Sleep in rest areas?

[cwf]

Ithey are called "safety rest stops"... and if you are tired and sleeping, you should be ok.. but thieves don't care how sleepy you are.. and are a stationary target.. even in Wally World there are crimes..

[NY24]

Cracker Barrel RV/Bus stalls are about 40' long. Many 5th wheel rigs will NOT fit within these stalls and should NOT park there.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by NY24

Cracker Barrel RV/Bus stalls are about 40' long. Many 5th wheel rigs will NOT fit within these stalls and should NOT park there.

The can also be too narrow, and at such an angle that you can't turn into them without overlapping into an adjacent space— if there is one. And at every single Cracker Barrel I've stopped at, there's always a big dumpster blocking one RV parking space, and most of the other spaces are usually blocked by sedans or pickups with no trailers, that don't need spaces that big but take them up anyway so that people who do need them can't use them.

[3wd67rg]

We Always use them while on the road. Never had a problem yet. We are prepared should trouble attempt to enter, but like I said, never had any. We park along with the 18 wheelers, since we know they haven't a problem with our genny running through the night. Truckers are generally safe people.

[cwf]

Yea... Total rig won't fit in the CB's.. 36' trailer and crew cab 2500HD... are just a tad too long.. and negotiating the entrance/exit are quite interesting..

[Rich W]

Found a website with some information:
https://www.careersingear.com/blog/s...st-areas-10210

States Where Overnight Parking is Allowed
Let’s start with a list of the states where you are allowed to park overnight:
Arizona
Arkansas
Connecticut
Indiana
Kansas
Nevada
New Mexico
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Texas
Virginia
Wyoming

So what this means is that 36 states do not allow you to park at rest areas overnight. Even more so the states that do have some restrictions. In Connecticut you can only park overnight at rest areas along the Illinois Toll Road. Same for Indiana, except it is the Indiana Toll Road where you are permitted to park overnight. In New York you are only allowed to park overnight at rest areas in the case of an emergency. For truck drivers rolling through Ohio you can only rest overnight at the Ohio Turnpike rest areas. Oregon has imposed a 14-hour limit on your stay, while Wyoming has individual limitations at certain rest areas.

I have not slept in any rest areas, I just don't feel comfortable and won't get a good night's sleep. I've been able to stay/sleep in some Wal-Mart parking lots but there is all night traffic (loud exhausts, truck noise, loud radios, etc.) I researched one in Staunton, VA, it got good reviews. (Just Google "Is it safe at Walmart [address, city, state] for overnight parking?"). We've gone that way a couple of times and stayed there, several others are also there; RVs, commercial rigs, people sleeping in cars. I slept better there after the first time.

We've done Cracker Barrel a couple of times, found a nice one in Ocala, FL. It had its own parking lot across the street for RVs. We go in for dinner, ask and they say "see ya at breakfast".

I have also started adding clean, cheap RV parks to my Garmin / Waze favorites. It makes it easier to plan trips. I keep a ship's log of places we've been and added notes about any places we stopped at along the way, for when we go back there again.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by richw46

. . .
In Connecticut you can only park overnight at rest areas along the Illinois Toll Road.
. . .

Not sure how restful this would be . . .

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Not sure how restful this would be . . .

[emoji23]

FYI - I've stayed overnight in the Danbury, CT rest area (not in Illinois) with several other AS folks from our unit on the way to NY. Great rest area and wonderful friends. Would even do it solo if possible.

[Blackdog06]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

[emoji23]

FYI - I've stayed overnight in the Danbury, CT rest area (not in Illinois) with several other AS folks from our unit on the way to NY. Great rest area and wonderful friends. Would even do it solo if possible.

Have you stayed/passed by there recently? We're considering overnighting there next week but can't tell if the construction is finished yet.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by Blackdog06

Have you stayed/passed by there recently? We're considering overnighting there next week but can't tell if the construction is finished yet.

I haven't but friends of mine say it's back up and good to go. Maybe call in advance to be sure?

[Blackdog06]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

I haven't but friends of mine say it's back up and good to go. Maybe call in advance to be sure?

Will do...thanks for the info!

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by Blackdog06

can't tell if the construction is finished yet.

Is construction ever finished?
Here in Florida, I swore the company that rents the barrels doesn't have a warehouse, they just move them from one interstate to another. I've driven past 20 miles of barrels and found, you guessed it, no construction.

[Big Air]

I feel more comfortable at Walmart and many are very close to the interstates. So when we're getting tired and ready to stop I just use my apps to look ahead and find a walmart. There are usually other campers doing the same thing and the bright lights are on and cops usually drive through. Plus there are cameras.

[KellyAndersson]

IDAHO: This is the #1 worstest state for funding its rest areas. But a very friendly state for parking somewhere if you need to.
MONTANA: This is the #1 bestest state for pulling over, or asking for help, or being a magnet for assistance if you have ANY kinda trouble year-round.
WASHINGTON: Worstest-latest chances for a summer-wildfire-smoke-free vacation or even summer drivethrough.
OREGON: If you're politically flexible and multi-lingual adaptable, you'll love this state. JUST DON'T SAY ANYTHING LIKE "Ore-ah-gaan." It's just plain Orygun FFS. Deal with it.

[KellyAndersson]

I've pulled over intermittently for a quickie overnight nap at interstate rest areas for 35+ years, mostly the PNW but several SW states also. With just 2 or 3 exceptions back in the late 1980s (Utah and Nevada), I've never felt unsafe or insecure, whether I was driving a rental car, my own SUV or truck-towing-a-trailer or '77 Town Car. I'd actually feel more secure in a freeway rest area compared with a lotta WalMart parking lots I can recall.

Probably 87.32% of this, though, depends on your personal accoutrements. Do you have an assertive human companion with you? (Do you need one?) Do you have a large protective canine with you? Do you have a loaded firearm with you and are you a good shot? (Or do you subscribe to the pepper-spray bear-spray not-Montana alternative religion?) Do you have an attack-trained cat or ferret or ninja-warrior-granddaughter traveling with you?


k.

[Fly at Night]

Have always felt safe at the Flying J.

It's nice to show some appreciation by topping up the gas tank, and buying some junk from their store too.

[Fbastian]

Originally Posted by bibbs

I love Ohio rest stops! ( rt90) they even got hookups clean safe easy!

Ditto for Ohio. On our way from PA to Yellowstone this month we stayed at Portage service plaza (south of Cleveland). ~10 back-in sites, Electric only, $20 for overnight (cash only machine at the RV lot), but well lit and away from truck/car parking.

[airdreamers]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

Is construction ever finished?
Here in Florida, I swore the company that rents the barrels doesn't have a warehouse, they just move them from one interstate to another. I've driven past 20 miles of barrels and found, you guessed it, no construction.

Know what you mean. Cost per day how many barrels per 100 feet. Wish I was Bob the barrel guy here in SW FL. $$$$

[3wd67rg]

Originally Posted by richw46

Found a website with some information:
https://www.careersingear.com/blog/s...st-areas-10210

States Where Overnight Parking is Allowed
Let’s start with a list of the states where you are allowed to park overnight:
Arizona
Arkansas
Connecticut
Indiana
Kansas
Nevada
New Mexico
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Texas
Virginia
Wyoming

So what this means is that 36 states do not allow you to park at rest areas overnight. Even more so the states that do have some restrictions. In Connecticut you can only park overnight at rest areas along the Illinois Toll Road. Same for Indiana, except it is the Indiana Toll Road where you are permitted to park overnight. In New York you are only allowed to park overnight at rest areas in the case of an emergency. For truck drivers rolling through Ohio you can only rest overnight at the Ohio Turnpike rest areas. Oregon has imposed a 14-hour limit on your stay, while Wyoming has individual limitations at certain rest areas.

I have not slept in any rest areas, I just don't feel comfortable and won't get a good night's sleep. I've been able to stay/sleep in some Wal-Mart parking lots but there is all night traffic (loud exhausts, truck noise, loud radios, etc.) I researched one in Staunton, VA, it got good reviews. (Just Google "Is it safe at Walmart [address, city, state] for overnight parking?"). We've gone that way a couple of times and stayed there, several others are also there; RVs, commercial rigs, people sleeping in cars. I slept better there after the first time.

We've done Cracker Barrel a couple of times, found a nice one in Ocala, FL. It had its own parking lot across the street for RVs. We go in for dinner, ask and they say "see ya at breakfast".

I have also started adding clean, cheap RV parks to my Garmin / Waze favorites. It makes it easier to plan trips. I keep a ship's log of places we've been and added notes about any places we stopped at along the way, for when we go back there again.

Always note the date of the original posted information, and dates of updates as well. So often we have found out of date information. Open rest areas reported as closed, closed rest areas reported as open. We still use various apps to find where the rest areas ARE, but we deem any further information to be useless.

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by PammieSue

Always note the date of the original posted information, and dates of updates as well. So often we have found out of date information. Open rest areas reported as closed, closed rest areas reported as open. We still use various apps to find where the rest areas ARE, but we deem any further information to be useless.

That article was published August 24, 2016, fairly recently. It is posted by a site that helps people with job searches for becoming an OTR trucker. It is about how to remain safe when on the road.

Information about anything in this world is dynamic, subject to change. There is very little posted in this forum that I deem to be useless and I try very hard to make sure anything I post is current. YMMV