Not all free camping is walk-up. Some popular dispersed camping areas, wilderness zones, and public lands now require a reservation or permit to stay overnight.
When you're looking at a campground on Campendium, you will see a permit required icon at the top of the pag for locations known to require a permit
The process for securing a permit to camp depends on the location.
- The best place to start investigating how to obtain a permit for a location is by checking for notes in the Overview field on the Campendium review page, where we will place a direct link to a permitting website if known.
- If there are no notes for obtaining a permit, the next place to check is the official website for the location. If known, the official website will be linked on the Campendium review page in the contact info area.
- You can also learn more about permitting by calling the phone number below the official website, which should connect you to a land management representative for the location.
Sometimes permits have an associated fee. Many permits cover a wide area with multiple camping opportunities and are relatively inexpensive or even free. Locations where a permit is required may be categorized as “free” on Campendium because there isn’t a nightly rate for camping at the location.