(1) Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
R R 1, Pass Lake, ON P0T 2M0, Canada
I am going to just say it. This park was expensive, extremely expensive (in relative camping terms). I believe we payed $45 a night plus the cost of the park pass, however, this was possibly our favorite place we stayed on the entire east coast... maybe the exorbitant cost made us appreciate it more? Regardless, I would highly recommend this campground.
If you choose to camp here, I would also recommend going in the fall time. It's stunning and the campground is deserted. The fall colors and cool weather felt like a Canadian paradise. And the lake is cold but manageable if only for a brief polar-dip!
(2) Rocher Rouge Campground in Killarney Ontario
70 Ontario St, Killarney, ON P0M 2A0, Canada
This campground is one that is located behind the lady's home who runs the business. It's cheaper than other campgrounds in the area and close to The Crack, a hike which we would greatly recommend! It's pretty quirky with narrow, winding dirt roads that lead into a nature oasis with a lake front view. There are no lights or sounds at night, just you and the rustle of trees. While simple, this campground was a break from the usual glamping spots. One thing to note is that we could not figure out if the campsite provided showers or not.
*Might be tricky for larger RVs to access due to the narrow, winding dirt roads
(3) Stardust Drive-in Theatre in Ontario
893 Mt Albert Rd, Sharon, ON L0G 1V0, Canada
Yes, you saw that right. We did stay in a Drive-in Theatre. When we first found this spot, we thought it would be too good to be true. Three movies and a place to sleep, could anything be more perfect? We asked the manager and they said that people fall asleep watching the movies all the time and so we would not be bothered if we slept overnight. We watched IT Chapter 2, The Joker and Good Boys and then fell asleep! We were not bothered (as promised ) and had a wonderfully restful night.
(4) Hamilton Pier
This was a gem for overnight parking; it was free, close to downtown Hamilton and even had PUBLIC WASHROOMS. We stayed here for 4 nights as we worked in Hamilton and didn't have any issues. There is a train track near to the parking spot and so it was loud a couple times throughout the night, but other than that it was great! There are no signs that prohibit overnight parking and no one asked us to leave the entire time we were there.
(5) Camping in Washington -- C&O Canal Lock 21
10700 Swains Lock Rd, Potomac, MD 20854
This camping spot is along a backpacking trail hidden behind multi million dollar homes in Potomac. The campsites are free for people in tents and there are half a dozen parking spots for vehicles. The guidelines state that you shouldn't stay in the area for more than one night but we ended up staying there for four nights because it was the off season and no one else was camping with us.
When we arrived at the location we felt a little uneasy because there is a large cabin beside the parking so we were unsure if we were in the right spot. We phoned the park and they said it was more than okay for us to park there, and that was when we learned about the one night rule. The camping has porta-pottys but no access to potable water. There are beautiful walking paths leading in both directions, hence it being a backpackers campground, and they follow a large winding river.
There are more of these overnight spots located along the trail in Washington and if you are planning on staying in the area we would highly recommend giving these a shot. This location is a 35 minute drive from downtown Washington City.
*Not recommendable for larger RVs
(6) Walmart in Charleston
3951 W Ashley Cir, Charleston, SC 29414
I know what you're thinking, why would you add a Walmart to the list of the best camping spots on the east coast. I did this for a number of reasons. The first being that we stayed here for almost a week enjoying Charleston and working and were not bothered even once. It was quiet, safe and open 24 hours. Being open 24 hours usually means that parking there is allowed (or at least that's what we have noticed), because contrary to popular belief, not all Walmarts will let you stay overnight. The second reason this one should be noted is it is one of the only places we could find in proximity to Charleston.
Walmarts are great when parking is allowed, but they are not all created equally. This was definitely one of the quietest and most conveniently located ones!
(7) Cracker Barrel near the Space Kennedy Centre
4745 Helen Hauser Blvd, Titusville, FL 32780
Most people are not aware that parking overnight at Cracker Barrel is generally allowed. I wont say that all places allow it, but we have never run into issues. Some of the Cracker Barrel's even have designated stalls for RVs. If they didn't have these stalls then we simply asked the manager and have not yet been rejected. We have actually stayed at more Cracker Barrels than we have Walmarts, so they have started to feel like home...
This Cracker Barrel was particularly lovely. We wanted to watch the SpaceX Falcon Launch at the Kennedy Space Center and so this was where we stayed. We had paid to see the launch closer and then the launch was scrubbed so we had to stay a couple more days. The parking here was quiet, clean and well located to the launch site. To say thanks to the company, we always try and get snacks from the store at the front and occasionally even treat ourselves to brunch!
There is also a Flying J gas station close to this location where we paid for showers.
(8) Paradise Island RV Resort in Fort Lauderdale Florida
2121 NW 29th Ct, Oakland Park, FL 33311
This is an RV Resort, not a campground. This may seem obvious but this was unlike anything we had experienced before. Basically people drive their RVs to these locations and park them here, hook up to things like gas, water and sewer and stay here for extended periods of time.
They seemed genuinely confused when we said we only wanted to stay for four nights and wanted to make sure we hadn't intended to say months. This campground had the basic amenities like showers and laundry, but they also had WiFi and a POOL! By the end we were regretting our decision to not say months. The camping spot we had wasn't the most private but the amenities and people we met made up for the lack of privacy.
(9) Miccosukee Resort and Gaming Casino in Miami
500 SW 177th Ave, Miami, FL 33194
This was another place we stayed for almost a week while we explored the everglades and Miami. This casino is right on the edge of the Everglades and they allow free overnight parking if you register at the security desk. We also heard rumors that if you paid you could use the pool facilities (although we didn't have time to explore this possibility).
It is around a 45 minute drive into downtown Miami which isn't ideal, but for the price you cannot beat it!
(10) Leo's Campground and RV Park in Key West
5264 Suncrest Rd, Key West, FL 33040
The Keys are an area of the USA which free overnight parking is not available so we opted for a campsite. This campsite was lovely and pretty inexpensive compared to some of the camping spots in the Keys. We went over the American Thanksgiving weekend so it was also less busy than usual. Again, there wasn't a ton of privacy but we loved the staff, amenities and location.
BONUS LOCATION
(11) Basin Lot, Park First Parking Lot
1205 St Louis St, New Orleans, LA 70112
I am including this parking location after posting this because we just recently stayed here for 5 nights! This is 5 minutes from the French Quarter which we were concerned might be unsafe, but felt immediately comforted when we arrived. Weekdays it is $10 for 24hrs and weekends it is $20 for 24rs (pro tip, if you pay before 11:59 Friday night and after 12:01 on Sunday night then Saturday is the only expensive day).
It is located directly beside a police station (safety), Visitor Center (toilets) and Treme Recreation Community Center (free swimming, gym and showers!!) This place is well known by anyone traveling in an RV or van and therefore we had our own little community for our short stay! We were super happy with this location and would stay here again if we ever find ourselves back in New Orleans.
To see a map of the major cities that we drove to, click below to be redirected!
Disclaimer, these sites are listed in the order that we visited them (from North to South) rather than ranked in order of favorites.
Also, we found most of the free camping spots on an app called iOverlander. We would highly recommend downloading it if you are going on a road trip and want to spend less money on campsites. It provides alternatives to the usual camping spots!
If you have any questions about any of the places we stayed feel free to email me at justynmunro@gmail.com or message us through this website!