Low or No Cost Camping (Including VA Map)

Adam Garrett
Sep 5, 2024
9 min read

Updated: Apr 7

Above: Options for Free Camping or Free Shelters along the Appalachian Trail in VA for those with a Hunting or Fishing License, & Typically $4/Night for Those Without One

Accommodating Camping to Simultaneous Home Ownership is Encouraged

Camping, even for significant portions of the year, is best when accompanied by existing home ownership. Camping while maintaining home ownership of 1 or multiple homes pulls together the beauty of home ownership, including benefits like appreciation, programs to reduce home cost (like I used), leveraged investments, tax incentives, increased net worth, and more, and the flexibility of alternatives to traditional home ownership. In many (but not all) cases, those camping could even theoretically rent out their home short term, if they chose to do so.

Tips for Renting Out Your Home

Some would prefer to purchase 1 or more than 1 home with camping in mind. For instance, someone seeking to do a lot of camping off-site from their own property may want to live near places where that can be done for free or at low cost, or buy a place where they can camp on their own land.

If engaging in a strategy below that takes you far away from the home you own, be sure to keep in mind that it's still critical to have systems in place so that your home stays in good shape.

Generally speaking, it's best to be paying down a mortgage in such a way that you'll pay it off by the time that you retire. Typically, buying sooner rather than later will mean that you will pay less as long as the market in your area is facing a positive projection. With most buyers acquiring 30 year mortgages, and retirement age at 65, that means that most buyers will do best to get a mortgage at least by 35 for a home that they don't plan to sell due to the costs that are typically incurred in the sales process, unless they downsize to a home that is of lower value (especially from 2-3 story homes to 1 story).

Will My Home Owned Count Against Me for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), SSDI, Medicaid, Section 8, or Other Benefits?

Government Penalties/Lost Incentives of Below Options for Some

It is important to note that for those who engage in camping for too much of the year as a homeowner, it is possible to lose home ownership exemptions available for Medicaid, Social Security Disability Income, Supplemental Security Income, & more, which can drastically negatively impact net worth. Here's more on that under the following headings:

SSI Supplemental Security Income: Home Ownership Not Typically Counted Against Someone
More on Social Security Exclusion of the Home
SSDI Social Security Disability Income: Home Ownership Not Typically Counted Against Someone

Medicaid: Home Definition & Impact Basics: Home Typically Excluded

Unconventional Options Beyond the Above:

Adam Loves Camping, Even Without a Tent!

Above - Adam in a homemade shelter during 3 days of camping where the only man-made material was the trashbag that he filled with leaves to use as a door. While he had a tent available & set up in the event that it didn't work out, he only used the man-made tent for storage. With a strong storm the first night, it worked out great. Adam learned how to build one while acquiring the wilderness survival merit badge in Boy Scouts which included a camp out in a homemade shelter one night.

For those that solo camp a lot, Adam has appreciated using a 1 man pop-up tent. They can go from collapsed & portable to fully ready to camp in under a minute.

If looking to acquire a free tent & you have plenty of time on your hands, don't neglect my page on free acquisitions of a wide variety of personal property available.

Public Lands Free or Low-Cost Camping

While many are aware of the camping options with $20+/night fees, many are unaware of the free options for camping, and those of much lower cost than the typical paid options. The reason is that these alternatives aren't typically advertised.

National Wildlife Refuges for up to 14 days at a time

There are many cases where there is a small fee for entry, but this fee may be waived in a number of scenarios, i.e.:

Those who show their Duck Stamp (available for $25/yr)
Those with a lifetime Access Pass (available to be acquired for those with a permanent disability, with no income cap, no need to be on disability, no need for a specific % disability rating, etc.) ($10 if acquired online; free in person)
Those 62+ with a senior lifetime pass ($80 if acquired in person; $90 if acquired online)
Active duty military with a military pass (free if acquired in person, $10 if acquired online)

Shelters Along the Appalachian Trail

There are a number of shelters along the Appalachian Trail that are free to use. While most of the Appalachian Trail is free, some parts, i.e. Shenandoah National Park, has a fee. In a case like Shenandoah National Park, that fee is waived for those with a national park/federal lands pass, such as the free lifetime access pass, senior lifetime pass, or military pass I mentioned under National Wildlife Refuges.

State forests in VA are not a viable camping option, with rare exceptions.

National Forests - Free for up to 14 days at a time in some cases for dispersed camping

In the case of George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, located in VA, as well as a number of other national forests, "There are no fees or permit required for dispersed camping in small groups."

More details on George Washington National Forest Example (W Info Helpful for Many Others)

"Keep a pack-in pack-out camp. Amenities like water, restrooms or trash cans are not provided.

Group size is limited to no more than 10 people in a designated Wilderness.
Camping stay is limited to 14 consecutive days.
Please camp at least 200 feet from any stream or other water source.
Contact the local District Office to see if any restrictions are in place.
Use a good map to ensure you are not on private land.
Be bear aware: keep a clean camp and keep food out of reach of bears."

Where Can I Disperse Camp?

"You may disperse camp on Forest Service lands that do not have closures or restrictions. Dispersed camping is not allowed in developed recreation areas like campgrounds, picnic areas, or trailheads. Drive on existing roads and, when car-camping, keep your campsite within 150 feet of a road.

If you can, pick a site that has been used before to minimize your impact in the forest. If there is no existing campsite where you are going, then follow Leave No Trace guidelines:

Camp on bare soil, if possible, to avoid damaging plants.
Do not camp within 200 feet of any water source.
Avoid camping in the middle of a clearing or meadow; keep your campsite less visible so that other visitors can enjoy the views.
Do not try to level or dig trenches in the ground at your campsite. Pick a tent site that is already level with good drainage."

Can I have a campfire?

"Campfires are allowed when you are dispersed camping unless there are fire restrictions in effect due to high fire danger conditions.

Tips for Safe, Low Impact Campfires

Use existing fire rings if they exist.
Clean an area and make a ring of rocks two feet in diameter.
Collect only dead wood that is on the ground. Do not bring firewood with you. The emerald ash borer is an invasive species often transported inside firewood. Help us stop the spread of invasive pests by leaving firewood at home.
Before you leave your campfire make sure is it completely out. You should be able to put your whole hand into the ashes without being burned. It should be cool to the touch. Many forest fires are caused by abandoned campfires that were not completely out.
Wood permits are not needed to collect small amounts of wood for your campfire."

Water and Toileting

"Water gets contaminated by visitors who do not take care of their human waste or their garbage and food properly.

Going to the Bathroom in the Woods

Dispersed camping means no restrooms and extra care must be taken to dispose of human waste. To dispose of feces, dig a hole six inches deep at least 200 feet away from any water source. When you are done, fill the hole with the dirt you dug up and take your toilet paper with you to dispose of in a proper waste container. Never defecate or leave toilet paper on top of the ground. It could easily contaminate the local water source.

Treating Your Water

Natural water sources may be contaminated with invisible micro-organisms, like Giardia, that can make people very ill. Water can be contaminated by wild animals or by improper toileting. The only way to ensure that water from natural sources is safe is to treat is by boiling, using water purification tablets or a water purification filter."

For the map at the top of this article, see:

Free Things to Do in & Around Virginia

Once there, select the camping option on the left. I also include fishing and hunting options, often which go together with the camping options.

Higher Cost Camping

Higher-cost camping is much more commonly advertised, so generally speaking will be easy to find on places like Google Maps. One option with cabins, spots for RV's, etc. is Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center, where I was a camp counselor for a summer.

Other camping examples include but are not limited to:

VA State Parks camping

VA Camping Highlighted at Recreation.gov

A simple Google search can pull up a lot, i.e. "best camping in hampton roads"

How Your Home Can Expand Camping Options

Whether it's due to your close proximity to camping by land, you have viable options to camp at your own property, or whether your home gives you direct access to water that can take you to camping options, for those who love to camp, it can be helpful to consider your options before a purchase.

Former listing of Adam's with a creek in the back that fed into larger waters where one could theoretically reach the ocean if desired.

Trails

If seeking to move from place to place without a vehicle, it can be helpful to know where trails are. TrailLink is a good place to look with over 40k miles of trails. Under filters it provides the ability to narrow down by trail size and filter by the options where bikes are allowed. Looking the the Hampton Roads area, it shows that the longest local bikeable trail is the 52 mile Virginia Capital Trail:

Virginia Capital Trail Map on TrailLink going from James City County to Richmond

Importance of Rain Preparations

Different tents handle rain much better than others. If camping, be sure to be educated on how to properly prepare for the elements, especially rain (& if applicable snow/ice/hail). Also, be sure to take those extra precautions so that your knowledge is useful. Know your tent well to know how good it is at dealing with rain. When your tent includes extra options for rain, be sure to use them even though it takes some extra time. Waterproof bags can be very helpful when camping in the event that your efforts fail to keep dry within your tent.

Importance of Cold Weather Preparations

It's not uncommon for a novice camping experience to be ruined by someone's lack of preparation for cold weather camping. Be sure that whatever sleeping bag you are in is rated for at least as low as the lowest temperature that will occur whil you're camping. Be sure to have great warm socks (i.e. wool & other thermal material - not cotton), thermal boots, gloves, hats, coats, warm pants, leggings, layers to take off to avoid sweating or add to, etc. Beware of any cotton, as it's not very warm.

Fishing/Hunting/Gathering

Hunting Licenses

If spending a lot of time camping, you may want to acquire a lifetime hunting, trapping, &/or fishing licenses. You might be surprised how low of a cost you can get a lifetime hunting license or fishing license for, i.e. (among other higher costs):

$130 if under 2 years old
$25 if 65 & older
For those with permanent & total disabilities, residents may acquire lifetime freshwater fishing, hunting, & trapping licenses for $15 each & lifetime saltwater fishing licenses for $10 (1, 2).

Hunting season (VA) will prohibit hunting of most animals for large portions of the year, but nuisance species (VA) can still yield good meat year-round, especially feral hogs & mute swans in VA in locations where they are present, though refrigeration while camping can be difficult unless at a site with power or camping and having your own power source (i.e. solar). Smoking meats or using a dehydrator is a viable option. In addition, when hunting isn't possible, gathering often is still possible during most of the year.

Overarching Related:

About the Author: Adam Garrett - 3rd Generation REALTOR®

Adam is the 3rd generation in a line of award-winning real estate agents serving SE VA. He has served full time at Garrett Realty Partners since May 2014 when he joined the marketing department before transitioning to full-time sales to assist buyers and sellers in February 2015. He believes that an educated buyer or seller makes the best decisions, & is dedicated to helping with that both digitally & on-site physically for buyers & sellers. He's also available for referrals to real estate agents around the globe. In several capacities, his resources & direct offerings for assisting sellers & assisting buyers are either unmatched or are top 1% for the SE VA area, and in some cases, nationwide. Not stopping after closing, he also provides information for tenants, landlords, & homeowners.