Where do you camp on tour?
 

I was just wondering where everyone camped on tour. I'm going to be going from Raleigh down to Orlando in a month and a half or so, and I didn't want to go broke paying for camping spaces or hotels. I keep thinking churches and unmarked (unposted) woods would be best. I've never toured before and all the advice I get would help me a lot. Thanks :)

my friend and i did a huge one night tour. when we arived at the place that we wanted to stay, we decided to go door to door and ask if we could pitch a tent in their backyark. most people didnt answer the door, but we had one person that answered the door, they said no because they have a dog and that it would keep on barking all night long if we were to stay. after giving up the door to door idea, we found a clearing in the woods where people dump their grass cuttings. it was nice and soft ground but there were lots of bugs.

if you ever see a sikh temple make sure to stay there because they will give you nice free indian food. that is if there is an indian community on the way of your trip.

When we did our Central Coast California unsupported tour, we stayed mostly at State Parks..COuld not go wrong..California park's usually have a special section for cyclists. And the space is below regular camp site costs , since cyclists are not dragging in a car - which is using up space.
A nice State park camp site for cyclists was under $5. To choose otherwise and not have camp site ammenities..WOuld not make sense to me...
ALong the California coast, state parks are everywhere...Plus, The parks assure cyclists they will have a spot to camp.

Lets see, I've camped just off the road, in grave yards, in church yards, under bridges, farmers fields and back yards, city parks,...The list of places to camp is endless.

But a few hints
Stay away from
construction sights, Heavy equipment can ruin your day
Pastures with animals, Cows and horses do not make good tent mates and sheep will eat your tent.
Places with litter such as beer cans. It's a party spot for the local kids, and just after you set up a car load will show up.

You might want to check out this other thread too!
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=50099

Wow! I never new cyclists got such special treatment in CA State Parks. Does anyone know of similar cyclist perks in other campgrounds?

Bicicletta...California is thought to be bike friendly, at least by governmental authorities. They could do a better job of bike lanes on roads..
But yes, the parks have a program called something like 'bike and sleep'. Cyclists are segregated in their own part of the park. Without a stinkinig car, we really do not take up much space,right. At least in every park I encountered..
Seems the camp sites we used for were $3 a night.that is 2001.
Nothing like camping under the redwoods, with a campfire and a bottle of wine. W/O a shower, I am a miserable cyclist.

When I tour, I usually aim to camp in state parks. Even if you aren't in California, state park campsites are generally inexpensive and the accomodations are good. I, too, like my shower at the day's end.

Some commercial campgrounds are kind to cyclists, too. One in my area will let cyclists stay free. Most will let you set up your tent somewhere other than in a designated campsite and reduce their fees.

I don't know about the states but up here in the frosty north we have lot's of forested land, even whithin alot of our cities. I see where people have made campsites on them. Government land is called crown land here,and there is alot of crown land in these here parts, so it is very easy to find a spot to camp. The one problem is wildlife, even though this is the capitol we have had moose wander into the industrial sections of the city. In the greenbelt there are countless numbers of places. Everything is so spread out round here that unless you are right near the heart of the city there is no problem camping out. I once slept in a ditch on the side of the highway when I was hitch hiking and could not get a ride. Check out Indoplanetyanin's touring journal, he finds some really nice places to free camp and does not seem to get in any trouble doing it. One can learn alot from his journal.

I usually just "poach" a shower... put on my bathing suit, ride to the nearest one horse gas station and see if they have a hose out back :D Or lather up, and jump in the nearest pond/lake!

Seely...You usually get warm showers, under these conditions.?

Warm, not so much, but it sure gets you going :)

Someone I met in Tasmania was wild camping, and showing up at commercial campsites just for the shower. Whereas they were charging $10 or more to camp at these places, they were only charging something like $2.50 (or less quite often) if you only went for the shower option without actually camping there.

Chris..$10 Aussie..Isn't that like $25 U.S.? Must be a pretty nice campsite.

This was something that concerned me as well when I first started touring and remote camping but through trial and error you develop skill at this.For me I prefer woods and I can say that No. Florida has alot of suitable woodlands for remote camping (as I have toured from Ft.L. to Gainesville and back)and I would think you could find plenty of suitable choices in N.C. through Ga. as well.I just wait until dusk find a suitable spot leave at or before daybreak and by being discreet and low impact am never even noticed.In towns I usually try to find a vacant lot with some kind of cover .Fields with cover may be your best choice in some areas but there can be dew all over everything in the morning.The most difficult places for me to find suitable spots are urban areas and agricultural areas with endless miles of large fenced posted farmlands.

"Warm, not so much, but it sure gets you going"

Once used lake Eire when on Pelee Island...Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, but it wakes right up! Just make sure you use a soap that rinses off quickly and is eco friendy.

Wow, thanks for the info. I was just worried it would be really hard to find any camp sites. I'll only be on the road for 2 weeks max. So I don't know if I'd ever need a shower if I can find a lake to swim in. Saving money is the most important part of me finding a camp site. So I guess this will just be part of the fun. Thanks everyone. Any more info would be greatly appreciated.

I used to live in Florida...I had a good impression of their state park system..Seems they are fairly plentful...Recall some in really scenic locations.
Probably a web site..Seems almost $20 years ago, they were only $5 a day.Maybe like California, they have special programs for cyclists.
From what I recall of many Fresh water lakes in Florida, I did not like swimming in them..Lots of questionable stuff... Some of the Springs have pretty clear water. Suspect they are still pretty cheap.
Why should not cyclists pay less.? No car to drag into parking spaces.?
My impression,you will pay far more in commercial camps like KEO, is it called.?
Often there are city and county parks..I were doing this, I would be checking out such facts on the web.
What about roads compatable for cyclists? Checked out that issue..Florida roads can be overburdened with tourists and Florida has one of the highest accident rates on the roads of any state other than New Jersey.
Think I would be finding back roads as much as possible..
One suggestion...DeLorme maps makes a very detailed map of Florida..I Used to have one..Back roads and all...The maps give very detailed information on parks, scenic attractions. etc.

Definately stay away from RV parks, they charge you about $17-$20 a night...
Where I live on the gulf coast side of Fl there are several State parks and county parks where the cost is only $5 a night, they usually have free firewood and very clean showers and restrooms. There is one near me called Starkey Park and its in city limits so you would be close to convenience stores and what not...
Good luck and ride safe

I think it's more like $15 US at the current rate (possibly slighty less). Still, I saw campsites in Victoria in 2002 charging up to $19/night. No wonder some people try to freecamp wherever they can. Great thing about Tasmania is that there are a lot of places (particularly on the West Coast) where this is still possible. I think I paid for two camps in 10 days at one point -- and those were particularly nice campsites.

And of course, I stupidly and completely got the conversion wrong. $10AUD would currently equate to between $7 and $7.50 US right at the moment. Paints a slightly different picture of those campsite prices, does it not?

It seems at one time the Australian dollar was worth $2.50. Which is what the British pound used to go for. Quite a difference.