Boondocking - 21 Critical things to know before you go!
Boondocking!
21 Critical Things to Know Before You Go
Before we get into our list, we feel we should define our use of the word BOONDOCKING. To us that means dispersed camping on public land far removed from any type of hookups or services, toilets or even picnic tables. It’s a quieter way of camping that often finds us in beautiful locations for days and weeks at a time. It is also our favorite way to camp.
The National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management or BLM and the Department of Fish and Wildlife are great examples of public land where you can find dispersed camping. A similar style and sometimes used term might be considered dry camping. Dry camping to us is when we camp at a National Forest campground that does not have any hookups.
VALUE - Best value anywhere. Where else can you get FREE camping complete with some of the most amazing views on the planet.
GETTING THERE - You’re probably going to have to maneuver down a dirt washboard road to get there.
STAY LIMITS - Be aware of the stay limit. Many BLM locations allow 14 night stays but some are 10 or even 7. Just be aware.
ALONE - You may find yourself all alone
CROWDED - You may find yourself next to a large group of campers
NOTHING WILL BE CLOSE - You’ll likely have to drive a ways to get groceries, laundromats or propane.
POWER - you will not have any hookups anywhere so be prepared with solar or a generator or you’ll be without power real soon.
WATER - Again, no hookups. Ration your water use. Use a water saving shower head. Capture shower water in a bucket while waiting for it to get hot. (Other water saving tips)
INTERNET/CELL SERVICE - This can be a hit or miss. Some areas we’ve boondocked at have had amazing cell service while others have had zip, nada, nothing so know before you go. There are resources such as Campendium.com that provide crowd sourced info on camping locations, including Boondocking, and they try to list cell service availability broken down by carrier. Another relatively new option you might want to explore is Starlink!
SECURITY - We’ve never had any issues but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be aware of your surroundings. Security cameras can help.
RESEARCH - there are lots of tools out there to help you know before you go. We’ve already mentioned Campendium. Another one is The Dyrt. Facebook forums, friends…. Make sure the location is a match for your style of camping (is it desert, in the mountains, on a lake). It is close or far from town? Make sure it aligns with the goals of your trip.
LENGTH OF STAY - After your time limit expires, know how far you must go before you can boondock at the next location. Often times you may camp for free on BLM land for 14 nights but then you have to move at least 25 miles before staying at the next BLM Boondocking location.
REGISTER - Some BLM areas, even though they are free, still might have a camp host that you must register with.
NATURE - Be prepared to immerse yourself in nature. You’ll have a chance to see stars you didn’t know existed, or hear coyotes howl at night, or see deer or bear or snakes. All sorts of possibilities abound in nature once you get away from the cities and people.
ACTIVITIES - get out and explore all that your location has to offer. That could mean hikes, jeep rides, mountain climbing, bird watching, swimming. The list is really endless and the best part is they are usually free.
Food prep -
USE AN ESTABLISHED CAMPSITE - Find a spot that already has a fire ring or obvious previous camping use. DO NOT CLEAR a new space or make a new campsite.
GARBAGE - Pack it in and pack it out! It is possible you will find a lot of garbage at the location you want to go to. This unfortunately is an alarming trend. We, and everyone we know, follow the policy of leaving the site better than we found it.
EMERGENCIES - Know what you will do or can do in case of an emergency. Where is the closest ER, closest cell signal, closest sheriff? Make sure someone knows where you are at. We like to drop a pin and text it to our kids.
PREPARE for your stay - know how long your water will last, your propane, your black/grey tanks. You can test this at a local campground by not using their hookups.
CONSERVE - Learn to conserve all your resources and you’ll find boondocking to become easier and easier to do. We love it!
We absolutely love getting out there and meeting new people. We encourage all of our Mountain Beaches friends to shop small, shop local and to always be on the lookout to give a helping hand to those in need!
~Tomorrow is Never Promised~