![]() There is no fee to enter the Smoky Mountain though. The permit is only good for 7 days though, so you are limited to how long you can stay. Here are some examples: Great Smoky Mountains National Park:Ī permit for the Smoky Mountain National Park costs $4 per person, per night, with a maximum charge of $20. Another small fee for the permit itself.About $4 to $10 per night for the camping fee.A vehicle entrance fee (usually $15 to $35) or a per-person fee (usually $3 to $15).To visit the park and stay overnight, you will probably need to pay: □Įach of the 61 national parks in the USA has its own fee system. ![]() And that permit almost always comes with a cost. Almost all of these national parks require you to get a permit in order to go wilderness camping. There are 61 national parks located in 29 states. (If you don’t have kids though, one of the perks of free camping is that there aren’t any annoying kids around, haha!) By contrast, we rarely meet anyone –especially anyone with kids – when free camping. My daughter gets to play with their kids, and I get to finally socialize with people who get it. If you are new to camping, it’s really helpful to have running water, a bathroom and trash cans instead of figuring out how to filter water, dig a cathole or pack out your trash (You MUST follow the rules of Leave No Trace when free camping!).Īs a parent, I also like that there are usually other families at campgrounds. However, there’s some good to be said of paying for campgrounds. I personally prefer wild camping for free over campgrounds because it gives me a chance to completely unplug and connect with nature. However, if you are willing to get off the beaten path (literally and figuratively), you can find all sorts of free camping spots. If you want to camp in popular locations, be prepared to pay. Imagine how many people would trample over Yosemite or the Grand Canyon if no permits were required? As much as I personally believe that nature should be open and accessible to all, those fees are a necessary evil. Park fees and paid campgrounds exit as a way to minimize impact on the land. While it’s awesome that more people are getting outdoors, this is resulting in nature getting “ loved to death.” That adds up to over 330 million visitors per year! Just visits to national parks has increased by 55 million visitors since 2007. Over the past decade, outdoor activities have become much more popular. Want to Camp for Free? Be Prepared to Get Off the Beaten Path Resources for Finding Free Camping Sites.Ready to find free camping sites? This guide will tell you how and give you links to resources like interactive maps, permit info, and more. Free camping on BML land with a view of Desolation Canyon in Utah
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