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What is there to say about Overnight RV Parking?

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  • Boondocking/Dry Camping
  • and RV Life: Travel
February 25, 2008
25

    February 25, 2008

    Some RVers use their RV’s only a few times a year, while others live in them full-time. Some RVers prefer to stay in commercial RV parks or campgrounds, with electric, water sewer and cable TV hookups, and perhaps wireless Internet. Others are happier “boondocking” in remote locations with no hookups or other amenities beyond those provided by Mother Nature.

    But one thing that many RVers have in common is the need for a place to spend the night while on a long journey, a journey that takes two days or more to reach a destination. This is where “Overnight RV Parking” comes into play.

    If an RVer needs only a place to park and get some sleep, there’s no need for swimming pools, game rooms, craft classes, Laundromats, miniature golf, cable TV, Wi-Fi and all the other amenities that campgrounds can provide. And there’s no need to pay for them if you’re not going to use them. So the question arises, “Where may an RVer park overnight, just to get some sleep, at minimal or no cost?”

    Several answers come to mind, including Wal-Mart, Flying J, Cracker Barrel, casinos, and highway rest areas. But these are generalities that don’t tell an RVer whether it’s permissible to park overnight at any specific Wal-Mart, Flying J, Cracker Barrel, casino, highway rest area, or any other specific location.

    In January 2007, I began compiling a list of “RV Parking and No Parking Locations,” showing specific places where RVers are or aren’t allowed to park overnight, and I created the “OvernightRVParking” Yahoo Group to allow other RVers to contribute information and share in the results. The entire subject has turned out to be a lot more complex than I expected. This blog will go into some of what I’ve learned while compiling a listing of more than 3,550 such locations in the US and Canada. I’ll be posting an article every week, discussing one aspect or another of Overnight RV Parking, including where we may or may not park and some of the things we should or shouldn’t do. I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned with all of you.

     Safe travels to you!

    Jim O’Briant
    Gilroy, CA
    Moderator, OvernightRVParking Yahoo Group

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    25 comments

    1. Pingback: site

    2. Pingback: my homepage

    3. Jim O'Briant

      Good question, Jack. Yes, the legality of overnight parking in rest areas varies widely. Different states have different regulations. In some states, Interstate rest areas are administered differently than rest areas on secondary roads. Various turnpike governing bodies set their own rules which may or may not be consitent with the rules for non-turnpike rest areas in the same state. I plan to address this topic in greater detail in the near future, a few states at a time.

      Jim O’Briant

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      March 23, 2008
    4. Jack Kessler

      Nothing here seems to address the legality or propriety of parking overnight on highway pullouts, roadside rest areas, view spots. Does this vary by state or province?

      0
      March 23, 2008
    5. Jim O'Briant

      To Charles and others who are interested in joining the OvernightRVParking Group…

      We’re in the process of opening an independent website where the same information will be searchable. As of March 17, as a part of the transition, the OvernightRVParking Group is temporarily not accepting new members. When the website goes live, it will be necessary to subscribe to the website in order to join the Yahoo Group.

      When the website is up and running (which I expect to happen within the next 30 days), I’ll announce it via a link in my signature file on a future blog.

      Jim O’Briant

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      March 22, 2008
    6. Charles Bradford

      I would love to join the “autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/OvernightRVParking/” but every time I click on a link it only takes me to a page that says that I’m not a member and I can’t access the group. Can you give me a link where I can sign up for this group??

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      March 22, 2008
    7. Jim O'Briant

      My thanks to Nola and Sue for their kind words….

      Jim O’Briant

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      March 12, 2008
    8. MovinSue

      During this time of horrific fuel prices, your Overnight Parking list is especially practical and needed by RV’ers wishing to maximize their travel dollars. Being a geocoder/contributor myself, I am quite aware of the effort which is required to authenticate a contribution. Your list is an awesome committment of time and “love” of the responsible exercise of RV travel. And now–you are an educator too!

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      March 12, 2008
    9. Nola Cooper

      Jim,
      Thanks for letting those of us who belong to your Yahoo group about this new venture of yours. I look forward to learning more from your experiences and those shared by like minded RVers. I have found your Overnight Parking lists extremely valuable and truly appreciate all the work you put into this project. I will do my best to continue contributing to your information base. Keep up the great work!!

      Nola

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      February 26, 2008
    10. Jim

      Thks. I think I went to every site except files. Looks like a very useful site.

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      February 26, 2008
    11. Jim O'Briant

      Larry Says:

      > … I can’t get to the sleeping areas of my RV without sliding my slides
      > out. I can leave my fifth wheel hitched, but can’t sleep without sliding.
      > But i’ve read so many places that say not to slide your slides. …
      >
      > … what is the proper etiquette? Is it generally permissable to push
      > out the slides?

      This isn’t a question with a quick “Yes” or “No” answer, Larry.

      First of all, I hope that anyone planning to buy an RV will be sure to select a floor plan that makes all areas accessible when all the slides are in. Anyone considering an RV purchase, and planning to sometimes park overnight at Wal-mart, Flying J, etc., should make “slides in access” to all parts of the RV a top priority.

      That said, we want to stay within the scope of any conditions that the business lsets forth as part of their permission for us to park there. We also want to avoid any damage to their property. And we want to avoid any inconvenience to their customers or other motorists. Here are some considerations…

      * When you asked permission to park overnight, did you ask the store if you could extend slides? What did they say?

      * Does your RV require that you use levelers in order to extend slides? (Some do, including our Bounder.) If so, is the parking area solid (like concrete) or soft (like asphalt, where levelers can damage the surface)? Can you prevent asphalt damage with large plywood, plastic or other pads under the jacks?

      * Is there room to extend slides without blocking an adjacent parking place or a trafficway?

      *Can you extend the slide over the grass, on a center island or at the edge of the lot, where nobody will run into it or be blocked by it?

      No two RVs are alike, nor are any two parking situations. If we keep the property, business interests and safety of our host business, their customers and other other motorists foremost in our minds, we won’t go too far astray.

      And now I have a subject for more detail in a future blog!

      Jim O’Briant

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      February 26, 2008
    12. Jim O'Briant

      Jim Says:

      > I’m new and for the life of me ican’t seem to find the “list” only
      > individual comments. What am I missing????

      Depends on where you’re looking.

      If you’re looking here on RV.net, you’ll find my blog, plus people’s comments on it, and my replies to those comments.

      The “RV Parking and No Parking Locations” listing is housed at the OvernightRVParking Yahoo Group. The address for this Group is:

      http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/OvernightRVParking/

      To access the listing you need to: (1) Be a registeded user at Yahoo; (2) Join the OvernightRVParkingGroup by going to that page; (3) Click on “Files” on the group home page, and look in the folder called “RV Parking and No Parking Locations.”

      Hope this gives you the direction you need!

      — Jim O’Briant

      0
      February 26, 2008
    13. Jim

      I’m new and for the life of me ican’t seem to find the “list” only individual comments. What am I missing????

      0
      February 26, 2008
    14. Larry

      My family and I go out for long trips over the summer and sometimes we’re just making an overnight stay trying to get from point A to point B. I’ve been a little reluctant to stay in the Walmart or Flying J because I can’t get to the sleeping areas of my RV without sliding my slides out. I can leave my fifth wheel hitched, but can’t sleep without sliding. But i’ve read so many places that say not to slide your slides.

      I know not to roll out the awning or chairs or anything else used for “camping”, but to just do a quick overnight sleeping, what is the proper etiquette? Is it generally permissable to push out the slides?

      0
      February 26, 2008
    15. Jim O'Briant

      Ken – NM9P Says:

      > As a regular reader and occasional contributer to your yahoo group,
      > I want to say a big “thanks!” … your copyrighted PDF files are much
      > more handy …

      Thanks for the kind words, Ken.

      Ken – NM9P also says:

      > Another thing I would love to see, and might even be willing to
      > pay a few bucks for, would be a POI (Points Of Interest) file
      > that I could download and load into my Garmin gps. …

      John Mullan Says:

      > I too would love a POI file. …

      As if my “to do list” weren’t long enough already!

      Seriously, a number of folks have asked me about files for Garmin, Streets & Trips and Delorme users. They’re on the back burner for now, but are on the “things to seriously consider” list.

      Jim O’Briant
      Gilroy, CA
      Moderator, OvernightRVParking Yahoo Group
      http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/OvernightRVParking/

      0
      February 25, 2008
    16. John Mullan

      I too would love a POI file. The GPS coordinates make this possible for those listings that have them. But will take a bit of effort to compile into a POI file.

      0
      February 25, 2008
    17. Ken - NM9P

      As a regular reader and occasional contributer to your yahoo group, I want to say a big “thanks!” I used to check “freecampgrounds” a lot but your copyrighted PDF files are much more handy for reasons already mentioned. I very much loo forward to your new website.

      Another thing I would love to see, and might even be willing t pay a few bucks for, would be a POI (Points Of Interest) file that I could download and load into my Garmin gps. Then I could just punch up the list and go right to the closest overnight spot! Awesome!

      Thanks again!

      Ken – NM9P
      99 Dodge Roadtrek 190 Popular

      0
      February 25, 2008
    18. Jim O'Briant

      Bob R Says:

      > I went to the allstays site that Ivylog recommends to see if it had
      > any merit for me. It appears that they listed all locations as permitting
      > overnight parking and then only as they heard of a site that didn’t
      > permit it changed the listing.

      I came to the same conclusion, Bob. Thus, if a store on their list doesn’t say “No Overnight Parking,” that means only that they have received no report to the contrary. That’s why I set up the OvernightRVParking Group Listing to show “Yes,” “No,” or “Unknown” for each listed location, based on reports we’d received.

      > It [allstays.com] doesn’t come even close to the real world
      > usefullness of the OvernightRVParking list.

      I can’t express how pleased I am that the OvernightRVParking Group listing is proving useful to RVers. I started out trying to “do it right,” and the original concept has evolved and expanded since January 2007 — often at the urging of group members. We’ve added phone numbers, store numbers, and GPS coordinates based on group requests, and I’ve gradually made the driving directions more detailed as well. I’m glad it’s working!

      Jim O’Briant
      Gilroy, CA
      Moderator, OvernightRVParking Yahoo Group
      http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/OvernightRVParking/

      0
      February 25, 2008
    19. Bob R

      I went to the allstays site that Ivylog recommends to see if it had any merit for me.

      It appears that they listed all locations as permitting overnight parking and then only as they heard of a site that didn’t permit it changed the listing.

      It doesn’t come even close to the real world usefullness of the OvernightRVParking list.

      0
      February 25, 2008
    20. Jim O'Briant

      DebbieT Says:

      > Jim, yours is the most cohesive, complete listing I’ve seen to
      > date…. it includes not only street addys and phone numbers,
      > but GPS coordinates as well as date of last revision.

      Thank you, Debbie!

      Yes, I spend a lot of time looking up and/or verifying all the location information and other details. I’ll add here that many entries in our listing also include comments on where in the parking lot management wants RVers to park, or what restaurants and other stores are nearby, or whether there’s a busy and noisy railroad track next door.

      > I REALLY appreciate the fact that they’re pdf files which I can
      > download, and consult when we’re not connected to the internet.

      I’ll also have an independent, searchable website available soon, where you’ll be able to search for locations within a selected radius of a given city or ZIP code. But the PDFs will remain available, too. I do need to interject here that the PDF’s are copyrighted. They’re available to members of the Yahoo Group to download or print out for their own personal use, but the information can’t be distributed to others in any way (including via file sharing, printed copies or other web sites) without the permission of the copyright owner.

      > Keep up the good work – it’s a VERY valuable resource!!!

      Thanks for the plug. Where do I mail your check??? [grin]

      Jim O’Briant
      Gilroy, CA
      Moderator, OvernightRVParking Yahoo Group
      http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/OvernightRVParking/

      0
      February 25, 2008
    21. Jim O'Briant

      Ivylog Says:

      > One of the best sites I’ve found on boondocking is:
      > http://www.allstays.com/campgrounds
      > Has a seperate section on boondocking. Even a section on
      > which WallMarts that DO NOT allow overnights.

      I see that you posted this same message in the RV.net forums, on the Overnight RV Parking thread. I’ll post the same reply here:

      Unfortunately, the listing of “No Overnight Parking” Wal-Marts at http://www.allstays.com is neither complete, accurate nor up to date. They show some stores as banning overnight RV parking when the store actually allows it; they show stores allowing it when the store doesn’t allow it; and I’ve found stores on their list that have been closed and replaced by other stores. Their information may have been correct when it was gathered, but there’s no way of knowing how long ago that was. The OvernightRVParking Yahoo Group listing shows the date each entry was reported and last updated.

      Jim O’Briant
      Gilroy, CA
      Moderator, OvernightRVParking Yahoo Group
      http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/OvernightRVParking/

      0
      February 25, 2008
    22. DebbieT

      Jim, yours is the most cohesive, complete listing I’ve seen to date…. it includes not only street addys and phone numbers, but GPS coordinates as well as date of last revision. I REALLY appreciate the fact that they’re pdf files which I can download, and consult when we’re not connected to the internet.

      Keep up the good work – it’s a VERY valuable resource!!!

      0
      February 25, 2008
    23. Jim O'Briant

      Wayne Bowen Says:

      > Thanks, Jim, for your work in gathering helpful information for the
      > overnighting RVer.

      You’re welcome. It will be a never ending task. Wal-Mart is opening stores faster than RVers are reporting on them! And there are a LOT of little parks, roadside areas, rest areas and so on yet to add to the Yahoo Group listing.

      Texas, for example, allows parking — but NOT camping — for up to 24 hours in rest areas and in most of their roadside picnic areas. There are about 100 rest areas in Texas, and over 900 additional pullouts designated as “roadside picnic areas,” mostly on 2-lane roads. I’m adding these to the listing as I get time, but it’s a slow process.

      > I hope to find comments re: the noise issue on sites such as
      > Flying J, Wal-Mart, etc., on your Yahoo Group.

      You won’t find any discussion on these issues on the OvernightRVParking Group, because the definition of “on-topic” messages there is very narrow: reports of places where RVers can park overnight, and reports of places where we can’t.

      However, I’ve started an “Overnight RV Parking” thread on the RV.net forum page, and all sorts of comments are welcome there.

      Jim O’Briant
      Gilroy, CA
      Moderator, OvernightRVParking Yahoo Group
      http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/OvernightRVParking/

      0
      February 25, 2008
    24. Ivylog

      One of the best sites I’ve found on boondocking is: http://www.allstays.com/campgrounds
      Has a seperate section on boondocking. Even a section on which WallMarts that DO NOT allow overnights.

      0
      February 25, 2008
    25. Wayne Bowen

      Thanks, Jim, for your work in gathering helpful information for the overnighting RVer.
      I hope to find comments re: the noise issue on sites such as Flying J, Wal-Mart, etc., on your Yahoo Group.

      0
      February 25, 2008

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