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| Above, boondocking in Quartzsite, Arizona last year. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
If it weren't for the sky-high prices of gasoline, I would be boondocking out in the Arizona desert in Choride with the Lost Dutchman Chapter of E Clampus Vitus this coming weekend.
Right now, the price for unleaded regular at the local Flying J is $4.039/gallon. It would cost me around $440 for the round trip. So I decided to skip it.
What is boondocking? Well, a new article in RV Travel explains it all in a comprehensive guide by Nanci Dixon.
She begins with:
Every camper needs a boondocking how-to guide. Boondocking is so underrated! Even among ardent campers, boondocking is often viewed as a last resort—an overnight stop when there is nowhere else to stay.
When I am talking with friends and family about my love of boondocking, I find that they generally underrate it. My sister and brother-in-law have heard me rave about Quartzsite, Arizona, so often that they decided to stop and look around on their way to California. The short drive-through certainly turned them off!
Boondocking has many definitions
Loosely speaking, boondocking is free camping without hookups, usually on federal or state land. The Bureau of Land Management has set aside areas where people can camp for free or at a minimal charge (use this wonderful book as your boondocking guide). Some places require registration and have a specific time limitation, usually 14 days. There are areas in the southwest that have long-term camping for a minimal seasonal fee and have fresh water fill and dump stations. Many National Forest areas are also available for free camping. They, too, have a time limit and can have size restrictions.
While pavement parking, “mooch camping,” rest areas and Walmart overnighting is free and without hookups, it is not boondocking in its purest sense.
To read more, go here.
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