How to camp for free on public lands

All photos in this post were taken on public lands.

Van life is awesome for many reasons, but a big one is that you don’t have to spend money on rent! And depending on what kind of lifestyle you want to live, you can certainly do it all on the cheap. One of the biggest spenders in van life can be campgrounds, especially if it’s tourist season and you’re in a popular place. I’ve seen campgrounds charge as much as $50 per night! More often than not it’s closer to the $20-30 range and those expenses add up. So free camping is definitely something to look for if you want to save some of your hard-earned bucks. Besides stealth camping in towns or parking in Walmart or Cracker Barrel locations, there’s one other way to camp for free… public lands! This is also known as "boondocking".

How I live an eco-vanlife

Hello lovers of the world! Are you feeling the desire to make your routine more earth-friendly? I put together a small but mighty list of the best tips and hacks for an environmentally-conscious life. All of this can apply to vanlifers, campers, travelers, and homesteaders alike! This isn’t an exhaustive list, I’m sure you’ve heard and read a lot about eco-living and don’t need a list of 50 actions to do. And I realize that there are a million articles and blogs already out there that give great advice on this subject, but it’s hard to know what’s right for you to do, and what fits in best with your lifestyle. We’re all well aware that we can’t be perfect, so rather than not try at all, we pick what life tips can be best applied and do them right. So to give y'all some inspiration, I'm sharing the eco-actions that I do, and I hope you'll feel welcome to adopt too in "greening" your life 💚.

Finding Maine's Magic

Ah Maine, you are a beautiful state. It’s known for its rocky coastlines, maritime history, and magnificent natural areas, especially their offshore islands of granite and spruce trees. There is so much seafood to eat, so of course I had it at almost every meal.

We were there in October 2019, and I fell in love with all the fall foliage- such brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows! And the temperatures were just right with mostly sunny days and a slight chill to the air; I personally love Autumn camping more than any other season. Acadia National Park is certainly one of the highlights of Maine, as is Portland, so we knew those two locations would be on our road trip list, as well as Bar Harbor, a town super close to Acadia. We also had plans to visit friends in Scarborough, and planned a stop in Rockport to visit a campground we’d heard a lot about. I’m going to give y’all recommendations on where to camp, hike, eat, and drink from all of these locations. But first, a little background on the places we explored in Maine.