Let me preface by saying this: we love campgrounds, especially those of the local and family-owned variety. Sometimes, however, a person just needs to escape. No playing roulette on whether your camp neighbors will be participating in drunk shenanigans at 3 am or have a teething toddler that screams all hours of the night (God bless you, mama, I have been there! ha) Enter: Boondocking. AKA our favorite way to camp.
What is Boondocking? Well, trendy as it has become, it is way folks have been camping before RV Resorts became a thing. It means no hook ups of any kind, no electric pole, no water hose, and certainly no sewer connection. Where? Well that’s the beauty of it! Pretty much anywhere! National forests, state land, federal land, aunt Jenny’s alpaca farm, you name it.
What are the sites like? Boondocking campsites come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some might be actual campsites that even have a fire ring or picnic table, they are just “rustic” meaning no hook ups. Others are not camp sites at all. You just roll up in a clearing and set up shop. One guaranteed feature, Boondocking sites are going to be scenic and quiet.
How do I find a site? Well if you are renting with us, ask me. Other sources are recreation.gov or national forest pages-for established sites with no hookups. If you want to find something totally off the beaten path on public land, OnX is a great app to use. It shows real time property boundaries and who owns what so that you don’t accidentally set up shop on angry uncle Bill’s off grid cabin land. If you are a hunter, or have one in your life, they probably know, and love, OnX. You can even hook it up to your maps in your vehicle. If you are in to the socials, Facebook and YouTube have a lot of great resources too-with GPS coordinates to boot.
So, there are no hook ups, does that mean I have to camp in the dark? Absolutely not! All of our RV Rental units are equipped with solar panels and batteries and we send our Boondockers with our super quiet generators to keep things charged. Our Class C Rental, Kodi, already has a propane generator built in and that will run everything, including AC, when you are not plugged in. Kodi is also equipped with an AC TV so that will also run off just battery.
Will you have to run a generator all day? No, and in some sites, you can’t. What runs without a generator? Heat, USB, stove and griddles (propane), lights, and water. Therefore, all you need a generator for is the microwave (cook over the fire), the AC (open some windows), and outlets (TV’s). In our case, we like to Boondock in the mountains, so AC is never an issue.
Time to spill the beans. Our favorite Boondocking spots? Okay, twist my arm. Locally, I love the National Forest Campgrounds. Our property is located within the Paul Bunyan State Forest which holds two actual campgrounds where you can Boondock, Gulch (9 sites) and Mantrap (36 sites). Gulch is located on super secluded and beautiful Lake 21 and Mantrap is located on, you guessed it, Mantrap Lake, a mecca for fisherman and a gorgeous place to site see.
Out of state, we love the Bighorns and pretty much anywhere else in between here and Montana. The Bighorns have a ton of sites to choose from, and some actually do have electricity-but they’re also jam packed on the weekends. Prune Creek is one of my absolute favorites, but you really cannot go wrong in that area. A note for those camping with littles, Prune Creek and many of the others on the creek might not be the best choice. Prune Creek can be more like Prune raging river, especially in the Spring and the sites are close to and on the water. Otherwise, it is beautiful to look at, fun to fish, and amazing to listen to. While visiting the Bighorns, be sure to check out Shell Falls, try your hand at trout fishing in Sibley Lake, and visit the local communities. Greybull is a favorite of ours for antiquing and lunch on the patio at Lisa’s is hard to beat. More guides to come, thanks for reading and stay tuned!
