5 Apps to Help You Find Your Next Campsite

One of the best parts of RVing is discovering new places. However, places that are new aren't very familiar! So, when we need to find a good campground in a new place, we rely on these 5 apps to find campsites.

1. Campendium

Campendium is probably our favorite app. It was the first app I learned to use to help Jon find campsites. The search function is very intuitive. Both on the website and the mobile app, the search box is front and center. You can type in your destination. Or, in a pinch, you can quickly select from nearby RV parks, public land, free camping, overnight parking, and even dump stations.

This is an example of a quick search on the CampendiumApp. The blue icons are RV parks, the green are public lands, and the brown one is a dump station. The app allows you to zoom in for more detail.

2. Reserve America

When we first began to RV, Reserve America was a favorite app of ours. Even now, as experienced RVers, it remains our favorite app for finding State Parks and reserving stays at State Parks. Reserve America is also a helpful tool for finding and reserving RV park campsites as well. The main benefit to using this app is that you're able to make and pay for your reservations right within the app. We find the app to be easy, clear, and straightforward when it comes to securing and paying for reservations.

3. Park Advisor

One of the most robust apps is the Park Advisor RV Parks and Campgrounds app. We find it impressive because it includes many points that are of special interest to RVers. A map will not only show you campgrounds, but also nearby Cracker Barrels, Walmarts, Flying Js, Sam's Clubs, Costcos, and dump stations. This app is excellent if you've arrived to an area ahead of schedule and your reservation hasn't yet begun. It's also helpful if you've had to unexpectedly change plans. You may need to spend a night at a Walmart or Cracker Barrel before regrouping and moving on to a campground.

This is an example of search results on the Park Advisor App showing a variety of results like nearby Walmarts, private RV parks, state parks, dumps stations, Cracker Barrels, and more.

4. iOverlander

The ability to search for established and "informal" campgrounds internationally is iOverlander's strength. If your RV travels are taking you into Canada or Mexico, this is a great app to use. It's also useful if you plan on flying to a country and then RVing for part of your visit. In addition to campgrounds, the app allows you to search for dump stations, wild camping, and propane. Another unique feature is the ability to filter your search results by how old user reviews are, since the quality of a campsite can change over time. You can filter out results that don't have reviews within the last 3 months, 6 months, and 1-5 years.

5. The Dyrt

The Dyrt is a newer app serving the needs of both RVers and tent campers. As an Rver, you'll want to be sure the search result you click has the icon for "RV sites." Being that the app is newer, it isn't as robust as some of the others on the list, but it is the most interactive. You can earn points and prizes for submitting reviews of the campgrounds that you stay at. They also have a quick search where you can explore campgrounds by state. This initially sorts the campgrounds with "top campgrounds," as determined by reviews, at the top of the results.

If you don't happen to use your mobile device for your campground searches, most of these have great websites as well. We find it helpful to read the user reviews available on some of these apps. But have found it's best to remember that conditions can change depending on the season, over time, and depending on personal opinion. Another thing we often find ourselves doing is using a combination of these apps. Sometimes it's nice to cross-check the info.