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Old 11-07-2016, 01:38 PM   #21
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RVParky App

My wife and I have traveled from Portland, OR, to Tallahassee, FL round trip twice in the past 20 months in our 318RETS. We've also spent 2 months each fall hunting across the NW and Midwest USA. Some nights we stay in RV parks, some in free campgrounds. The app we use most nights to find our lodging is RV Parky. Most RV campgrounds are listed but it also lists all Walmarts, Truck Fuel Stops, and Casinos. WE have put about 30,000 miles on our rig.

Most truck stops and many casinos have free parking for RV's. At the truck stops I do not put out the slides but at many casinos there are unimproved dirt or gravel lots for RV's that are free. USFS campgrounds are usually $10-14/ night which does not have much effect on the budget.

Good luck.
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Old 11-07-2016, 02:01 PM   #22
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Some rest stops allow, Walmart usually allow also and will have a no overnight stays if they don't. LOL, no campfires though Truck stops are good if you can get away from the trucks, it's too loud otherwise. We don't use stabilizers or slides when we stop at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. and park either where the other RV's are or way out of the way. At Truck stops we'll use our slides if we can get away from everyone.
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Old 11-07-2016, 02:20 PM   #23
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Pointerdog: Welcome to the forum and thanks for the tip on RVParky.

BTW, your avatar is a photo what kind of pointer?
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Old 11-07-2016, 02:25 PM   #24
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There is a federal law about sleeping in rest areas that states no more than 3 hours and no overnight camping. I saw the actual law posted while traveling through South Dakota last year. I've never been challenged but like others, I don't put slides out or jack up my RV. I do run the generator at times though. Last month, I spoke with a lot of the snowbirds heading south for the winter and they all said they use WalMart parking lots for 1 night stays. When they pull in, they let the manager know and have not had problems.
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Old 11-07-2016, 02:37 PM   #25
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There is a federal law about sleeping in rest areas that states no more than 3 hours and no overnight camping.
Not a federal law. Probably SD though. Each state has their own rules about rest area parking limits. In WI the limit is 24 hours occupied or not.
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Old 11-07-2016, 02:38 PM   #26
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There is a federal law about sleeping in rest areas that states no more than 3 hours and no overnight camping. I saw the actual law posted while traveling through South Dakota last year. I've never been challenged but like others, I don't put slides out or jack up my RV. I do run the generator at times though. Last month, I spoke with a lot of the snowbirds heading south for the winter and they all said they use WalMart parking lots for 1 night stays. When they pull in, they let the manager know and have not had problems.
Can you cite a source for this federal law?

I believe this is a state / local issue, not a federal one. Overnighting IS allowed at many of the rest stops I've been to.

ETA - looks like DocBrown beat me to it. It's easy to lead people down the wrong path by putting out 'facts' that aren't actually legit. No harm, no foul... it's just not accurate.
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Old 11-07-2016, 02:47 PM   #27
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Sorry about the confusion. Nest time I'm in South Dakota, I'll have to check the signage. As stated, I'm going by memory but I thought it was a federal statute. In any event, feel free to sleep for 3 hours in South Dakota!
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Old 11-07-2016, 06:16 PM   #28
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MY wife and I have been camping for well over 30 years in everything from a motorcycle camper to a 40' Class A. We call camping at waysides, Walmart's or truck stops boon-docking. We have only had one instance where we were bothered in all those years. In that situation we pulled into a Petro truck stop and it was basically empty, so after fueling, we pulled into the back of the parking area and went to sleep. Unbeknown to us a huge storm was headin our way so when it hit dozens of trucks pulled in looking for a place to park. One of the Petro employees pounded on my RV's door waking us. He demanded we move so a truck could have our spot. Needless to say I told him to drop dead. I mentioned that I just purchased almost $250 worth of fuel at his station and I had just as much right where I was considering the parking lot was nearly empty when I pulled in. Hearing that he backed off, realizing that one parking spot in this huge storm wasn't going to make any difference. Basically I do as everyone else does, if I pull in someplace and it seem dicey or I feel something just isn't right I move on. Done this a couple times with no regrets...
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Old 11-08-2016, 12:09 AM   #29
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The truck stops are usually very busy but the noise seems to only be bad if your parked next to a truck with a refer unit. They have no choice but to leave tem running all night. Bring ear plugs, it really helps a lot! You can also fill up your rig and get hot showers in private bathrooms if you wish.
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Old 11-08-2016, 05:49 AM   #30
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RVParky is a great free app for finding out about places that allow it and others that have reviewed on the rest areas, large gas stations, Big Box parking lots, etc.
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Old 11-08-2016, 06:00 AM   #31
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We've overnighted at truck stops a few times. It's just me I'm sure, but no matter how tired I am, I can't get comfortable enough at a road side rest stop / Walmart parking lot to get any sleep in at all. My hearing turns into hyper sensitive mode and every sound I hear outside has me freaking out / paranoid. For that reason I just do a little extra leg work and at least find some KOA's in route that I know I can actually sleep at.
This sounds like I wrote this!!! I tried a Walmart in the middle of nowhere Indiana, and was so freaking paranoid the whole time. There was another RV there, but was very dilapidated and that didn't help my paranoia!

I'm planning a Chicago to New Mexico trip and pretty much have two KOAs staked out the near perfect driving distance away from each other and my destination that I'll stop in at with electric/water only, probably won't even hook up water actually. Shower houses and their bathrooms are fine for two nights out of a week trip.
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Old 11-08-2016, 06:36 AM   #32
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We did a similar trip this past summer and stayed in Walmart parking lots. Most allow and we always felt safe. Plus you usually have restaurants within walking distance.
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Old 11-09-2016, 10:17 AM   #33
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We just returned from a multi-night journey out of state. Granted, our two over-nighters were in Texas, but perhaps the info will help.

The first night (on the way out) I found a really nice, big "travel information" rest area on the outskirts of Amarillo. In Texas, you can stay overnight for a rest, but (common sense) no "camping". TX DOT would rather you park it for a few hours than mop you (and others) off the highway. We pulled in between a truck and a Class A. The truck was either running or had a generator running, but since the noise was constant, it didn't take long to get used to, so it didn't bother us too much. There was a huge open area for me to walk the dog too. It was cool enough that I didn't have to run the generator for the AC, and not too cold that I had to run the furnace. Only once I woke up, because one truck departed and another arrived, and when he let out the air in his brakes, it was LOUD. But I went right back to sleep. In the morning, we went to a local restaurant for breakfast and were on our way. One of the only problems with this spot was that we couldn't leave our stairs down; the spaces were too close together. It wasn't that big a deal, but definitely something to think about if you are "mobility impaired" and can't climb into your rig without the stairs.

On the way home, DW found a "safety rest area" that was a little far off our route, but we had such a good experience the first time, I decided it might be worth it. We got there and the only parking was parallel along the roadway. I didn't like it at all. So we decided to head back into town to the Love's. We got there, and it was a HUGE lot. Plenty of spaces, but LOTS of trucks. I didn't like that spot either, so we headed for Wal-Mart where there were 4 or 5 other RVs parked. We found a spot, I did some work on the laptop, and we went to bed. I was nervous all night though, so I didn't sleep well. I had no reason to be nervous, but I'm like that. Anyway, in the AM, we put the slide out (so we could eat breakfast) and ran the genny (so we could make coffee). We were packed up and leaving around 8:30 am. I filled the tank at their gas station on the way out.

We made several meal stops where we found a spot out of the way, ran out our slide, ate our meal, and left. We did that at picnic areas and truck stops and never had a problem. Some of the truck stops would have been more than adequate for an overnight stay, but I wouldn't have stayed at any of the picnic areas overnight; they were much too deserted for me to feel safe.
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Old 11-09-2016, 10:28 AM   #34
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Walmart, Big K, Cabella and Bass Pro Shops are a great option without having semis and refer units running around you all night. Some friends have even stayed in RV dealer lots and simply left by 0800, no harm-no foul. Have a great trip!

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Old 11-10-2016, 11:12 AM   #35
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We stay at Walmart, but we're VERY careful to be sure it's in a good neighborhood (you can almost always tell). As others have said, be sure to ask first. We always ask if we can "park", not "camp" for the night. By the time 9 pm hits, there are usually a few others who have joined us. We love parking at Cracker Barrel and have never been told that we couldn't stay. We always buy dinner, breakfast or both when we stay at Cracker Barrel - they're almost always in safe locations. We would never stay at a rest area unless we were in extreme circumstances. They are scary, remote, dark. We've never stayed at Pilot/Flying J/Cabelas, but we would if we needed to without hesitation. We don't put out slides unless we absolutely have to - we want to look like we're parking, not camping.
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