Rest Stop Parking Restrictions

[Deryk the Pirate]

Thanks!

[kirkman]

Deryk.... Here is another helpful link.
http://www.freecampgrounds.com/

[Maverick71]

Howdy,

Since I am new to traveling around with my Turtle, the small travel trailer with the tow bubble, I thought I would share my experiences.

Last summer on a trip to Yellowstone, I tried to register for an overnight at an RV park in Rapid City, S.D. The park was already closed and there were no late reservation provisions. Where do I go? I pulled back on the interstate and camped out over night at a rest stop. I asked a friendly trucker what would happen if I slept here over night because of the restrictions. He said the state patrol had better things to do so don't worry.

Then in Arkansas, some of the rest stops have signs directing trucks to the left and cars to the right. There is no direction for cars towing trailers. So I pulled in the area for cars and parked way out of the way to have my noon lunch hour. Immediately, a grass mowing state employee told me to leave before a state trooper would write a $250 ticket. I told him I don't give a d_ _n because this is pocket change for a Texan. I spent my lunch hour and a little snooze before I waived to him and journeyed on.

In Illinois, I pulled into the car area at a rest stop because I don't like the noise and the stench of the rubber railroad. I walked over to an Illinois State Patrol Officer to ask him about my parking spot; when before I could say, "Good morning officer!" he said, "What da ya want?" I chided this young white buck and then asked the question. He said he doesn't give tickets to where one parks and never heard of another officer giving a ticket for parking on that side with a trailer attached.

With high wind conditions, I always park on the lee side of a big rig in a rest area otherwise the trailer would be a rockin' and people would come a knockin' just to see who can rock a trialer all night in his sweet dreams. I sleep the sleep of the innocent with my CPAP machine pluged into the 12v dc outlet.

I guess it all depends on who is having a bad hair day!

Take care,
Maury

[EffieRover]

It may be useful to know that in NYS, you can park at state parks after the office has closed. On most offices, there is a sign on the outside or a paper on the mailbox telling you which sites are open. Park in any open site and register in the morning.

You can also overnight on _most_ parking lots attached to the Erie Canal. Look for a bathroom/shower building - if there is one nearby, you can overnight in that lot. If there is not, the parking lot is usually too small to get a camper into anyway. There is a map here: http://www.canals.ny.gov/maps/water-trail/index.html. Note that when they say "Camping: No," they mean the free tent camping that is available on only a few canal parks.

http://www.canals.ny.gov/maps/water-trail/index.html

[Aaron Coffee]

Rules are one thing, enforcement is another. Around 20 years ago we had a car stolen out of our yard, reported it stolen. A week later my brother spotted it sitting in a rest area near Pipestone, Minnesota. We went up to check it out asked the caretaker about it, he said it had been sitting there for a week, he had called highway patrol, and they never bothered to check it out. So if a car could sit there for a week, I wouldn't think that a camper sitting overnight would even be noticed.

[Bodyman]

A couple years ago, on a trip back from Oklahoma, I pulled into a rest area in Iowa at about 4 PM. I had been driving in heavy rain for about three hours and was sick of it. I laid down in the teardrop and promptly fell asleep waking about 8 PM. It was still raining so I watched a movie and wondered if anyone would tell me to leave as I was parked right by the No Camping sign.
I must have been tired because I woke at 8 the next morning. When I crawled out of my tear I found a big fifth wheel parked behind me with one slideout extended over the curb onto the grass and the other out into the traffic lane. I laughed at myself for worrying about being kicked out.
By the way it was still raining, but I hit the road anyway
Randy

[pete42]

find a Hotel, pull around to the back, keep you lights off in the trailer and sleep a little....peple will think you got a room.

I have done this once I kept thinking the desk clerk would check on me since I'm sure he saw me pull in and never registered but he didn't
pete