“Camping” at Walmart the night before?

[snowmedic]

I 'second' boondocking at truck stops (Pilot, Flying J, Loves, etc). It's what we do every night on our drive from California. We've never had a problem with anyone.

Just please fuel up where you overnight, buy a cup of coffee or breakfast, and be very mindful of 'turn space' for the big rigs. We try to park way out of the way and avoid corners where there is turning space. The truckers we've met have all been very nice, one came to us as we were leaving to let us know about an accident that had closed the main highway we were going to take and he provided us with an alternate route suitable for towing.

This I agree with, the only thing that I would add being an OTR driver from way back, that if anyone parks mixed in with semi’s whether being at a truck stop or a rest area, don’t pull your rig all the way forward, especially if you have a short rig is to not pull all the way forward, try and stop so that your camper is lined up with the back of the semi trailers.

I can’t remember how many times I or other truck drivers would pull in somewhere and get ready to make our turn into the parking spot only to find a short camper or uhual pulled all the way forward.

 

[Kagoguen]

There's a campground called Bill Frederick park on Turkey Lake, it seems like just a few miles off I4. Anybody have any advice on this place ?

 

[bama_ed]

There's a campground called Bill Frederick park on Turkey Lake, it seems like just a few miles off I4. Anybody have any advice on this place ?

I stayed there in December 2017, Kagoguen. It's more off the Turnpike than I4 but not far off.





Sorry for the blur. That second picture was taken in the early morning light. The first was a few minutes later on the way out.

It's an Orange County campground run through the county park system (there are many around the state like that). We were headed to the Florida Keys and it was easy for us to come down I75 and the Turnpike and get off and stay here. In the morning we got back on the Turnpike and headed to the Keys. So I have only a brief one night experience.

It's not exactly convenient to WDW. Coming down the Turnpike, you have to continue past the Hwy 429 turnoff to Disney to get to Turkey Lake. The Comfort Stations for showers were a 4 out of 10. Our concrete pad was NOT level (a common complaint). But it was cheap, I could plug in, and it was convenient to the Turnpike. It would be convenient for Universal for more than one night.

If you come down I4 and want to overnight there, it's doable. Google Maps says it's about 30 minutes on non-highways (14 miles) so I have no personal experience on that. It's average. But it could serve your purpose if you are looking for a fast overnight stop.

Just my opinion. Worth what you paid for it, Kagoguen.

Bama Ed

PS - Call the night before you arrive or day of to get the gate code if you plan to arrive after hours. No code going out that I recall (it was early and I was sleep deprived, sorry).

 

[Kagoguen]

If you come down I4 and want to overnight there, it's doable. Google Maps says it's about 30 minutes on non-highways (14 miles) so I have no personal experience on that. It's average. But it could serve your purpose if you are looking for a fast overnight stop.

Just my opinion. Worth what you paid for it, Kagoguen.

Thank you, Bama ed. We're coming down from notheastern Tennessee, so we will be coming down the I4 and just looking for an overnight stop. Plan on getting up early and being at FW by 7:30/8 am.

 

[michelb]

Wouldn't boondocking in the summer in Florida be miserable? Even after dark, how would you get your RV to cool down enough to get to sleep?
Having said that, we booked Lake Louisa State Park for the night before we check in at the Fort.

I think that's certainly a valid concern; in Central Florida, in summer months, you could certainly get 90+ degrees until well past 11pm so if you don't have a generator to run the A/C, it might be quite uncomfortable to sleep (and even if there's a breeze, having the windows open in 90+ weather is not going to make a huge difference and would certainly make it make louder (I think I'd have a hard time sleeping at WM (which is much quieter than Truck Stops and HWY Rest Areas) with the windows open)).

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Good to know all this info. We travel down from NY staying at Walmarts or truck stops but last trip arrived in WDW day before, it was early eve, thinking we could find a Walmart to stay in. What we had to do after trying everything, was call FW, luckily they fit us in and didn't move us either when our vacation started the next day.

 

[North of Mouse]

We've boon docked a few nights several years ago when we were sort of desperate, but didn't enjoy a restful experience.

With costs of most vacations being what they are, we just stay at campgrounds (just need clean safe places, not extra amenities) where we can relax, have hookups, be quiet, etc. and don't mind the extra $35-45 for the night - not much in the long run as added expenses.
Most of the time need AC (minimum) anyway, and feel it's not considerate to run generator all night when other RVs are close and may have windows open. Just our opinion!

 

[MudQueen22]

This I agree with, the only thing that I would add being an OTR driver from way back, that if anyone parks mixed in with semi’s whether being at a truck stop or a rest area, don’t pull your rig all the way forward, especially if you have a short rig is to not pull all the way forward, try and stop so that your camper is lined up with the back of the semi trailers.

I can’t remember how many times I or other truck drivers would pull in somewhere and get ready to make our turn into the parking spot only to find a short camper or uhual pulled all the way forward.

Good to know. We've always pulled all the way front to not get hit if they turn in a hurry.

 

[Kagoguen]

There's campsites at Lake Marion Park, which looks like it's just off I4 but maybe a few miles. Any advise?

 

[michelb]

There's campsites at Lake Marion Park, which looks like it's just off I4 but maybe a few miles. Any advise?

I don't see a "Lake Marion Park" off the I4 - I do see a "Lake Marion" near Haines City (which isn't too far) but I don't see a Park there on Google Maps and I see a "Lake Marian Paradise RV Park" near the FL Turnpike (which is off the I4) but that's quite a ways from the I4 (especially since there don't appear to be Turnpike exits nearby).

Actually, you probably mean "Lake Marion Creek" - that's probably okay for a night stay although I didn't see much information it. I'd be curious to hear more about this place. The bit of info I did find does say free but it also says tent only and that you have get a "special use permit" and that it's closed during hunting season (no idea when that is).

I'm not sure if the campground would be suitable for trailers / RVs (other sources say "tent only") but I wonder if you could just stay in the parking lot if you are just looking for an overnight spot. If that's the case, this might not be a bad place. The campground itself looks like it might be harder to access and appears to be all sand so I'd be worried about getting stuck but the parking lot might be okay ... Also, if you are only staying in the parking lot, you might be able to go there any time of the year regardless of hunting season

https://myfwc.com/hunting/wma-brochures/southwest/lake-marion-creek/
https://www.sfwmd.gov/recreation-si...nt-area-baltic-road-horse-creek-huckleberry-1
https://freecampsites.net/#!52072&query=sitedetails

 

[Kagoguen]

Thanks for that info, michelb. I just looked on google maps and it was Lake Monroe Park, not Lake Marion

 

[michelb]

Thanks for that info, michelb. I just looked on google maps and it was Lake Monroe Park, not Lake Marion

That's a pretty funny coincidence that there were matching names nearby! That looks like it could be a very good place to stop for a cheap night before going to FW.

 

[jaredjohn4]

I've stayed at the KOA Southwest the last few times. When I leave home there is snow on the ground so I have a lot to do to get the camper ready. I can rest when I want, arrange things, go to Walmart for supplies at only $60 a night. The next day we move to the Fort refreshed and ready to go.

 

[tderonne]

On our last trip we stopped at a rest area on I-95 between Jacksonville and Daytona, past exit #305 a little bit. It had a separate "camper" parking area. Trucks out front by the highway, campers out back. Actually quiet considering it's a rest area. I got up early, about 5:30, and was at the Fort at 7:30, they had a site available, moved right in!



(The loop in the back is a picnic area, only open during the day. Note that you can't go to the "truck" area, as I normally do in rest areas, and go back to the camper area.)

 

[allison0523]

Do yourself a favor and stay at a campground. We have overnighted and rest stops that allowed it and Walmart. I would not recommend it. For me, I didn't sleep well at either place because it was noisy or too much light. We have stayed at the KOA in Daytona before and Jetty park near port Canaveral. I have booked campgrounds 2 hours before we arrived because I wasn't sure how far we were going to drive that day. State parks are usually cheap and no frills if there's one on your way. We are headed from NW Ohio the beginning of June and will probably stay at a KOA outside of Atlanta near I75 because it is about half way for us.

 

[michelb]

I think you'll have different opinions. We used to stop at campgrounds every night until we found out that we can stay at Walmarts (and other locations) overnight and for us, stopping at Walmart is usually a much better option.

(I just posted this in another thread but figures it's appropriate here too.)

It depends a lot on your setup and travelling style but for us, it's way easier / faster / cheaper to drive until I'm tired and then find a nearby Walmart (or similar) that allows overnight stays, stop for the night and get back on the road fast in the morning.

There are actually several benefits :
1) You don't need to plan (and change plans if you get anything unexpected (e.g. traffic). Just drive until you are ready so stop and then find one nearby
2) I prefer sleeping in my own bed, having my own stuff and eating my own food.
3) It's fast, you can usually find a suitable place to stop within a few miles of the highway (often less) - campgrounds tend to be quite a bit farther. No setup, no registration. In the morning, we just have a quick breakfast and go and are back on the road in no time. We tow a car on a dolly behind our motor home and at many campgrounds, I don't fit in the site with the car attached so I have to take the car off the dolly when we arrive and then re-attach it in the morning when we leave. If it's back in sites, I usually have to take the dolly off as well (unless it's super straight, it's hard to back the dolly in the right place with the motor home).
4) We typically need supplies from Walmart anyway so stopping there saves us a trip later (I usually get the kids ready for bed while my wife goes to buy whatever we need).
5) It's free (although with our Thousand Trails membership we can often stay for free at campgrounds if there are any in the area, it's often better just going to Walmart).

I should add that it depends a bit on what you are travelling with; in our motor home, we don't really here much outside noise and we can control the light pretty well (Walmarts are typically quite bright so depending on where the lights are versus our windows, we sometimes might put a towel against a window since the light gets through the shades).