Free RV Camping in Pennsylvania

Types of Sites

• Some sites that offer free overnight camping for recreational vehicles are large RV dealers, outdoor goods and hunting stores, rest stops, travel plazas, casinos, some stadiums and some wildlife refuge areas and federal lands. According to the website Free RV Camping, some logging companies will even allow RVers to stay on their clear cut land. Some membership based RV campgrounds may also offer a few nights free to potential new members or visitors.
  
  

Examples

• While parking lots may not offer all the amenities of a campground, you can often stay in your RV for free.lone tree in an empty parking lot image by dav820 from Fotolia.com
  
  Different sites offer different quality experiences and amenities.
  
  Walmart lists which of its store parking lots welcome RVs for an overnight stay in a free guide, according to the Overnight Free Parking Guide website.
  
  Cabela's, an outdoor and hunting goods store in Hamburg, has parking for RVs on its parking lot, along with a horse corral, outdoor dog run and a dump station for customers to use.
  
  According to FreeCampgrounds.com, some rest areas on Pennsylvania's Interstate Highways have spaces where you can park your recreational vehicle for the night. According to their website, the rest stop in Allentown, Pa., offers a dump station and rest rooms, along with picnic tables on the grounds.
  
  The Flying J Travel Plaza in Carlisle, Pa., offers water, sewer and dump stations for those needing a place to stay overnight.
  
  The Gettysburg Battlefield Resort in Gettysburg, Pa., offers three days and two nights free to potential new members.
  
  

Designation

• Most free RV camping sites are not officially designated for camping. They are technically parking lots that allow an overnight stay or two for travelers.
  
  Some RVers refer to the practice of staying overnight in a business's parking lot or rest area as "dry docking" or "boondocking" because there is no hookup for electricity or water; however, those terms are more often used by RVers to refer to RV camping in the wild or in state parks. There is no official term for staying in an RV overnight in a parking lot, though some refer to it as "overnighting" and others may call it RV parking.
  
  

Length of Stay

• Most areas that offer free stays in your RV have limits on how many nights you can stay. Some will only allow one night, such as rest areas, travel plazas and some stores. Others may allow several nights stay. Rest areas and store or casino parking lots may have notices posted about the allowed length of stay. Other undesignated, overnight RV camping sites may not have an official policy on the length of stay allowed.
  
  

Amenities

• Areas that allow free RV camping usually have limited, if any, amenities available. Parking lots will have no hookups for water, sewer or electric, but could be near stores that offer restaurants and public bathrooms. Some rest areas may have dump stations and public restrooms, but no showers or hookups, while others may charge a fee to use their dump stations or could offer showers. RV campgrounds will offer all the amenities their members receive but could also charge a fee for use of their dump station. These fees are usually nominal.
  
  

Considerations/Warnings

• While RV travelers can find many places in Pennsylvania where they can stay a night or two for free, there are some things they should consider.
  
  Many undesignated camp sites, such as parking lots, rest areas or casinos, may not have an official policy about staying there and could ask you to leave for any reason.
  
  Store parking lots are private property. Not all stores will allow you to park in their lot overnight. Many will have signs posted alerting you to this. It is best to check with the property manager before staying for the night, as municipalities may change their rules about overnight parking in store lots, according to the Overnight Free Parking Guide online.
  
  Many RV groups online encourage you to be considerate of overnight parking areas since rowdy groups, litter and other issues may lead to a store closing its lot to RVers.
  
  Free RV camping sites in the wilderness won't have any hookups or restrooms and could be long distances from towns and rest areas.
  
  Public lands or wilderness areas that offer hookups could ask for some volunteer work in return.
  
  

Hidden Fees

• While some wilderness areas in Pennsylvania will allow you to stay on state lands at no charge for several nights, you may have to pay for a public lands permit. But, the one-time fee will cover your stay on any public lands for that state, according to the website Free RV Camping. You may be obligated to listen to a sales pitch if you take advantage of free stays at RV campgrounds.