Please let us know about 1) mapping apps for finding wild camps and 2) great dispersed camps, especially near the national parks and we will share them.

The best camps are free ones. Dispersed camps, wild camps, boondocking camps, with no neighbors, no noise, spectacular vistas and sunsets and stars. So how do you find them? This is particularly important near the National Parks where the campgrounds are crowded and often booked up months in advance. We hope to expand on this in the future so please let us know where more detail is needed and what tools you use that we should try.

Here are the basic tools and methods we use before heading out away from the internet:

1. Find maps of the area showing land ownership, especially Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). We love deserts and they are largely on BLM land. For the Forest Service, their free Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) have little dots along forest roads where dispersed camping is allowed. You can generally camp on any Federal lands for up to 14 days per site.

2. Search for State Parks and National Wildlife Refuges that often have free or cheap primitive campgrounds in wonderful, scenic areas.

3. Download any number of free or cheap apps that show "wild camps" or "dispersed camping" areas. Our favorite is "iOverlander", although we also check Campendium for "free camping" for officially recognized dispersed camping areas where we are going. iOverlander posts user-supplied wild camps and campgrounds (and other facilities of interest to Overlanders). There are usually multiple entries for each spot, often with photos and GPS coordinates and a description. When we find a site of interest, we select "View in mapping app" and save them in Google Maps so we can navigate to them when approaching. We hope to learn of other apps so please let us know what you use and we will share.

4. When viewing the sites in Google Maps (or other app) we look at the satellite image instead of the road map image and zoom in so we can see the turnout or dirt road or "two-track" leading to the camp site. Some are just pullover spots (too close to road for us, unless really desperate) but some have "cherry stem" turnarounds where you drive off the road 20, 50 or 100 feet or more to a vehicle turnaround circle, or multiple circles for multiple campsites. These are ideal because they are away from the dust and noise and there may be multiple spots with good space between them, indicating a better chance of finding a spot.

5. We always look for existing turnarounds or camping spots and unless it is an emergency, we never camp where there isn't an existing spot so as to not ruin the resource. Using satellite images you can often see a fire ring in the middle indicating a well used camp. We may use the fire pit, if conditions allow, but our above- ground portable campfire is more efficient anyway, so usually we won't and we never build a new fire ring.

6. One tip, perhaps available mainly to retirees who can afford the luxury of time, is to get to camp as early in the day as possible. You have a much better chance of finding an open spot with a great view and not a side-of-the-road pullover spot where the other late-comers drive by you all evening.

7. Make sure, whenever possible, that you find a place with a spectacular view! And then leave no trace of your visit when you depart. Leave it better, if need be.