Hounded by police

[TDK]

I'm new to full-time RV life and believed from my research that I would be welcome to park overnight in Walmart and Cracker Barrel locations. What I have found in three months of travels is that half the local municipalities have ordinances prohibing such parking and I have been chased out of parking lots and parks by cops, security guards, and code enforcement agents 5 times. Can anyone offer insight or solutions?

 

[RandyB]

It is always appropriate to ask permission to park on private property. Asking the manager of a store would most likely reveal that it is illegal (in a growing number of municipalities), or that particular property does not allow it. In the case of Walmart, it is up to the discretion of the manager to allow or not if the municipality allows. Due to the indiscretion of some RV overnighters, leaving trash behind and destroying a good thing, several managers are simply saying no.

 

[Neemer]

Download the Walmart ONP app by Allstays. It will save you a lot of heartache.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

For someone in the west it is hard not to think the east side of the country is not as RV friendly. This may be because one needs to look harder for work arounds than the locals do. At one time, before so many started abusing a privilege gifted to RVers by shop owners. It was easy finding places to overnight.

Because I don't know your circumstance it is hard making recommendations, but I can say that moving from one WMCG(Walmart camp ground) to another is a way to become unhappy with the life you have chosen, or been handed to you. If you still work, and can't afford high end resorts, there are low end parks that typically have openings. Are they safe? Well is the business parking lot safe?

If you can work from the RV an option is dispersed camping, I assume across the country, but much more prevalent in the west.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I'm new to full-time RV life and believed from my research that I would be welcome to park overnight in Walmart and Cracker Barrel locations. What I have found in three months of travels is that half the local municipalities have ordinances prohibing such parking and I have been chased out of parking lots and parks by cops, security guards, and code enforcement agents 5 times. Can anyone offer insight or solutions?

Welcome to RF, @TDK; glad to have you here with us.

Please don't blame the police; they are just doing their job. The issue with using store parking lots for RV parking is actually more complicated than it might appear. First, they are private property and subject to the control of the owner. Second, they are subject to both property use and health ordinances and laws. While store parking lots are usually relatively flat and most always paved, they are not designed for constant use by heavy vehicles.

Then, there's the issue of undesireable users. In our area, the Walmart used to permit overnight parking of RVs...until drug trafficking became rampant, a couple of shootings occurred and a couple of decrepit RVs broke down there and were abandoned. Walmart did what any reasonable property owner would do under those circumstances; posted "no overnight parking signs" and had its security staff enforce it.

Finally, cities and other jurisdictions have gotten tired of having to deal with the public health and nuisance issues, and many are passing ordinances banning overnight parking in store parking lots and similar spaces.

When you park on someone's private property, you do so at the discretion of the owner. Asking permission in advance is always the right thing to do and, if you get denied, you just move on.

After seeing the conditions at a number of Walmart parking lots around the country, we would never park in one; even with permission. Same with most "rest areas." We have found that many (but, not all) Cabelas/Bass Pro stores do have designated RV parking areas and permit overnight parking; and, they have their security folks monitor those areas to keep order.

When you depend on free use of something, you get what you pay for.

TJ

 

[Gizmo]

You can't overnight park at the Walmart in our town but not because of RVers. We had 18 wheelers that were using our kid's baseball fields parking lots, city park parking lots and etc. We showed up for a Saturday for our grandkids ball game and a dozen trucks were in the parking lot and bottles full of pee in the parking lot.

 

[FL-JOE]

I have always depended on my RVParky app to guide me on what Walmarts, Cabellas, etc. will allow overnight parking. That app is accurate about 90% of the time. We don't dry camp in business lots very often but when we do I always go in and check with management.

 

[JRS]

It is always appropriate to ask permission to park on private property. Asking the manager of a store would most likely reveal that it is illegal (in a growing number of municipalities), or that particular property does not allow it. In the case of Walmart, it is up to the discretion of the manager to allow or not if the municipality allows. Due to the indiscretion of some RV overnighters, leaving trash behind and destroying a good thing, several managers are simply saying no.

2X - calling ahead will likely eliminate your issue. Although we don't use Walmarts often (5 times past 1.5yrs) we call ahead and never had this problem

 

[docj]

IMO there have always been two very different groups of RVers, those who assume that they will have to pay to park overnight and those who don't expect or want to do so. When my wife and I began full-timing 10 years ago, I would speculate that the majority of RVers fell into the first group. These days there appears to be an increasing percentage of RVers who don't want to pay to park, especially for overnight stays.

Regardless of whether it's a private, State, federal or local facility, my wife and I always prefer to stay at a campground for a combination of safety and services reasons. We see nothing unreasonable about paying a campground for 8-12 hours of occupancy; we've done the same in hotels for many years. OTOH, I recognize that others choose not to do this; that is their right but it's important for people to understand that there are two rather distinct groups of RVers.

 

[Gizmo]

We stay at Harvest Host, a rest area, and few Cracker Barrels but never at Walmart. I haven't been inside a Walmart in close to 40 years so I don't shop there so I don't say there.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

IMO there have always been two very different groups of RVers, those who assume that they will have to pay to park overnight and those who don't expect or want to do so. When my wife and I began full-timing 10 years ago, I would speculate that the majority of RVers fell into the first group. These days there appears to be an increasing percentage of RVers who don't want to pay to park, especially for overnight stays.

I think there are 3 groups of RVers. The two you mention and those that are like me (Spontaneous). Planning ahead great lengths of time is not me if dates are set to do so. My Lord tells me in the manual never to say I will see you tomorrow but rather say if the Lord wills I will see you tomorrow. With that said I prefer not being confined the way I feel in most parks, therefore I prefer forest roads and other free camping away from the crowds. I have no problems paying for services, and do. I pay for permits when asked for and have no problem with it. I am in that third group that doesn't feel everyone owes them something or should give them something. But rather feels it is good to pay my way. But I don't like camp grounds. I don't like parking lot camping either. I will sleep in a rest area if they allow it, most of them are outside of towns and tired driving is dangerous.

 

[murphysranch]

My local WM doesn't allow RV's anymore, but long haul trucks are OK. Why? This WM is about 6 miles off of I5, so its not well known. The long haulers are usually locals who came home for the holidays or for their few days rest, and then take off again.

When we had the fires and two towns next to Medford were burned to the ground, the WM got slammed. Lots of folks swarmed all three WM's here in the county. The homeless were also newly homeless as the Greenway belt of hundreds of old trees burned down too (where they had their villages).

They arrived with their sticks and blue tarps, and sometimes a vehicle. There were a few fire people, but most were not fire victims. It was a mess. WM let everyone stay for one week and then moved them all along.

 

["EZ"]

IMO there have always been two very different groups of RVers, those who assume that they will have to pay to park overnight and those who don't expect or want to do so. When my wife and I began full-timing 10 years ago, I would speculate that the majority of RVers fell into the first group. These days there appears to be an increasing percentage of RVers who don't want to pay to park, especially for overnight stays.

Regardless of whether it's a private, State, federal or local facility, my wife and I always prefer to stay at a campground for a combination of safety and services reasons. We see nothing unreasonable about paying a campground for 8-12 hours of occupancy; we've done the same in hotels for many years. OTOH, I recognize that others choose not to do this; that is their right but it's important for people to understand that there are two rather distinct groups of RVers.

If you'll notice the group that doesn't want to pay grew as the RV sales increased. The "core" RV group are good people that do the right thing most of the time. The increase in popularity of RV's brings with it an undesirable element with it. They don't clean up their camp sites when they leave. They will park all night somewhere and leave without paying. They play their outdoor TV's and Stereos without any consideration to others camping around them. Makes you wish the RV "fad" was over!

The same thing happened to the motorcycle community years ago. Most bikers that I know are salt of the earth kind of people that would give you the shirts off their backs. Just look at all the Toy Runs at Christmas. Hundreds of Thousands of motorcycle riders buying toys for underprivliged children. Then you have the newer "biker" that is all about the "biker look" and has more "biker clothing" than they have common sense. Most wouldn't ride their "investment" in the rain if they had to. And never ride in the cold. These guys are not considerate of others on the road and usually act like idiots. And if they are with their buddies will go out of their way to act like an ass, especially while they are drinking.

I would imagine this same thing happens in every group. Just don't be "that guy".