Where Can You Camp For Free In Illinois

The more information you have, the more informed your decisions.Whether you enjoy tent camping, car camping or RV camping, our goal is to help you find the best places to go camping. We believe that free camping areas are often the most beautiful and peaceful camp sites. You own these lands and you are entitled to use them. We especially like camping on Forest Service land, BLM areas, WMA’s and county or city parks. We hope you enjoy the same style of camping.

However, visiting local places of interest was always rather stressful as we had no way of locking the equipment being carried on our bicycles. Sometimes, we took it in turn to visit a place — one visiting whilst the other would keep watch over our things. This did take the fun out of having a shared experience but better that than leaving our things on view ready to be stolen. It’s just so sad that people can’t be trusted to keep their hands off other peoples’ property these days. Of course, sight-seeing is all part of the bicycle touring experience and it’s so sad that this is becoming more and more difficult. My answer for next time I go touring is to have a support vehicle to carry all our things and take us to places a little off the cycle route so we can enjoy the tour even more.

Free Camping In Private Business Parking Lots

I plan on hitch-hiking through France to Spain and will hopefully be wild-camping, along with utilizing resources such as couchsurfing and hospitalityclub. Hi Jarrod, Thats funny I had the same experience in Laos. No coincidence cos I was staying in the same field as you. I guess its more dangerous to step over a sign in Alaska “No tresspassing” and camp out there.

It’s my 4 year now, and I looove the freedom it’s give me. Always free camping as it commen to to here in Scandinavia. My husband and I never used official camp sites and we were camping with a car. Although this was years ago we still point out “good camp sites ” as we see them today and would have used in those days. The seven wilderness areas offer primitive backcountry recreation in non-motorized areas of the forest.

Whether you just need to know where to camp nearby or you want to plan a free camping road trip, we’ve got you covered. You can simply use your smart phone’s GPS to find camping near you or even use our trip planner to plan your route from coast to coast. Sleeping in your vehicle overnight within the National Park is not allowed. If found, you could be subject to a citation, so it’s best to avoid the situation altogether. One of the most photographed locations in the state, Garden of the Gods’ scenic beauty is extraordinary.

What Is wild Camping?

It consists of a mixed landscape from Lake Michigan in the northern part of the state to the Shawnee Hills in the south with prairies and cornfields in between. You can get away from the hustle of the day-to-day and spend time in quiet solitude, enjoying the natural beauty of Illinois. Whether you want to go rock climbing in Jackson Falls, visit a canyon, catch a waterfall, spend the day hiking or explore the grasslands, it is possible in the Prairie State. And for boondockers, Illinois provides plenty of opportunities to find dispersed and primitive camping in and near state parks and forest areas. Free, dispersed camping is permitted in many areas throughout the Shawnee National Forest. You won’t find amenities like water, dumpsters or toilet facilities at these campsites.

This means primitive camping outside of designated campgrounds, and well into the wilderness areas of the park. As long as you plan to camp in these areas, you are free to camp wherever you want. Starved Rock State Park might be the most popular state park in Northern Illinois. It has 18 vertical wall canyons and stunning waterfalls cutting through 13 miles of trails.

There is RV and tent camping here as well as cabin rentals. The campground has full amenities including electric hook ups, shower houses and a dump station. There are 35 state parks that allow camping in Northern Illinois. All of the state parks listed below allow tent camping; and 16 of them have space for 5th wheel travel trailers or RV motorhomes. Having said this, we have stayed at some grocery store parking lots for nights on end with no trouble at all.

Top Places To Visit In An Rv In August

Absolutely nothing scary happened, and one farmer only laughed when he found me on his field. It was pretty easy to find quiet spots in Valencia and Barcelona, very near the cities as well. The disappearingly small, camo pattern bivy helped to stay out of sight.

You would not be allowed to leave your vehicle overnight at any designated Day-Use area or where blocking a road or other access. Not all rest areas welcome overnight camping in their parking lots, however, many do. Check with the states’ Department Of Transportation ahead of time to prevent any trouble.

Camping At Illinois State Parks

You may not take a shower, but you must go to the toilet. So this question is not unreasonable at all. Regarding bathing, it depends on the route that you can bathe or not.

If you’re camping in an area that allows overnight parking, such as a truck stop or Walmart parking lot, you will likely have access to a bathroom and a place to dispose of garbage. Panther Den Wilderness was designated as such by Congress in 1990. The River to River Trail system is a highlight of the area, which is well-marked and features several … The Shawnee Forest Campground is one of the newest in the state of Illinois, offering 60 RV sites, each with water, sewer, and electric hook-ups, as well as picnic tables and fire rings. Sites are available for $40 a night or $15 per night for tent camping.

Stealth camping is camping without being noticed. Some people do this in urban areas, while some venture into wild locations. Sometimes the camping is considered legal, while other times it’s illegal (which we don’t recommend!). For many, it’s done thinking it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission. Class C motorhomes range in size from 21 feet to 35 feet and come in both gas and diesel models. Like the Class A, these motorhomes can tow a small vehicle for daytrips while you are camping.

And also, most importantly, we really need to know when to stop. Perhaps, I can return the favor by helping a little on the bear end… I am a wildlife ecologist/bear specialist , avid long distance sea kayaker, and wanna-be continental cycle tourer. For anyone interested in travelling in bear country, I have posted some web links for bear awareness and safety resources for reference on my blog. I plan on riding across Canada next summer, but I have to say that I am somewhat concerned about bears. Holland actually has a network of legal free-camping spots. Great article, definitely feel like I’m a step closer to heading out and getting it done.

They’re not letting anything get between them and free food. The Wilds is billed as a “funtastic” escape, and families pay around $350 a week to send their kids to its campgrounds nestled … Crowded around largely mask-free outdoor activities during … Head south to the rolling hills of Shawnee Forest Country for outdoor adventures any time of year. Nestled by the Ohio River, the extreme southeast corner of Illinois is dominated by forested hills, many of them in the Shawnee National Forest. There is a separate lot behind the McDonald’s useful for a quick overnight stay.

The police are more intterested in staying near the nightlife than trudging all the way up a mountain to tell you off. This was wonderful — I’ve been hitchhiking through Europe for the last couple of months and there’s always SOMEWHERE to camp out. Even in the places where there isn’t somewhere, there is somewhere. Anyway, just love reading articles from other people who aren’t scared of the world. At last I have proof for my other half that I am not mad. I have not yet taken advantage of free camping but have just about convinced the boss to cycle from northern England to Morocco.

If you are lucky there may even be volunteers serving tea and coffee the next morning. Published over half a million words on this blog to help you get started with cycle touring & bikepacking. Ive spent the last year on my Fat tire Mt. Bike camping not so much for fun but cause I really had too. One thing that helped me out when camping long term in one spot to avoid detection was not creating a path to your site. Using a road or other feature that hides a wearable path is good for stealthing. Also not letting cars see you coming and going is good too.

So go for it, sleep out.……you might just help someone to trust people again. I really admire your tenacity, and loved the pictures on your flickr site. But it wouldn’t be very good for your spine if you slept in one consistently for a period of time. Everyone here in the States is worried about everything.