RV Travel Links & Resources

Travel Links and Resources for campers, Motor Home & RV owners, and scenic travelers


Here we list some online resources on renting RVs, finding good campsites, and other travel and rv resources we use in planning our travel.

Campground Links

Here’s some useful links to finding public RV campgrounds

Campground Search – Recreation.gov – recreation.gov/marketing.do?goto=acm/Explore_And_More/camping.htm

The search function should locate (and allow you to make reservations) all public land recreational sites, including National Forest, National Recreation Areas, National Wilderness Areas, National Parks, and US Army Corps of Engineers facilities. The Search Function allows you to focus on particular types of facilities under the Agency filter.

Corps of Engineers Division Map with Links
–  http://www.usace.army.mil/Locations.aspx

Previously the Corps website had a wealth of information on their recreation facilities with campgrounds but most of these pages were eliminated in favor of the format used by Recreation.gov. But some of the Corps information still exists if you want to drill down through their organization hierarchy. You have to first drill down to your desired Division identified on the map or under Locations. Then drill down to the Divisional level and search under Mission or Location for recreation sites. Unfortunately each Divisional Website seems to organize their resources a little differently. Possibly the only advantage of using this route vs Recreation.gov is it may uncover some camping resources not in the Recreation.gov database.

US Forest Service Recreation Site Map – State Directory fs.fed.us/recreation/map/finder.shtml

You can drill down state by state to National Forests or National Recreation Area of your interest by clicking on the map or the drop down menu. I recommend using the drop down menu as it seems to generate a more comprehensive listing than clicking on the map. Next click on the forest or area name of your interest where you’ll be taken to a page that will allow you to drill down to camping information.

National Park Service Parks and Campgrounds – www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm

Search for by name or state for National Parks (may also include National Monuments, Scenic Rivers, Scenic Trails, National Historic sites and other recreation facilities administered by the National Park Service). Once at the state page, you can navigate by clicking on a map or change the view to “List View” to see a list of facilities. Then click on the facility name for its own set of web pages. There you can drill down for more detailed information, which often include pdf maps of the campground.

Casino Boondocking & Campground Directory – www.casinocamper.com

This website has a search engine and directory to Casino locations in the US that offer a variety of RV services from overnight parking to full service campgrounds. You can drill down in the directory by state where each RV friendly casino location is indicated on the state map. Click on the icon and you’ll be taken to the particular Casino fact sheet page. In addition to describing the type of parking and/or camping facilities there is contact phone numbers, website URL, photos, a Google map showing exact directions and other bits of useful information. There is also a forum and a set of tips for dry camping (i.e. camping w/o hookups, relying only on the resources of your RV).

Find Overnight RV Parking www.overnightrvparking.com

When we are traveling to a destination more than a day away, we often don’t need all the amenities offered by a standard campground or RV park. Typically we’ll be arriving in the evening and departing in the morning. All we need is a safe place to pull over and boondock for the night. This website offers an extensive online searchable database of almost 12,000 free or economically priced overnight RV parking places. Many of the sites have been found and researched by the website publishers, plus many reviews, updates, and new places have been provided by subscribers to the website. If the area that you’ll be traveling in doesn’t have good Internet access for you or your cell data plan won’t work, you can download pdf files in advance to carry with you on your trip. The site is well designed from a technical standpoint and contains a wealth of information. The only downside would be that it isn’t free – the annual subscription is $24.95, but think of the possible savings for not having to pay a campground or RV park fee when you don’t really need the services. And as a subscriber, you can earn free extensions of your subscription for providing new places to the database or by reviewing places that haven’t had a recent review. Duane, the RVer who provided us the tip to this place, has earned enough credits to extend his subscription to 2034!!

Find Campgrounds around Lake Superiorsuperiortrails.com/camping-directory.html

Profiles our favorite public campgrounds around Lake Superior in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario, and the Upper Peninsula

DeGray Lake Resort Campground
RV Campsite at DeGray Lake State Resort
Campground, an Arkansas State Park
near Hot Springs
camping in Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario
Camping in Sault Saint Marie, Ontario


Links to Other useful Travel Resources from the federal government

America the Beautiful Pass – – http://store.usgs.gov/pass/index.html

America the Beautiful Senior Pass– – http://store.usgs.gov/pass/senior.html

Maps: US Geological Service Store – – http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/b2c/start/(xcm=r3standardpitrex_prd)/.do

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Solve that leaky dump valve with this innovative solution.

Links to some interesting RV Travel Web sites or RV Travel Blogs

RV Camping: State by Statewww.rv-camping.org

Maintained by former tent campers, now RVers, Brian and Margie, RV Camping is about giving you the best campground and camp site location tools for every state.

Adventurous And Affordable RV Travel – www.frugal-rv-travel.com/

Randy and Marianne have been exploring North America in their RV since 1999 and have become quite proficient doing it in style yet quite economically. Here Marianne shares many tips on enjoying affordable RV travel. They’ve recently created another website that focuses on RV boondocking. Looks like a useful resource.

The Gypsy Journalhttp://gypsyjournalrv.com/

Nick Russell and Miss Terry are full-time RVers who publish their adventures in the “Gypsy Journal” giving attention to interesting destinations, RV park reviews, RV traveling tips, and other interesting advice as well as humorous stories.

RV Travel with Bob and Laura Madigan – http://www.rvtravelog.com/

Bob and Laura retired in 1997 and took up Rving. Their website provides an extensive directory to interesting places in the United States and Canada. Their current rig is a 37 foot Itasca Suncruiser.

Your RV Lifestyle –  www.your-rv-lifestyle.com

Jose and Jill are full-time RV enthusiasts who offer lots of helpful tips and advice to people interested in this life style.

The Scenic Route –  blog.gorving.com/

Several bloggers report their adventures in Go Rving’s Scenic Route Blog.

Gone with the Wynns –  www.gonewiththewynns.com/rvin

Travel Diary and numerous articles with tips and reviews on stuff of interest to RVers. Jason and Nikki Wynn are a younger couple who decided to try full-time RVing as an alternative life style. They have found ways to earn a living while on the road and generously share their experiences through their travel blog. A good resource to check out.

RV Crossroads –  www.rvcrossroads.com

Ron and Martha Hughes, a retired newspaperman and a school teacher, are now first time RV owners. Through their blog share their experiences of life on the road and adjusting to the pitfalls that await the “newbie” motorhome traveler.

Mark’s Fulltime RV Resource – www.marxrv.com/index.htm

Former full-time RVer Mark Nemeth has collected resources and information from his 5 years of traveling full time in his RV. Although now back to working full-time and only RVing in his time-off, he continues to maintain and update his website with useful links and resources.

Travels with Ted – www.travelswithted.com

Justin and Christina Pate offer insights from their experiences traveling and living full-time in their RV. They have been on the road now full-time since May of 2016 when they sold their  “house and hit the road.” Among the tidbits of their advise and lessons learned is an interesting RV Budget Calculator to create an estimate of your costs should you too want to consider taking the plunge and RVing full-time.

RV Accessories & Maintenance

We’ve had good service from Dyers RV & Trailer and Europarts of San Diego.

RVer Mark Nemeth has  collected an impressive list of RV Salvage Suppliers.

RV Rental Resources

Renting an RV is a great way to learn about the RV recreational lifestyle as well as getting better acquainted with the kind of features you’d want if, one day, you move forward to buying your own rig. Here’s a list of some rental outlets.

MotorHome Republic Provides over 450 RV rental depots in the US , Canada and world-wide, in 29 countries.

RV Rental AK Amazing Accommodations Alaska offers motorhome rentals, RV rentals, cabin rentals, and a bed and breakfast to Wasilla AK, Anchorage AK, and the surrounding Alaskan communities.

RV Rental Maryland Annapolis RV Center provides RV rentals, motorhome rentals, travel trailer rentals, production rentals, and a RV parts and service station to Annapolis MD and the surrounding areas.

New England RV Rental Northeast RV Rentals is a family-owned company specializing in accommodating customer service and quality RV rentals, camper rentals, and motorhome rentals.

RV Rentals PA Whether you need a motorhome, travel trailer, or popup camper in PA, come to Freedom RV Rentals for a rental experience unlike any other. We provide the customer service you need for a family adventure of a lifetime.

Still More RV Travel and Camping Resources

Curious about those cute Pod or Teardrop Campers or Retro Travel Trailers. We did articles with pictures from the Madison Wisconsin RV Show and the ChicagoLand RV & Camping Show.

Books on RV Camping, Traveling & Scenic Drives – A book or guide is always handy and requires no Internet connection!

We’ll keep updating this page as we come across other interesting online RV links and travel resources. Got a tip you’d like to share with others, write me at the address below.

Happy Trails – – – Ross – Ross@ScenicPathways.com