
Zoom out on the map to get a larger view of the area Zoom out of the town a bit by selecting the “-” button at the top right of the map (circled in red below), until you get to an image that looks something like the one below. The map will reposition itself centered on the town of Pagosa Springs. Type in “Pagosa Springs, CO” and select the first option for “Pagosa Springs, CO, USA (Auchuleta County).” Then select the “Go!” button. Click on the search icon, as indicated in the red circle below. Next, we’ll search for the town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. We’ll come back to this box later in the tutorial. We may not know the name of the specific national forest in that area, but the map will help us find it out.Ĭlose the “Explore” box by clicking the X in the top right corner of the box, as indicated with the red circle on the image below. To start, let’s assume we’re looking for a boondocking location near Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
BOONDOCKING RV HOW TO
Interactive Forest Service Visitor Mapįrom here you can navigate to explore many incredible features, such as finding campgrounds, hiking trails, nature viewing spots, and more.īut the purpose of this tutorial is to show you how to find dispersed camping locations on USFS land, so we’ll stay focused on using the map for this purpose. When you first open the map, you’ll be presented with the following image. The map can be used on personal computers, smart phones, or tablet devices. It provides the public with an online view of Forest Service roads, recreation sites, wilderness areas, and wild and scenic rivers.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to check out the newly released Forest Service Visitor Map. With the newly released Forest Service Visitor Map version 2.0, finding dispersed camping spots on USFS land just got a whole lot easier for RVers. Forest Service calls it, is camping in an area in which there are none of the amenities you will find at a developed campground, such as bathrooms, picnic tables, and drinking water.Īlthough the USFS has established campgrounds in the forests and grasslands for a fee, boondocking refers to camping in areas other than these established campgrounds. It is equal to 8.4 percent of the total land area in the United States, so we’re talking about a huge amount of the great outdoors that is available for your recreational enjoyment.īoondocking, or dispersed camping as the U.S. The 193 million acres of land that the USFS manages is equivalent to an area larger than Texas. Department of Agriculture that manages and protects 154 national forests and 20 grasslands in 43 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The USFS is a multi-faceted agency of the U.S. Boondocking on United States Forest Service Land
BOONDOCKING RV FREE
To find a wider range of possible boondocking sites, use the free approach outlined in this tutorial. They are also the same potential sites being scouted by others using these apps and may be already taken by other campers. (See this post about how we find camping sites, including boondocking sites.) Boondocking with our Airstream at a pullout along Madden Peak Road (FR 316) west of Durango, ColoradoĬampendium, AllStays, etc are great tools and we use them all the time, but they simply do not include all of the many potential boondocking locations on US Forest Service lands. Hence the need for this tutorial, so that you’re not limited to the already documented recreational vehicle boondocking sites indicated on popular websites and apps such as Campendium, AllStays, and others. There are several websites and apps that campers can use to find free boondocking locations, but I’ve yet to find one that includes all of the great potential campsite locations that you can easily find using the free tools from the USFS. Forest Service Visitor Map and official Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) developed by the USFS and available for free. This tutorial will show you how to find great boondocking sites in National Forests using the interactive U.S.



Forest Service (USFS) land using free mapping tools?
BOONDOCKING RV FOR FREE
Thank you for supporting the work that goes into developing RV Hive!ĭid you know that there’s an easy way to find out where you can boondock in your recreational vehicle (RV) for free on U.S. If you choose to purchase an item linked from this post, RV Hive may receive a small commission, at no cost to you.
