7 Places You Can Park Overnight & Sleep On A Road Trip
If you are about to embark on a road trip, this is a question you will have to ask yourself every night. Where should I pull over to spend the night? When you're on a road trip it is important to get a good night's sleep to take full advantage of whatever the new day brings.
Assuming you are not staying in a hotel or looking for a place to pitch a tent, it can be quite difficult finding somewhere to sleep in your vehicle.
You want somewhere that has privacy, is safe and quiet. Some place you can cook dinner and use the facilities when nature calls. However, it can be tough to tick all of the boxes just mentioned but we have managed to compile a list of 7 places you can park overnight and sleep on a road trip along with their advantages and disadvantages.
Fortunately, America is a very road-trip friendly country. What I mean by that is it has well maintained roads, scenic byways and highways, cheap gas and many places you could potentially pull over and park overnight to sleep without getting into trouble with the law.
We have parked overnight at all of the places listed below so if you have any questions feel free to ask us in the comments section below.
ROAD TRIP ESSENTIALS
7 Places You Can Park Overnight & Sleep On A Road Trip
1. Walmart
You may have already heard that it is completely legal to park and sleep overnight in your vehicle at all Walmart parking lots. This has been true in all of our experiences. In fact, we have seen RV's and campervans that are set up permanently at some Walmart locations.
Advantages of Staying At Walmart
Walmart is at the top of the list because they are easy to find and located all across the country. It is such a relief when you find somewhere you can park overnight and know that you will not be told to move on in the middle of the night.
In addition, their parking lots are well lit for added security. Some Walmart's are 24 hours so you know there is always going to be help nearby if needed and you will have access to their bathroom facilities.
Another bonus of Walmart? Most of the stores have free Wifi!
Disadvantages of Staying At Walmart
The only disadvantage of Walmart is that because it is well lit you may have trouble getting to sleep. And forget about sleeping in because shopper's will be coming and going starting REALLY early in the morning!
2. Casinos
Casino's are another great place to spend the night when it comes to feeling secure. They are always open 24 hours so you can be assured there are security officers patrolling all night long along with security camera's in the parking lots.
We’re not sure if they actually mind folks parking overnight and sleeping in their vehicles but we have never had any trouble spending the night at a casino before. Especially in Las Vegas.
The fact that your vehicle is parked for over eight hours at a casino will not seem odd because people who gamble spend a large amount of time inside casino’s, usually into the wee hours of the morning. As long as staff think you are inside spending money, I am sure they won't mind you parking overnight here.
As mentioned above, this tip works well for traveling in Las Vegas or road trips through the state of Nevada.
As always, be stealth about sleeping in your vehicle and be respectful of your surroundings. This means not attracting attention to yourself by listening to loud music, cooking outside, or constantly getting in and out of your vehicle. This is for your own sake and for the sake of others.
Firstly, you do not want to be told to move on by security or blow your chances of going back to the same spot the next night if needed. Secondly, you don’t want to ruin things for future road-tripping folks by having staff crack down on this type of situation.
Advantages of Staying At Casinos
Some more advantages of staying at casino parking lots besides security include access to bathroom facilities and the availability of food, tea and coffee at all hours. Most casino’s usually have reasonably priced menu item’s available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I suppose if you like to gamble there is that too.
Disadvantages of Staying At Casinos
There are not many disadvantages of staying at casino parking lots except as mentioned above, it is not a place you can get in and out of your vehicle as you please because it will draw too much attention to your situation and you will risk being told to move on.
Casino's can sometimes be hard to come by if gambling is illegal in the state you are driving through however you may still stumble across a few on Indian reservations.
3. Rest Stops
Rest stops are a great place to spend overnight sleeping in your car if you are still on the way to your destination but start to get sleepy and tired. You will most likely pass many rest stops driving on highways and interstate roads in the USA.
Advantages of Staying At Rest Stops
Rest stops are a great place to stop and stay for one night or maybe even two because it is legal to do so. This means you won't get a tap on your window during deep slumber!
Most rest stop's have 24 hour bathroom facilities and some even have picnic tables. If you are lucky there may even be volunteers serving tea and coffee the next morning.
Disadvantages of Staying At Rest Stops
The only thing I would say is the downside to rest stops is that they can feel unsafe in some places. I am referring to those rest stops that are in the middle of nowhere and not lit very well but this is more than likely my over active imagination. I have watched one too many horror films that begin with a lonely rest stop.
Even though there is probably nothing to worry about you should always be aware of your surroundings. If there are others car camping at the rest stop you can always park closer to them for safety. And if something doesn't feel right just move on.
4. Welcome Information Centers
Once you have crossed a state line (for example from California into Oregon) you will encounter signs pointing you in the direction of a ‘Welcome Center’. These places usually have good sized parking lots that you could potentially park overnight and sleep just for one night if you are desperate.
Advantages of Staying At Welcome Information Centers
Advantages of staying overnight at these places is that you will more than likely have the whole place all to yourself because they are not a popular or obvious choice when looking for somewhere to car camp.
This means if you were to get out of your vehicle to cook a meal after hours you would not attract much attention (we like to cook on our Coleman gas stove outside of our van) and even if you were to get out and cook during opening hours I am sure the staff inside these Visitor Center’s would not pay any mind to you. I mean, they are there to cater for motorist’s traveling across the states.
An added bonus is that you will be able to obtain free maps and get some information on the state’s highlight’s and learn about things to do in the area once the center opens in the morning.
Disadvantages of Staying At Welcome Information Centers
The disadvantages are that you won't be able to access bathroom facilities until the center opens in the morning.
5. BLM Land
BLM Land (Bureau of Land Management) offers dispersed camping for all so feel free to car camp without fear of getting into trouble with the law or if you have a tent with you, feel free to pitch your tent anywhere you like!
You can generally camp anywhere on BLM land as long as it is outside of designated campsite area’s or trail heads.
Camping (or car camping) is allowed on BLM land for up to 14 days and sometimes up to 30 days FOR FREE!
If you do camp on these public lands, please make sure you follow the Leave No Trace principles to reduce your impact on the land. This means pack out all of your trash!
Advantages of Staying On BLM land
The best thing about staying on BLM land is that it is completely legal to do so. Not only that, but it is completely legal to spend a considerable amount of time on BLM land even if you are sleeping in your vehicle. And guess what? It’s free!
Of course the surrounding natural beauty, solitude and open spaces found on these lands are also a huge perk!
Disadvantages of Staying On BLM land
There are no real disadvantages to staying on BLM land except that most public lands are located in the western half of the United States. Basically, if you are road tripping through the eastern parts of the USA this might not be an option for you.
6. Grocery Stores, Shopping Malls & Fast Food Outlets, Parking Lots
All of the above have been grouped together as their advantages and disadvantages are similar.
If you are in suburban area's you may be tempted to sleep in your car at any of these types of places because parking here is convenient and it may seem safe.
Yes, they are well lit and some have security camera's too for the added safeness factor, however do be aware that it is probably not legal and you may be told to move on during the night. Having said this, we have stayed at some grocery store parking lots for nights on end with no trouble at all.
Advantages of Staying At Grocery Stores and Shopping Malls
Grocery store and mall parking lots are convenient in suburban area’s as you do not need to drive very far to come across one.
And even though you shouldn’t cook here (it will draw too much attention) it won’t be a problem because you can just go grab something to eat from inside the store.
Also, it’s great having quick access to restroom facilities in the morning for freshening up and brushing your teeth.
Disadvantages of Staying At Grocery Stores and Shopping Malls
Once the grocery store or mall closes you should not get out of your vehicle as this will draw attention to your situation. You will risk getting a tap on your window from a police officer telling you to move on or worst case scenario it is illegal to sleep overnight in your vehicle and you are served a ticket.
Another thing to be aware of is that parking lots at malls are sometimes not very safe. Thieves may target your vehicle under the assumption it is unoccupied.
7. City Street Parking
Finding somewhere to park overnight and sleep in your car in cities or urban area's can be tough. If you're on a budget and trying to avoid the expensive costs of staying in a hotel your only option may be to park on… the street!
Advantages of City Street Parking
Depending on which city you are visiting (or area of the city you are visiting) it is probably pretty safe to sleep in your vehicle.
And the good news is that late night parking is usually free (as opposed to parking meters used in the day).
However, remember it is never legal to be sleeping inside a vehicle on city streets so therefore it is important to be inconspicuous.
Disadvantages of City Street Parking
The downside of sleeping on a city street is that there will be no nearby restroom facilities available which can be a tough situation for female’s. Especially when it’s 3 am in the morning and nature calls.
Other disadvantages are that it will be a noisy environment with pedestrians constantly walking by and loud traffic going past.
It is also not the greatest feeling in the world when you wake up not feeling very fresh surrounded by all those normal people who have showered and look fantastic.
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