Seidel's Blog

Yes, we frequently utilize Wal Marts as well as other free parking vendors such as Flying J and Cracker Barrell. We will usually alternate between a free parking lot one night and then stay at a campground/RV park the next night.

These parking lots are very useful if you are just trying to get from point A to point B and need a quick place to stop for the night. You generally drive to the parking lot, look for the other RV's and find a place of your own to park. If you don't see other RV's parked for the night, check with management to see if they are ok with you parking there. There may also be an ordinance against overnight parking which the manager will be aware of.

We stopped in at the Wal Mart in Grand Junction CO and asked the manger if it would be ok to stay. They said they would be happy to have us but ocassionaly the police will ask you to move on, so we chose to go to a local KOA instead

You can try other stores as well. Just ask permission and patronize the store you are parking at if possible.

Stay only one night and don't make it look like you are setting up camp (no awnings, lawn chairs, grills, and try to avoid using your leveling jacks)

Chris Guenther

F3508-s

We have spent many nights in a Wal-Mart parking lot as we were traveling. We try to park under a light and lout of the way of the store traffic. We almost always go in and shop for something. We have traveled in 46 states and only in parts of Florida were we not allowed to stay over night when we asked permission. Once in Albany, Ga. the police told us that they did not think it was safe to stay in the W-M lot over night. We went on to another town.

As Chris said, we ask, we shop and we are there only to sleep and move on.

Safe travels! Andy

I just stayed at a walmart in Monroe La on my way home in Brandon Ms. I been out for about three weeks in State Parks . I took my wife to Red Lobster and a movie. I have found walmarts very safe and have stay in them for years. When me and my wife take off on a trip we stay a walmart and buy our grocerys on the way.

We stay in Walmarts when traveling regularly.Always ask and just about always shop for something.

Usually buy something we dont need.Usually costs more than staying at a campground,but that is our problem not Walmarts.Buy all our food and supplies at Walmarts.

Dave

As a single woman, I stay at Walmarts, Flying J, and Pilot and have always felt safe. Stay only at the 24-hour Walmarts and park under a light as previously suggested. Ask at customer service if it is ok as some towns have ordinances against this or that particular Walmart may not allow overnight parking. I get my supplies and food before dark and stay inside for the night. As an added note, I try to park where I can get out quickly without getting blocked in.

Got blocked in once at Flying J by a 5th wheel who came in after dark and had no consideration for others. I wanted to leave by 7 am and he was still in bed.

Beware of the parking lot cleaning company. I was in a WalMart in Clayton, Ga. and all of a sudden about 2 am, I hear a buzzing sound like a plane was flying overhead. But it never went away. I left the coach and there was a guy vacuuming the parking lot. If you don't feel like leaving at 2 am, prepare to create some "white noise" inside your coach to drown the noise out. Something like a cheap box fan.

Usually travel several says to a destination. For our overnights, we often stop at Walmarts. I keep track of which Walmarts allow overnight parking at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/walmartrving/ , which maintains a list of stores that allow overnight parking. I always ask for a "member of management" inside the store for permission to park, and ask where they prefer me to park. Have had to move to their preferred location many times. You never know - way in front, on the side, way in back on side, or anywhere on perimeter of the lot.

I always try to line up so I can easily pull out in morning into a driving lane. Have never had any problems at any of the stores I have parked at. I prefer to find a Walmart a bit away from the interstate and in a smaller town or city. Try to stay away from the trucks, but often wake up with them surround me.

FMCA has joined with other RV groups in a Industry-sanctioned Code of Conduct concerning parking in Walmart lots. -

"RVers’ Good Neighbor Policy

1. Stay one night only!

2. Obtain permission from a qualified individual.

3. Obey posted regulations.

4. No awnings, chairs, or barbecue grills.

5. Do not use hydraulic jacks on soft surfaces (including asphalt).

6. Always leave an area cleaner than you found it.

7. Purchase gas, food, or supplies as a form of thank you, when feasible.

8. Be safe! Always be aware of your surroundings and leave if you feel unsafe."

You can print out this code of conduct. It is available in the files at the Yahoo Groups WalmartRVing site linked in the first paragraph. Other signers, along with FMCA, of this code of conduct are Excapees, Bounders United, Wally Bram Caravan Club, Born Free Leap' Lions RV Club, Gulfstreamers RV Club, LOW, RVW, Winnebago-Itasca Travelers, Suites Owners International, Holiday Rambler RV Club, Discovery Owners Assn, and the Freightliner Chassis Owners Club.

Wal-Mart camping is safe and convenient. We have an iPod app that tells us which ones allow overnight parking. Be considerate, park in an out of the way area (or where they ask you to park) and go in and buy some supplies. We only stay one night and clean up after ourselves.

Like most of the previous posters I have stayed at numerous Walmart parking lots since I started RVing. In my case I am not a destination type person. In other words I don't spend time in a campground sitting in front of a campfire toasting marshmallows ... not that there is anything wrong with that. Just not my thing. I am a traveller. I travel around North America with a view to exploring and seeing as much of the sights I can and meeting people wherever I travel.

So ... Walmart has been handy for me. I have stayed in church parking lots, car dealerships or any other place that looked suitable to me. I generally ask when possible. I always abide by the "RVers' Neighbour Policy".

I use several apps by ALL-STAYS to help find suitable locations to park, including Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot, Flying J/Pilot, Loves, T/A ... and numerous other locations. I also belong to BOONDOCKERS WELCOME. It is a site that has over 700 members now where a member can park at another members property for free overnight ... or longer with permission. I have used this resource several time now and it is a wonderful way to travel and meet new people.

Happy and Safe travels ...

Watch out when you get to FL, many of the municipality's along the coast prohibit camping in parking lots like Walmart. ORMOND BEACH IS ONE OF THESE COMMUNITIES. The Walmart that I pulled into was nice enough to send an employee out before the shift came of John Law to write tickets. Thank You Wal-mart. Needless to say I have since "Boycotted ORMOND BEACH" during by last six trips. NO STOPS, NO FOOD, NO GAS, and I Will never visit a Camp Ground in ORMAND BEACH ,FL. Wm. Giles. wwg@mac.com 864-346-2121

I'm finding that Florida and California are not RV friendly in terms of overnight parking in Walmart locations. Fortunately I belong to BOONDOCKERS WELCOME and there are a few members in both Florida and California that make it possible to find extra places to park overnight.

Because I have a Class B RV ... i am generally able to find a place to park for the night. You can tuck yourself in quite nicely amongst the cars and trucks of a car dealership overnight. I have never not found a place to stay and have been been asked to move on ...

Hi folks. I am a Security Officer Supertendent, in the Southern New Mexico area. I have 9 Walmarts in the area. I instruct all my officers to park, advise of the area, and make for a happy stay. Most walmarts, want you to limit your stay to a 2 day max. If you happen to stop in Las Cruces, I can guarntee you an enjoyable stay. My officers are instructed to inform you best places for fuel, propane, and fine dining .Have a great stay, and lets all enjoy.

We haven't stayed at a Walmart yet, since we are so new to the Motor home world! Do you put your slides out, or leave them in?

we stayed several times in ga and ky,never had a problem. Please remember this is not a camping ground. ne kind and out of the way

During a recent trip to the New England States I had occasion to stop at several Walmart locations in several states. No problems ... but a couple of concerns. I saw several folks "setting up camp" with slides out and awnings deployed. I do understand that some folks need their slides out to access their bedrooms ... no problems as far as I'm concerned. Also one trailer was sitting solitary without the tow vehicle while the occupants left, apparently for a day of sightseeing.

At another location two five wheel rigs pulled up side by side for the night. Slides out and one unit with its' awning out for both to use. Between the two of them they took up no less than 20 parking spots. This particular location has signs posted NO TRUCK OR RV OVERNIGHT PARKING. I did stop in and spoke to the manager. He indicated that he didn't mind but were starting to discourage it ... hence the signs. He claimed that last year one RVer had dumped his black and grey tanks in the lot resulting in Walmart receiving a fine.

This particular area is also host to a large fishing derby every year and this had presented major problems for the Walmart Store with several dozens of campers literally setting up camp with lawn chairs and BBQ. I can see us loosing this location very soon. I decided to move on and not add to the problem. Across the road was a Mercedes dealer with a row of brand new Mercedes Sprinters ... I tucked my Winnebago ERA right next to them and was totally inconspicuous.

As the previous posters stated ... Walmart is NOT a campground. Be courteous and for goodness sakes use some common sense.

We went across the U.S. this summer and we stayed in a few Walmart with no problems. We went in a back corner out of the way under a light and we ask and shopped and it the next morning we went in and thanked them.

We have also stayed in a Cracker Barrel and asked the manager first.

We have also been in a few restaurants that we have asked if they could tell us of a RV park for the night and they said we could stay in their parking lot.

We haven't had any problems. the Manoff's

Hi folks. I am a Security Officer Supertendent, in the Southern New Mexico area. I have 9 Walmarts in the area. I instruct all my officers to park, advise of the area, and make for a happy stay. Most walmarts, want you to limit your stay to a 2 day max. If you happen to stop in Las Cruces, I can guarntee you an enjoyable stay. My officers are instructed to inform you best places for fuel, propane, and fine dining .Have a great stay, and lets all enjoy.

Thanks for this post. I am a native New Mexican and appreciate this. We are planning a trip to the Southwest this spring and I would love to stop in Las Cruces as this is where my Dad and Uncle grew up. I definitely look forward to staying at the Las Cruces Walmart. Thanks for the awesome New Mexican hospitality!

I downloaded on my cell an android app called "All Stays ONP" that tells you by location which Walmarts will allow over night parking and which ones do not. Advice is to always check with the manager before staying even if it is on the list of allows ONP. Have not used it yet. Coach is still covered and surrounded by snow.

I downloaded on my cell an android app called "All Stays ONP" that tells you by location which Walmarts will allow over night parking and which ones do not. Advice is to always check with the manager before staying even if it is on the list of allows ONP. Have not used it yet. Coach is still covered and surrounded by snow.

I've been using the ALLSTAYS app for a couple of years now. I've used it dozens of times and it is usually up to date with the most recent information. PLUS you can update the information to them to report any problems or changes in situations. I am now using the ALLSTAYS Camping & RV app. It cost me $9.99 I believe but it lists all the Walmart's, Home Depots, Lowe's, Cracker Barrels, Flying J's, Travel America, Pilot, Love and campgrounds and state and federal parts and a whole host of other places and information.

I use the ALLSTAYS app almost exclusively for my travel needs.

We have stayed at the Las Cruces Walmart, one night, on two different occasions, and at the Deming Walmart once, and at the Alamagordo Walmart one night, on two different occasions . Thanks for the info that we are always welcome! We always look forward to getting stuff we forgot to pack and we have never had a problem in New Mexico! We live in El Paso TX so these Walmarts are very convienently located!

We frequently stay at Walmart as we travel to and from our primary destinations. We use Microsoft Streets & Trips with POI Megafile available for free download at msstreets.com and our Rand Mc Nally GPS Navigation System for RVs which shows which Walmart permits overnight camping and provides the telephone number to verify. We generally call the number in advance to verify and to ask where they would prefer us to park. We have found that most Walmarts located in areas that would be a final destination; i.e. Florida as stated above don't permit overnight camping. This generally due to local ordinance promoted by the campground owners and the fact that the Walmart parking lot would be filled with RVs staying multiple days.

We haven't stayed at a Walmart yet, since we are so new to the Motor home world! Do you put your slides out, or leave them in?

Put out just what you need

We quite often stop for the night at Walmarts and never had a problem except for constant noise created by the employees comming and going all night long. We do ask permission and keep the area as neat as we found it.  We also do our food shopping etc. in payment for our overnight stay. Thank u Sam.

We do many Walmarts however we prefer Sam's Club because they close at night and it is quieter and they open at 7 in the morning 6 days a week so we go in and have coffee and a roll and do our shopping.

We've stayed at Walmart stores all over the US and in Canada (yes, they have them in Canada and some allow overnight parking - Newfoundland in 2015).  The FMCA rules listed in a previous reply should be standard operating procedure.  Most stores we have encountered have a preferred area for parking so we always ask before getting set for the night.  We have only stayed more than one night one time and that exception we parked the motor home in a different location (visitors center that didn't allow overnight parking) then returned to the Walmart for the night.  We generally try to arrive shortly before sunset and get away before the store gets busy, 8:00 a.m. or before.  One of the reasons we like Walmart is the ability to get in and out easily and quickly.  They are usually near the road we are traveling, there are no utility hookups, we don't have to disconnect the toad, they are usually quiet and there is some security around the store, private and/or police.  We use Walmart, Sam's Clubs and other places of business (listed in the AllStays Camp & RV app mentioned previously.  Walmart is our preferred on the road traveling stop.  You can use AllStays to find the store, even get directions.  They also have many other camping spots (small parks, community parks, etc) that aren't listed in larger books. 

On the issue of slides, we use ours as the bedroom is locked up tight with the slides in.  The pantry with food and dishes is also occluded by the living room slide.  We park with the slides (2 on the drivers side) over the grass or next to a fence at the edge of the parking lot whenever possible.  If we park in the lot I park so there is room between our rig and the line that separates parking spaces on the other side of the parking row.  I make sure that the slides when extended don't intrude into the parking spots which are usually vacant when we park.  I carry four 12" orange cones that I put out at the corners, mostly to make sure someone doesn't walk by and walk into a slide.  It also helps ensure that people short cutting across the Walmart lot don't drive too close to the coach and hit one of the slides. 

Our coach has air leveling so we are usually able to level without a problem.  Jacks will damage the parking lot in many cases as the asphalt isn't supported underneath with a base strong enough to carry the load of a small jack pad.  Unlike a tire, a jack pad is solid metal and doesn't give or spread the load evenly over the area.  One jack pad can carry a significant portion of the weight of your rig.  Most lots are close enough to level to be livable without leveling.

We purchase food and supplies at each store.  Sometimes just something from the deli or ice cream for desert but I always try to pick up some needed item.  I always return my shopping cart to a cart carrel and often will round up and return carts left by truckers or other RV'ers at distant corners of the lot where we are allowed to park.  I'll also pick up trash if it is located near where we are parked.  I want to leave the area where we are parked cleaner than when we arrived lest we be blamed for leaving the trash behind.  Parking at Walmart and other stores is a privilege that we should protect for all RV'ers by following the rules and being good citizens.  Consider it good PR.  Stores where we are allowed to park will notice how we use or abuse the privilege.