RV travel is one of the best ways to get around. Add in the handy apps on our smartphones and you’ve got one of the most stress-free ways to travel! I’m sharing the best apps for RV travel to ensure you can find where to camp, where to fill up, where to go, what to do, and so much more!
What would we do without Google Maps? How in the world would we ever get around?! Apps really have changed the way we’re able to travel. Over the past year we’ve taken lots of RV trips and learned the best ways to get around. Michael and I prefer to avoid RV parks and to feel like our home on wheels has a space of its own.
RV travel takes the stress out of a trip in a big way. No longer do you need to decide on the length of your stay, cramming things into a suitcase, or where you’ll stay that night.
But what’s even easier is the apps that give you the ability to get anywhere with the confidence and safety that you know exactly what you’re getting into.
I’ve got 15 apps to help you find the best spots to camp, hike, or park your RV. These apps are what we use to find cool, hidden gems. Best of all, many of these apps are free, and if they aren't they help you find FREE places to stay! And really, they help us plan out our trip!
I can't imagine RVing with out them.
We've been traveling in our Flagstaff RV across the USA – from the heat of Texas to the cold of Montana and having these apps makes all the difference! After careful research we picked this travel trailer. Find out why in this post!
1. OnX – This is the best app to find public lands such as BLM (Bureau of Land Management) or national forests. This app helps you search and find properties that are open to you. We look at detailed maps to see where we can stay and get an idea of the terrain and roads to get there. This is probably our most used app. I will tell you this app is not cheap but so far it’s been very worth it for us to find free places to stay. Yes, all of these stays are FREE!
2. AllStays – A comprehensive camping app that helps you find campgrounds and free places to stay. The best part of the Allstays app is all the filters; adventurers can narrow their selections by types of camping, how much it costs, elevation, electric and water hookup availability, and even whether there is fishing, hiking, or a pool nearby.
The app will also warn you if there are tunnels or low clearance on your route. You can also access this app even when you're offline, so it helps you rest assured you're finding where to camp even if you lose signal. This app does cost money but is worth it.
3. Harvest Hosts – One of my favorite places to stay with an RV. I LOVE this concept. For one night you can stay for free at places like breweries, farms, and wineries. It’s totally free, but the idea is that you visit their shop or buy a drink. For example, when we stayed at Bragg Maple House we stayed for one night and the next morning we learned all about the maple syrup process then bought tons of maple syrup, a maple creamy (must have if you go to New England), and even purchased a t-shirt. This is a great option that RVers should fully take advantage of.
4. RV Parky -This is created by full-time RVers, and it gives tons of information while you’re on the road, finding places to stay, and more. It’s a bit clunky (or old school) but it’s a great app to find places to stay. I also mark every place we stay along the way to create a route! It’s a great way to look back at your trips or handy when you want to write a guide. It's based on personal experience so there's tons of help for not only campgrounds but gas stations, rest stops, and more.
5. Boondocking – Boondocking is the term used for camping without hookups, water or electricity. This app shows over 1,170 boondocking locations, most within the US.
6. iOverlander – This app is made up of reviews by other RVers listing directions, tips, and where to park your RV for the night. It’s a non profit and volunteer project that helps you find RV stays as well as where to fill up water, gas, and propane. I also love that the reviews tell you details about the stay which will help you judge if it’s right for you.
7. KOA – KOA’s are known as the “luxury” RV parks. That can also mean they are more expensive. But sometimes you want all the bells and whistles of an RV stay: full hookups (electricity and water), dump stations, a pool, and they’re fully staffed and usually have a separate kitchen and bathroom area. So you can save your fresh water tanks.
8. Weigh My Truck – what we used when making sure we weren’t over weight for our RV. So many people skip this step! It's so so so important to weigh your RV so you can make sure it's safe on the road. Also, CAT Scale – Places to weigh your RV. We did this when we first set out to RV. It’s really helpful to know how much weight your vehicle is towing or how much space you have — or don’t!
9. Outdoorsy – Curious about RV travel but not want to try it out? Or just need an RV a few times a year? I highly recommend Outdoorsy. Think of it like Airbnb for RVs. You can rent any type of RV, anywhere. We rented an RV for two weeks in New England and it was the best way to get around!
With Outdoorsy, you can browse RVs by location, dates, and type of RV. Similarly to Airbnb, you can find the “Instant Book” feature without even waiting to get approved. The benefit is saving money, trying out to see if the RV lifestyle is for you, and testing out all different styles of RVs.
If you're new to RVing, you can feel super secure, since Outdoorsy offers round-the-clock technical assistance. I also felt very assured as we were thoroughly walked through the RV and it's features during our rental process. You can also find nearly all types of RVs, so if you want to test drive an RV on a trip before you purchase, this would be a great option.
I highly recommend you giving Outdoorsy a try!
10. Best Hiking Apps – Komoot is Michael’s favorite app to find hiking trails. He is also an avid mountain biker so it’s great for this as well! You can plan routes and find information about hiking and biking in your area. Komoot is especially handy in Europe. In the USA we tend to use MTB Project. What's great is that you can download offline maps, so once you hit the trails you can still find out where you are, and where you need to be.
11. All Trails – This is how we find all the best hikes! It gives you more than 75,000 hiking, backpacking, and running trails around the world. You can also filter by type of trails—think dog-friendly spots or trails suitable for kids, or hiking intensity level.
12. Accuweather – to check weather in our locations and to see if storms or high winds are on the way. We never want to be towing in super high winds!
13. Co-Pilot RV – When we were RVing around New England we wanted to make sure we didn’t hit any low bridges- since those are more common there. This app was a lifesaver! Designed specifically for RV owners, CoPilot provides reliable offline navigation that calculates your route according to your vehicle size and class (heigh, weight, and length).
14. Campendium – Campendium is a great app to find campgrounds near you with user generated reviews.
15. Oh, Ranger! This app is perfect for guides to national and state parks! You’ll find all the information you need to know about activities, hiking, fishing, hunting and more. This is especially handy if you travel with your dogs, like we do. Some national parks don’t allow dogs on trails so this will help you find ones that do or give you tips along the way.
BONUS… An app for entertainment while on the road…
BONUS Audible – I love listening to books. But there’s so much more to Audible than just books. There’s lectures, podcasts, and even college courses. We pick a book for every single trip, and sometimes two books!
So there you have it! The best apps for RVers!
