We all know it: the RV lifestyle is more popular than ever. But don’t let the numbers fool you. It’s still possible to find top secret RV campsites, if you know how to find them. Check out these four smart ways to find uncrowded campgrounds in beautiful destinations.
The Upside of More RVers on the Road
If you’ve been loving the RV lifestyle for a while, the changes are obvious. More people than ever are buying new or used RVs and going camping. Even families camping with young kids go RVing year-round, not just in summer.
RVing is changing from a summertime activity to an all-year, all-weather way of life. Some people see this as a negative. But if you’re an optimist like me, it’s easy to turn RVing’s popularity into a positive that makes camping better. Let’s look at two ways to reframe the situation:
Beginner RVers tend to stick to popular locations.
Folks new to RVing naturally gravitate to well-known camping locations. New RVers are living out bucket list campsite destinations like national parks. They play it safe by camping at popular RV resorts on the west coast. Many go snowbird RVing to Florida, Texas, and Southern California. Rarely do they give boondocking a try, at least for anything other than Walmart camping.
More RVers encourage new RV park locations and upgrades.
It’s taking some time, but market forces are responding to the surge of new nomads looking for places to camp. Investors are putting their money into campgrounds around the U.S. by building new RV parks and improving old ones. Some are creating high-tech RV parks too!
Be patient, change is coming.
The fact is, new RVers learn to love the lifestyle, or hate it. If you think there’s too many RVers on the road now, be patient. The longer people learn to RV, the better they get out it. Experienced campers often choose to seek out more private RV sites and secluded camping. When all of us spread out our camping around the country, it’s a win-win for everyone. Here’s how to do it.
How to Find Secluded, Uncrowded RV Campgrounds
Can you really find top secret campsites? Sort of. Let’s be real. Thanks to the internet and Google maps, no camping spots are secret anymore. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means that we have access to more places than ever. If you want private camping, you can still find it in beautiful locations that many RVers overlook. This makes these camping spots practically top secret in my book. Here’s how I do it.
Step 1: Don’t go where everybody goes.
Want to camp in private, far from crowds? First, study a map and pinpoint locations far from major cities and big attractions. Then read campground reviews of parks in those locations. Your goal is to find out-of-the-way, uncrowded RV campgrounds and resorts that don’t appeal to the masses.
For instance, if you want to go west coast RV camping without crowds, drive inland. Don’t go to the coast. There’s no end to expansive, breathtaking high desert destinations in places like Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Many RVers tend to avoid those areas because they think the desert is empty, or boring. But if you give new scenery a chance, you just might learn to love it.
Be brave! Take a chance and go discover a new uncrowded camping destination in an off-beat destination that you might not have considered.
Step 2: Camp Monday through Friday.
People are naturally inclined to camp on weekends only. Even many retired folks can’t seem to break that habit of equating weekends with camping. But if your goal is to enjoy secluded camping in beautiful places, plan to hit the road during the week. Full-time RVers can time their travels to arrive at popular destinations between Monday and Friday too. It’s not hard to enjoy camping privacy when everyone else is working.
Step 3: Stay away from camping locations with cellular service.
If you want to stay away from camping crowds, look for campground reviews of locations without cellular service. Then, go there.
In my fifteen years full-time RVing, I’ve never seen anything change RVing more than cellular connectivity. The ability to get online in more places is a blessing and a curse. It enables folks to work online in beautiful places like I do. But it also encourages more people to camp in those locations.
The fact is, people love the security that cellular services provides. I do too. But I also accept that there’s a time and a place when it’s just not necessary. And it’s those places that often lead to quiet, spectacular, beautiful private campsites nobody else wants because cellular service is terrible or doesn’t exist at all.
Step 4: Plan as far ahead as possible.
Campground locations are not hard to find if you plan ahead. When you know where you want to go, take the necessary steps to reserve your private campsite. Even if you think a spot won’t be popular, why risk crowds? RVers surveyed in 2021 report that booking RV campsite reservations early makes it much easier to go where you want to, when you want to do it.
Conclusion: Top Secret RV Campsites are Out There
More RVers are on the road. But more campers doesn’t mean top secret RV campsites are a thing of the past. Learn to expand the boundaries of how, when and where you go RV camping. When you do your RV camping homework, you’re guaranteed to find private campsites in beautiful locations few others are willing to explore.
One of the best ways to find privacy while camping is to plan wisely. RV Trip Wizard is the best way to get all the information you need to enjoy secluded campsites in great destinations!
