Overnighting in Rest Areas, the Best and the Worst States
Highway rest areas make great places for overnight stays when traveling from one destination to another. Which states have the best rest areas, and which are the worst?
Highway rest areas are managed by each state for the primary purpose of “relieving driver fatigue”. But they also happen to make great places for overnight stops when traveling from one destination to another.
We’ve overnighted at hundreds of rest area facilities across the United States and have noticed patterns emerge as to which states take the best care of their facilities and offer the most amenities…
The Best State Rest Areas
Kansas - it’s the only state that specifically allows “camping” at their rest areas, not just sleeping in your vehicle. Each rest area comes with a campground consisting of a looped road specifically for cars, vans, and RVs to set up camp. You can pitch a tent on these grounds, roll out your awning, set up patio chairs, and grill burgers. Most of rest areas include free dump stations. There is a 24-hour time limit when staying here. Read the full Kansas Rest Area Rules.
Arizona - Though often crowded, the Grand Canyon State has undergone expansion for many of its rest areas by adding more truck and RV lanes and continues to expand more. Most of their rest areas include several trash dumpsters, relatively clean restroom facilities, and some are staffed with people offering maps, brochures, and hot coffee. There are no time limits when staying here. Read the full Arizona Rest Area Rules.
Montana - For a state that adopted the nickname “Big Sky Country”, you’d expect large rest area facilities, and that’s exactly what you get. Many of their rest areas boast 20 to as many as 80 truck and RV lanes, with modern restroom facilities, dog parks, playgrounds, and information kiosks. There are no time limits when staying here. Read the full Montana Rest Area Rules.
New Mexico - The Land of Enchantment is currently remodeling many of their rest areas by increasing the number of truck and RV lanes, modernizing their restroom facilities, and adding covered picnic areas. Their welcome centers (located along state lines), include manicured gardens and historical exhibits. There is a 24-hour time limit when staying here. Read the full New Mexico Rest Area Rules.
Texas - As being the largest state in the Lower 48, you’d think the Lone Star State would have the most rest areas… and they do! They also have “Texas Travel Information Centers” located near state lines boasting numerous truck and RV lanes, clean, modern restrooms, comprehensive travel brochures and maps, and even free hot coffee. They also have hundreds of smaller “picnic areas” without restrooms, that also allow overnight parking. There is a 24-hour time limit when staying here. Read the full Texas Rest Area Rules.
The Worst State Rest Areas
Tennessee - It’s not that their rest areas are small, dirty, or old, it’s that the state is militant about enforcing its brief 2-hour time limit when staying here. Otherwise, their facilities are modern, and plentiful with picnic areas, and dog parks. Just be sure to set your alarm clock for two hours if you plan to take a nap, because you can count on Officer Friendly tapping your window. Read the full Tennessee Rest Area Rules.
Washington - The Evergreen State actually has some pretty rest areas, including the Sea-Tac Rest Area along I-5 just south of Federal Way. However, the state has run out of money to maintain their rest areas, only able to clean the restrooms. Moreover, many of the rest areas along I-5 have turned into homeless camps. Despite the 8-hour maximum time limit for staying here, law enforcement officers seem helpless to move squatters out. Read the full Washington Rest Area Rules.
New Jersey - The state’s rest areas are old and in need of updating. Truck and RV lanes are limited, causing the state to go so far as to ban cars and RVs from overnight stay at some of their rest areas. Many rest areas don’t have truck parking lanes at all, but just curb-side parking, making it difficult to find a place to park. The restrooms are often dirty, with old facilities. There is no statewide time limit when staying here, but several individual rest areas have their own time limits. Read the full New Jersey Rest Area Rules.
New York - While the Empire State has modernized many of their rest area facilities, the problem is that it’s nearly impossible for cars and RVs to find an open lane to park in. There are still several rest areas that have only a handful of truck and RV lanes, and competition for these lanes is fierce. On top of that, the state offers a very limited 3-hour time limit for cars and RVs, but a 10-hour limit for commercial drivers. Read the full New York Rest Area Rules.
North Dakota - We hate to knock the Peace Garden State because it’s so remote, but every time we’ve stayed overnight at their rest areas, it’s been a bad experience. The restroom facilities are old, and don’t appear to be cleaned often. There is constant in-n-out truck traffic through the night, probably because it’s a pass-through state where few truck drivers stay overnight. In summer months, flying insects are numerous. Read the full the North Dakota Rest Area Rules.
Boondocking Sites of the Week
[See our Boondocking Map for more sites]
LBJ National Grasslands, Decatur, TX, (GPS: 33.3616, -97.5889), Located just 30 minutes from the City of Decatur, and about 90 minutes from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, this US Forest Service unit offers at least 19 previous-camped, dispersed campsites, along with three developed campgrounds. Most of these sites are large enough for 40+ foot rigs. Read more about this site.
Hurricane Cliffs Recreation Area, Virgin, UT, (GPS: 37.1860, -113.2226), Located just 30 minutes west of Zion National Park, this is the most popular place to boondock when visiting Zion. The Bureau of Land Managment offers 56 designated dispersed campsites, all of which are free, with no reservations. Most of these sites are intended for small to medium sized rigs, but surprisingly, almost all of these sites are still large enough for full sized RVs. Read more about this site.
Alamo Road, Roswell, NM, (GPS: 33.4181, -104.3435), Located just 30 minutes east of Roswell, NM, this mostly flat land gives you a free place to camp when visiting the UFO museums in downtown Roswell. Offered by the Bureau of Land Management, there are about a dozen campsites off this road, most of which accommodates full sized RVs. Read more about this site.
Are There “Quiet Hours” When Boondocking on Federal Lands?
In some cases no, but in other cases yes.
Bureau of Land Management - Does not have quiet hours when camping outside of developed campgrounds. There is no specified time when generators must be shut off, and no time frames when Macarena marathons are off limits. However, the BLM still has a national rule that prohibits making unreasonable noise and creating a public nuisance. See § 8365.1-4 Public health, safety and comfort.
US Forest Service - Does not define quiet hours when camping outside of developed campgrounds, at least not on a national standpoint. However, each forest and grassland unit is free to establish its own rules on quiet hours and generator use, though most do not do so. The US Forest Service also has two rules that could prohibit generator use at any time during the day…
a general rule against making “unreasonably loud noise”. See § 261.4 Disorderly conduct.
a general rule against “any device which produces noise, including a motor or engine” in such a manner and at such a time so as to unreasonably disturb any person. See § 261.10 (i) Occupancy and use.
National Park Service - There is a rule that prohibits people “from running any kind of portable motor or portable device powered by a motor in such a manner that it impacts other park users”. The rule goes on to define a limit of 60 decibels, but also issues a blanket statement that anything making an unreasonable noise is prohibited. The rule is lengthy, you should probably read it just to find out if applies to you or not. See CFR Title 36 § 2.12 “Audio disturbances”.
Bureau of Reclamation - They have a rule that prohibits you from making unreasonable noise considering the time of day or night but does not specifically identify generator use, nor identify specific hours of the night. This primarily applies to camping outside of developed campgrounds. Inside developed campgrounds, however, is a different story. See § 423.22 Interference with agency functions and disorderly conduct.
Army Corps of Engineers - The ACOE has a couple of rules that can prohibit you from running a generator. The first is CFR Title 36 § 327.12 Restrictions (b) which defines quiet hours as between 10:00pm to 6:00am and bans any noise that can disturb others. The second is CFR Title 36 § 327.12 Restrictions (d) which bans the use of generators when the noise annoys other persons. Our experience has been that the ACOE is quite strict about enforcing its rules, so beware.
US Fish & Wildlife Service - There are no rules on a national level that specifically prohibits unreasonably loud noise or creating public nuisance. However, each national wildlife refuge is free to establish its own rules. The USFWS does have a rule against “disorderly conduct” under CFR Title 50 § 27.83 Indecency and disorderly conduct, which says that any state laws and rules about disorderly conduct also applies to USFWS lands.
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