Campground and campsite apps are everywhere. However, good apps can be hard to find. As full-time travelers since February 2014, we depend on the campground and camping apps listed here to make our life on the road possible.
We use these apps daily. As we recommend them, know it’s not a sales pitch. We know how frustrating it is to download an app, especially if you paid for it, and then not have it be what you needed.
The apps are not listed in any particular order. We’ve found them all to offer something useful in their own right, prompting us to include them in this list.
If you know of an app you think should be on this list, then hit us with a contact form or drop a comment below.
1/ Campendium
Simply put, we always consult Campendium. Every trip. These folks have done remarkable work in pioneering the modernization of campground research. It’s a fantastic campground and campsite app and you should download it immediately.
Features Campendium includes:
More than 20,000 campsites, including RV parks, BLM land areas, city, county, and state parks, and even free campsites!
Campendium is community-sourced and driven. The community adds resources daily to the app. They add photos (tens of thousands of photos) and blog posts, for a deeper dive into the campgrounds and camping spots they’ve found.
One of our favorite features is that most users add the connectivity level of cell carriers at each campground or campsite. For those of us who depend on Internet for work while traveling, this is huge.
You can filter your search by all sorts of parameters including price, connectivity to the Internets, discount clubs, and more.
Download for iOS | Download for Android | Website
2/ AllStays Camp & RV
Arguably the most well-known campground and camping app used today, AllStays Camp & RV is a must-have. AllStays has become the standard by which all other campground and campsite apps are measured against.
AllStays has been doing this for eight years, and each year it gets better and better. If you don’t have this app yet, then do yourself a favor and add it to your device now.
Features the AllStays Camp & RV app includes:
Filtering results by over 30 amenities. Want to find a free tent site with nearby showers? You can do that.
Truck stops, rest stops, dump stations, gas stations, supplies, low bridges, road conditions, and more. The power is in your hands with this app.
Over 30,000 campgrounds and campsites are listed on the app in the U.S.A. and Canada.
Also included are national and state forests, national and state parks, county and city parks, BLM land, Army Corps of Engineers, military campgrounds, Elks lodges, casinos, retails stores that allow dry camping, and so many more.
Each listing links directly to a website if available, provides the phone number, directions, elevation, restrictions…and the list goes on. You get the idea. This is an indispensable campground and campsite app.
As of right now, Allstays is only available on iOS. There’s also an Allstays app called Camp & Tent, which may be more appropriate for some overlanders.
3/ iOverlander
iOverlander is a newer app on the market. It’s a free app specifically geared for the off-road enthusiast, and worthy of being added to your list.
You may not be aware of this, but iOverlander is a project completely run by volunteers, and that is pretty awesome! Its stated mission is to “Support overland exploration of the world, while respecting local cultures, people, and environments.”
I want to encourage you to get behind the creators of this app. Sam and Jessica are doing something special here, and the more folks who get involved, the better it will be for everyone in the overlanding community.
Download for iOS | Download for Android | Website
4/ Harvest Hosts
Because we also have an RV, Harvest Hosts is one of our favorites. This app opens up a world of possibilities you simply can’t find anywhere else. We check this app every time we move, in the hopes we’ll find a spot. For our Jeep and tenting friends, know this app is geared for self-contained units. No tents of any kind are allowed right now.
Basically the way this one works is you become a Harvest Hosts member to be granted one night stays at wineries, breweries, dairies, farms, and more.
This app has been featured on The New York Times, Good Morning America, USA Today, and countless other media outlets, and for good reason.
The $79 annual membership pays for itself quickly. Especially in expensive areas of the country like California. Harvest Hosts provides an affiliate link that offers a discount to new users. If you’d like to save some coin, we’d appreciate if you’d use our link to join Harvest Hosts.
5/ Gaia GPS
This one is a bit different from the rest. From the big picture view, this app is an extremely powerful professional outdoor map, geared specifically to off-roaders, hikers, and hunters.
Gaia has become indispensable to us, and I highly recommend you shell out the coin for the premium version if you’re an off-road enthusiast ($39.99 annually with discount for first year).
With the premium version of this app, you get map layers that will take your adventures to the next level.
You can also track your progress, create your own waypoints, make a note of any epic campsites you’ve found, and more. You can even do your work on your desktop or laptop, then sync to your phone.
Seriously, if you aren’t familiar with Gaia GPS and you travel off the beaten path, then you want to go get this app right now.
Download for iOS | Download for Android | Website
6/ The Dyrt
Arguably the most interesting app on the list is The Dyrt.
This app not only allows you to find campsites, but also helps you earn gear and win prizes for participating in the crowdsourced platform. New contests start every month. So you don’t have to compete with folks who have been on the platform since Beta.
The Dyrt has gamified the system, so you even have leaderboards where you can see where you rank by region.
To be fair, we’ve just started using this app, and we haven’t contributed or participated in any contests as of this writing. But I found it so interesting and different that I wanted to include it on our list.
Download for iOS | Download for Android | Website
Summary of the Best Campground and Campsite Apps
Here are some things to consider:
- Out of the six apps listed, we use Campendium and Harvest Hosts pretty much daily as we travel full-time.
- iOverlander is an app I hope everyone who reads this will download. I like their mission and what they’re about.
- Gaia GPS (premium) is a must-have for any adventure enthusiast who actually spends time off-road.
- The Dyrt is the most interesting of the bunch due to the innovative way they’ve presented the app.
- Allstays is the staple, the old man of the apps and is filled with great information and resources.
I hope you’ve found this list helpful and I wish you the best in your exploration off the beaten path. Remember to tread lightly.
Until next time, keep it dirty and wheels side down.
~ Eric, Brittany, and #LittleNomad
Thank you for taking the time to share. I have gained valuable information from your articles. I hope you keep them coming!!
Happy to be a resource Gloria! So much more to come. We’re currently working on an article that has all of our budget and expenditure information from our Mexico trip. Be watching for that one soon!
Thanks Eric,
Great info on apps for finding campsites.
Steve and Terri
#XtremeOverlandUSA
Appreciate the comment! Any others you’d say should have been on this list? If so, which ones and why? ~ Eric
Being retired, do you ever stay at any of the military campgrounds? I recently learned that Active Duty, Retirees, etc. can stay at the national forests (i.e., Ocala National Forests) for half price (~$11 per night).
I do Katie! All the time. I use the AllStays App to find the Military Campgrounds. ~ Eric