Can You Sleep In Your Car At National Parks? (2022)
Summer is here, so it is time to start exploring some national parks! But after a long day of hiking, you will need to take the time to rest, and car camping is a great way to do that. As a newly minted van lifer, I am always hiking and backpacking through national parks. But during my time in Canyonlands National Park, I found myself exhausted after a long day of hiking and way too lazy to set up my tent, so I asked myself, “can you sleep in your car in national parks?”
The answer is yes. You can sleep in your car in most national parks!
Being able to sleep in your car can be extremely helpful especially if you are caught in inclement weather and don’t want to set up camp in the rain, forgot your tent at home, or if are a tired and lazy van lifer like myself. But although you can sleep in your car in most national parks, there are a few things you should know before doing so.
Where Can You Sleep In Your Car At National Parks?
Even though you can sleep in your car in most national parks, usually you can only do so at designated front-country campsites. In situations where your car is an RV, you need to make sure your campsite is designated as an RV site.
Unfortunately for my fellow van lifers and overlanders, this means you cannot just sleep in random parking lots or pullouts within the national park unless you want to run the risk of being woken up by a park ranger. If you want to sleep in your car at a national park, you need to do so at a designated campsite.
If you know ahead of time that you want to stay overnight at a national park I recommend checking the park’s website to see if reservations can be made in advance or if campsites are available first come, first serve.
Is It Free To Sleep In Your Car At National Parks?
No.
Since you need to stay at a designated campsite when sleeping in your car at a national park, you need to pay for the campsite you park at. While there may be free areas to park overnight and sleep in your car outside the park, it requires a fee if you want to do so inside.
How To Sleep In Your Car At A National Park If Campsites Are Full?
Let’s say you are like me and make plans on the fly. You made no reservations for a front-country campsite, and all of the park’s campgrounds are full, is there still a way you can sleep in your car in the national park?
Yes. Now, if all of the park campsites in a national park are full, there is one other way you can sleep in your car, and that is by going to a ranger station to see if you can get a backcountry camping permit to sleep in your car. Not all national parks allow this, so you must verify with a park employee if you can park overnight for a backcountry fee.
Rules To Follow When Sleeping In Your Car At A National Park
Even though you are sleeping in your car, you should still follow the rules of the park’s front country and backcountry campgrounds. Some standard rules to be aware of are leave no trace, quiet hours, and proper food storage. You can read the rules in more detail on the National Park’s website.
How To Sleep In Your Car Near A National Park?
So say all of the national park’s campsites are full, and the park doesn’t allow you to pay a backcountry fee to sleep in your car at a trailhead parking lot. What is a camper to do?! Well, your next best bet is to find dispersed camp areas around the park.
Although you won’t be centrally located in the park and will still have to drive in, the upside to using dispersed campsites is that they are usually free of charge and typically aren’t located too far from one of the park entrances.
How To Find A Free Place To Sleep In Your Car Near A National Park?
Fortunately, many national parks have a national forest or BLM land surrounding it, so you have a good chance of finding a free place to park and crash for the night. You can see if you are near one of these lands by looking at a map of the park and seeing if there are any national forests or BLM land surrounding it. I have also used apps like iOverlander or The Dyrt to help find free campsites near a national park.
How To Check If You Are Allowed To Sleep In Your Car In The Park You Are Visiting?
Although nearly all parks permit you to sleep in your car. Generally, it is restricted to front-country campsites but all parks have their own rules so it is always a good idea to verify the rules of the particular park you are visiting.
The easiest way to do this would probably be by going to the national park website and seeing if they mention anything about it in their “camping section.” Another way to check is by calling one of the park’s ranger stations.
Do I Need A Sleeping Bag To Sleep In My Car?
Whether or not you need a sleeping bag to sleep in your car depends on two major factors, what vehicle you are sleeping in and the time of year you are camping.
First, let’s address the kind of car you plan on sleeping in. If you are in a well-insulated campervan or RV with a bed and sheets, there isn’t much need for a sleeping bag. However, I recommend having one if you are in a regular car or minivan. The reason is that traditional vehicles are not designed to be slept in, so they lack the insulation needed to keep you comfortable at night.
Next up is the weather. Regardless of the weather, if you have an appropriately insulated and heated RV/campervan, you should still be okay without a sleeping bag. But suppose you are sleeping in a standard car. In that case, it is essential to research the weather and the nighttime temperature to get a sleeping bag that is appropriately rated for the weather you will be encountering.
If you are looking for a good sleeping bag, check out what I recommend in my backpacking gear guide. I bought this sleeping bag over five years ago and still use it for all of my backpacking and car camping trips!
