Walmart overnight parking

[eubank]

Actually, there are only a very few documented cases of RV parks trying to get a town to pass ordinances against "Walmart parking." When it has happened -- there was a well-known case of this kind in Wyoming a couple of years back -- the owners didn't exactly get a lot of sympathy from other park owners. Of course, there are lots of towns that do have ordinances against "Walmart parking," but most involve dealing with the homeless, dealing with truckers, dealing with sewage issues, and so forth.

About the closest we've seen of this kind locally is a self-professed "artist," often drunk, who lives in various parking lots around Taos in his old class C. Since it's isolated, people just chase him off. Otherwise, here in AF, we get lots of big rig owners staying in the resort parking lots to go skiing during the winter. The vast majority of them are not a problem, but a couple of them got the ire of the locals by dumping their tanks in the parking lot before departing. Dummies. Especially in a town with large numbers of RV owners (including the city manager and former mayor and the chief of police).

Personally, I think it's a total waste of time to regulate this kind of thing. People do what they want to do, and they've got a rig that they can do "Walmart parking" with, they're going to do it, whether in one location or another. Ah, duh.


Lynn

[Foiled Again]

The WILDS of Ohio - really spoiled WalMart for me forever.

That doesn't mean that in a pinch I won't avail myself of a nap at WalMart, it's just.... well it's WAL-MART for crying out loud.

I want to be in a quiet country lane or farmer's field, or city or county camping area. They're everywhere and you aren't listening to semis rumbling all night or peeking out your window to see www.peopleofwalmart.com people.

Paula

[Otters]

Originally Posted by mouth012006

We will be doing a cross country drive in a couple of months....and I don't feel that I should have to pay a RV park full price for us pulling in and sleeping maybe 6 hours....I would rather pull in to a nice Walmart parking lot and crash or pull into one of the Travel centers and get a couple hours of sleep and pull away. I dont think that the RV parks should really have any say as to who can and can't stay in the parking lot that Walmart has paid for either.

That's exactly what we did last year, and free lodging for those nights you're just sleeping at, was great. It sure helped offset the high cost of diesel at the time. Other great free parking was found at Cracker Barrel, Casinos, Campers World, and city parks. We had WiFi access and used the following website for finding free or under $10 overnighting. They're even rated by other RV'ers. I apologize if its been posted already--I haven't read through the entire thread. Enjoy your cross country AS trip. We sure did and made memories we'll never forget.
Happy trails! Free Campgrounds for RVs

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by eubank

Actually, there are only a very few documented cases of RV parks trying to get a town to pass ordinances against "Walmart parking." When it has happened -- there was a well-known case of this kind in Wyoming a couple of years back -- the owners didn't exactly get a lot of sympathy from other park owners. Of course, there are lots of towns that do have ordinances against "Walmart parking," but most involve dealing with the homeless, dealing with truckers, dealing with sewage issues, and so forth.

There is more of this than meets the eye. The Marion KOA (near Rochester, Minnesota) lobbied the city to try to get an ordinance passed to prevent camping at Walmart. The city declined to do anything, and it never made the news. You can find the details in some memos the city has published.

[Lothlorian]

I am so busy right now I sure would like to have the time off to visit a Walmart for overnight camping. I am in need of a road trip. My camper is calling me going "lets go camping." I would love to spend the night at a Walmart just to get a break from work.

Brian

[eubank]

Yes, Jammer, I'm sure it has happened. A related thing happened here locally, with one campground owner trying to argue that other camping opportunities are the "enemy" in some sense. (It actually involved a private campground owner vs. NM state parks, but the terms of disagreement were nearly identical to the "Walmart" issue.) It turned into a pretty nasty knock-down, drag-out, thankfully carried out not in public, but on a members-only discussion list for campground owners in NM.

But if you look at the overall state of affairs with communities banning "Walmart camping," I think you'll find that most of these regulations don't come about because of the few idiot campground owners who think it's in their interest to ban this sort of thing.


Lynn

[Bluto]

Just some food for thought.
If campground owners had a section set aside just for people who are just wanting to get a couple of hours of sleep and move on, not use facilities or hook up and at a reduced rate. I think more people would use them and the owners would make a profit and not have to give anything but a safe place to park in return.
I guess the hard part is who is going to police them and make sure they aren't sneeking over to the showers, running generators, etc. in the middle of the night. If that sort of stuff could be sorted out I see it as a win win situation.

[eubank]

Bluto, that might work in rural areas, but in many areas where land is at a premium you're talking adding another hundred thousand or so to purchase land that isn't going to make that much income? Then it would be better to send folks to Walmart, an outfit with much more upfront cash to buy land. There is economic sense to "Walmart" camping.

Lynn

[Gene]

There are some private CG's that offer an option of no sewer while you have the other hookups. The difference is about $2 and you can still use the dump station. Plan to do that and you can save enough money on as trip for eating dinner out or more. Since stopping at the dump station takes time, we don't usually save the $2 because we want to get on the road. State parks have a number of hookup options. It's not the same as getting a space for several hours and moving on, but it's an option.

Lynn has hit on a big issue. CG's close to cities have to deal with high land costs and high taxes, so it's not easy to make money as it is for a CG. That's why as cities grow, CG's near city centers sell out because the land is so valuable. In Colorado, commercial land is taxed around 4 times as much as residential, so there is lots of pressure on a CG to sell out to develop the land for a use which generates more money.

Gene

[Jammer]

I think part of the problem is that campgrounds are one of those land uses where it is impossible to get financing. Not just hard, impossible.

If you own a campground near the city and want to retire you might have to get someone to turn your lifelong business into a strip mall in order to sell it.

[eubank]

Unfortunately, states and local governments include campgrounds under lodging facilities, so we are asked to pay lodgers' taxes. (These are given different names in different communities. Bed tax, lodgers' tax, whatever.) These can range up to around seven or eight percent of the take and are tacked on top of sales taxes. Presumably, these monies are to go to local infrastructure that will benefit visitors to the area (at least here in NM), but a good number of these are extremely questionable.

Once you add it all together for lodging establishments here in NM, your total tax burden will be in the range of around 33%. And a whole mountain of paper work.

Now ask yourself a question: Would it be worth it for a place with a large parking lot (Walmart, the resort, Flying J, whatever) to collect a small fee for parking there? Absolutely not!


Lynn

[jm2]

does anyone have any firsthand experience at overniting in Clinton NJ?

from what I can see, there's both a Walmart, and a Cracker Barrel across the street from one another, just off Pittstown Road, aka County Route 513, just south from exit 15 of I-78.

"plan B" might be Spruce Run Reservoir.

thanks in advance for any comment or suggestion that you might provide!

best,

[SilverBreeze]

Some cities and counties will not let people camp in parking lots, unfortunately in California that is the case almost anywhere.

[Matt Kline]

If I just want to sleep and don't need hookups I find a secondary road and look for abandoned gas stations, places where the county piles road material, cemeteries, rural church lots....use your imagination. I've never been told to leave such a place. I've never asked a convenience store clerk in a small town to park in their lot and been refused. Recently parking near a ranch fence in rural Texas a game warden stopped to make sure we were OK and then left us alone to enjoy the pristine sky, far from any light pollution.
Security? It tickles me to hear people state that they are afraid to park rural, but will park in a Wal Mart parking lot in a city. Next time you fear a rural spot call the local sheriff and ask him how many murders or armed robberies he's had in the last five years. I betcha he tells you "none." Then check the statistics in the city of your favorite Wal Mart parking lot.

[Ahzmyrah]

Stayed in Wal Marts Border to Border and Sea to Shining Sea. Never had a problem. Some municipalities do regulate staying anywhere except a designated camping area. Best thing is to ask the manager at the Wal Mart. If you buy a Rand McNally road atlas from Wal Mart it will list all the Wal Mart locations through out the U. S. of A along with addresses and phone numbers. I generally avoid Wal Marts in large unknown cities because you don't know what side of town you are on and I have this National Lampoon Vacation vision of Chevy Chase asking for directions back to the freeway in a bad part of town.

[squrlgurl]

Originally Posted by SilverBreeze

Some cities and counties will not let people camp in parking lots, unfortunately in California that is the case almost anywhere.

True in Indian River County, FL (Vero Beach area). We were run out of a Walmart parking lot 2 weeks ago while just trying to get a few hours sleep.County ordinance against overnight parking, not WM's policy.The Security guard was pretty cool about it. Said we could go to any other county and snooze, just not this one.

[clancy_boy]

Stayed at a Walmart south of Nashville, TN 4 times this past month. I was taking the CCD to JC for repairs. This location was half way from home and a very very nice Walmart with a bunch of other shopping sites near by. They had a remote well lit parking lot that was little used by the garden center. Lots of signs about no overnight parking on the light poles. When I arrived at 9pm there were 8 mohos and one 5th wheel in the lot. I asked the garden center door guy what was the deal and he said there was not an issue with the camper but the mohos will be told to "shut off their gensets" - common sense. I bought stuff there every time I stopped, left early each morning and never left a mess. I saw one moho dump their garbage - two bags - in a shopping cart and drive off.

This location was yuppieville - the Walmart had stuff I never see at any other location, clean, street sweeper at 4am (great alarm clock) - I was on battery so I had the door open and the screen door close for circulation. Never felt in danger, one moho owner came over for a look and brought a beer. I saw a police cruiser more than once drive through real slow and look at each setup but never stop.

[Melody Ranch]

Wearing out the welcome.

[r carl]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

Wearing out the welcome.

LOL He must think he is at the beach.

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

Wearing out the welcome.

Note: This is an Airstream Moho! We should have more class than this.