Written By
Dave Helgeson
Ideas for:
Long gone are the days of showing up and picking any old site.
Obtaining a reservation for a campsite in national parks is just as difficult
There is hope if you're willing to think outside the box (or more likely outside the park).
Ideas for free and low-cost camping near national parks include:
Some national park and monuments allow “roadside camping” (dispersed camping) inside or nearby
Examples:
Death Valley National Park
Gold Butte National Monument
El Malpais National Monument
Another way you might score a campsite just minutes from the park:
State and federal lands that allow boondocking
Search with the phrase: “dispersed camping near __(name of the park).”
How to find those alternative camping areas:
The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
Other campground alternatives might be found in places like:
State forest lands
Department of Natural Resources lands
Wildlife reserves
Fishing access sites
State trust lands