the lights, which makes for less light inside and more light outside.