Rest Areas

roadkingfl

roadkingfl

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2010
Posts
216
We live in the Keys and usually travel west (AZ, SD, WY, etc.)... When traveling from point A to point B we try to be as efficient with time as possible (not retired). Here is the question, Does anyone KNOW if it is legal and ethical to stay say 5 or 6 hours a night in a rest area? When we travel from the Keys to SD we leave Friday afternoon and arrive Spearfish, SD early evening (2,307 miles one way). Yes I don't mind driving long hours.

Thanks

AJ
 
I would say yes to ethical, depends on legality. You are morally and ethically responsible to not endanger the other motoring public by driving tired. Driving tired is the same as driving drunk. It is impaired driving. Rest areas are built to allow a person to rest. The issue arrives in that some governments have passed ordinances to set the maximum time at a rest area to two hours to cut down on vagrants. This is mostly along the east and west coast. The heartland seems to realize that it is a long way to travel and a person needs to rest.
 
Truck Drivers have no problem pulling into a rest area and "resting" when they have hit their time limits. What may be illegal is putting out the slides for very long.
 
Minnesota has a 10 hour limit on Commercial motor vehicle operators to accommodate the national guidelines for down time. All others are limited to six hours and no overnight camping. The "camping" portion is not well defined in the state law so the concept of pushing slides out may or may not be illegal.

It's likely each state has similar laws for "resting".
 
When I stopped to rest I never put slides or awning out. If any one asked, I'd tell them I wasn't camped because my slides and awnings weren't out
 
Get yourself a Walmart Rand McNally map, and the addresses of all Walmarts are listed.

Maybe you could catch a few of their parking lots on Interstate exits along the way.
 
We have stayed at Walmarts...We find less of those now allow overnighting.
 
Have you tried the app Allstays? We love it and it has helped up with long travels to our family. It tells you the Walmarts that do not allow stops and gives you the phone #s of the ones who do, but would like for you to call first. There are wonderful helps with this app (and no, I get nothing from this plug) I just have enjoyed having it and at less than $10 bucks, I think it is a bargain. There may even be a free one to try it out.
 
Traveling Piper said:
Have you tried the app Allstays? We love it and it has helped up with long travels to our family. It tells you the Walmarts that do not allow stops and gives you the phone #s of the ones who do, but would like for you to call first. There are wonderful helps with this app (and no, I get nothing from this plug) I just have enjoyed having it and at less than $10 bucks, I think it is a bargain. There may even be a free one to try it out.
Click to expand...

X2 on this! I tried another app and it wasn't as up to date. This one is worth the small amount of money which you more than get back in one night of saved camping fees.
 
I know in 2011 SD rest areas said no overnite camping. We did on I90 about 30 miles East of Badlands. We arrived at 1AM and left at 7. Nobody said anything, in fact I'm not sure if any vehicles even drove by. Out in the middle of nowhere, not a lot of choice.
 
I agree with the Allstays app. It is wonderful. Also some truck stops will let you stay over night as well. We have even gotten lucky with some Mom and Pop gas stations. :) Look for places truckers pull over at night.
 
As I understand you can stop in a rest area to rest for a few hours. Problem is they are very loud with trucks coming and going so not sure how much rest one would get. I agree with other that have posted, look up free over night stops like Walmart, Costco, or even Flying J truck stops. Some Flying J's have RV only parking so it tends to be much less traffic in and out making it much more peaceful.

I for one was very nervous about staying in a Walmart my first time. Turns out it wasn't a bad experience at all.
 
Not on the route from Fla. to SD, but I was impressed that at some rest stops on the Ohio tollway, there were "mini-campgrounds", with water/power at each parking spot!
 
I know that some states allow up to 8 hours but that doesn't mean you can put your slides out, blocking the space next to you. Unfortunately, our 42' 5th wheel has opposing slides that work off of one switch and they have to be put out to gain access to the bedroom or the bathroom so rest areas do not work for us.

But to add to Walmarts, Home Depot, etc. is Cabellas and Bass Pro Outlets. And if you're a member of the Elks Lodge, many of the lodges have RV sites that are very affordable. We're currently here in Rapid City and they have a professional golf course, a gym and dry sauna in the men's room and the women's room of the Pro Shop, etc. We're paying $15 a night for 50 amp. We've stayed at Elks Lodges all over the nation.

Many states allow up to 8 hours but I noticed just a few days ago (may be the same rest area that the OP mentioned) that it's posted for only 3 hrs. here in South Dakota.
 
We stayed at a Cabela's parking lot in Anchorage, Alaska a couple years ago for one night. They permit overnight dry camping however it cost us over $500.00. WE WENT IN THE STORE and I didn't even buy any guns since they can't sell to out of state residents, except long guns. :) Most expensive camping I've ever done. They have a specific area off to one side of their store for RV's however when it filled the overflow parked out in the outer areas of the primary lot in the front of the store. Wasn't a bad night once everyone got settled in and set up.
 
We use rest areas and truck stops often. I like to get to our destination as quick as possible also. We usually drive until we are tired pull in, climb in bed, get 4 to 6 hours of rest then get back on the road. We have never been approached for doing anything illegal. Of course we don't open the slides or unhitch from the truck either.
 
Mainiac said:
We use rest areas and truck stops often. I like to get to our destination as quick as possible also. We usually drive until we are tired pull in, climb in bed, get 4 to 6 hours of rest then get back on the road. We have never been approached for doing anything illegal. Of course we don't open the slides or unhitch from the truck either.
Click to expand...

That wouldn't work for us. We can't get to the bedroom or bathroom without putting out at least one slide.
 
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