The Centennial State has a solid mix of BLM and national forest lands, but often very crowded and increasingly policed. We still placed Colorado in our top 10 because the landscape is still breathtaking, and because there are some really solid, “true” boondocking areas. You’d think that Colorado would place higher in our list of best boondocking states, but in our years of boondocking across the country, we found that dispersed camping is becoming more crowded and more restricted. It’s network of highway rest areas are generally open for overnight parking, but can be limited in some areas. Idaho also has a strong system of camping administered by its State Fish & Game department. It’s national forests are fraught with roads packed with dispersed camping that you’ll never have a problem finding idyllic views. But its gorgeous scenery of forests and mountains make Idaho destination to return to every summer. The Gem State has a strong overall balance of BLM lands and national forest lands, including a very popular system of state trust lands. It too has a lenient state trust land system, along with a lenient system of highway rest areas. You have the massive Fort Peck Lake in the east, and the very popular Canyon Ferry Lake in the center. But one of its best kept secrets is all the boondocking along the Missouri River. During the height of summer, you can easily boondock at 8,000 to 10,000 feet for cool comfort, and not have to fight to find a site. While there is plenty of BLM land in the eastern half of the state, it’s really the national forest lands in the west that make Big Sky Country a winner. Once again, a wide variety of boondocking choices is what makes this northern state a top favorite. It’s rest areas are not as lenient as Arizona and Utah, and they don’t offer any state trust lands for camping purposes. We also like Wyoming having the lowest gas prices west of the Rockies. During the summer you can still find cool weather boondocking as high as 10,000 feet. The best part is that these lands are less crowded than Arizona and Utah. I mean, Montana bills itself as “Big Sky Country”, but Wyoming ought to call itself “Big Landscape Country” because when you go boondocking there, that’s what you notice… so much land! It too has tons of acreage of BLM land and national forest land that you’ll never be able to see it all. It’s really the amazing landscapes that keep bringing us back to the Cowboy State. And Utah’s scenery seems to be a bit more spectacular too.

Their state trust lands are more lenient than Arizona’s. Utah’s system of rest areas have no limitations on overnight parking. Utah tends to be more crowded in the summer than Arizona, but there still seems to be plenty of land go around. But in the warmer parts of the year, it too offers a multitude of boondocking choices. Even if you remained at low elevation, it still gets terribly cold and you’ll find yourself stressing over frozen water lines. The Beehive State was almost our pick for number one except that it’s just not seasonally friendly in the winter. As long as your RV has air conditioning, you can stay comfortable all year round. But Arizona is the only “true” four season boondocking state in that you can camp at high elevation in the summer and low elevation in the winter. Even its system of highway rest areas are lenient with no restrictions on overnight parking. Its state trust lands are also popular with boondockers, and it’s also home to the only national wildlife refuge with true boondocking. You have lots of BLM land and lots of national forest land. The Grand Canyon State seems to have best mix of federal land choices. We keep going back to Arizona because it offers so much flexibility and so many boondocking choices.īut here is a run down of our top 10 favorite boondocking states… 1. We’ve boondocked all across the western United States, including Alaska and parts of Canada, as well as some states in the Midwest. Boondocking in Coconino National Forest, Arizona What is the Best State for Boondocking? You can head to high elevation in the summer and low elevation in the winter, and still remain relatively comfortable. This is because the Grand Canyon State is the only true, “four season state” for boondocking. The best state for boondocking in our opinion is Arizona.

Boondocking in utah