Can you park your RV overnight at rest areas? Photo: Shutterstock
Can You Stay Overnight At Rest Areas?
Rest areas are plentiful along most highways because driving is hard work, and sooner or later we can all benefit from a visit to the restroom, a stretch of our legs, and maybe even a nap. If the sun is setting, it can be tempting to just park for the night.
Whether or not you can sleep at a rest area really depends on which one you are at. In fact, some states do not allow overnighting at rest stops in your RV. While all rest areas are meant for short rest stops, and not camping out in your RV (especially not in a tent), many rest areas do allow you to sleep in your vehicle.
These places often have a 10-hour limit on how long you can stay. If you’re tired and really need to sleep overnight, the best decision you can make is to get a good night’s rest and then take off in the early morning. No one wants you driving at night when you are tired.
Tips for staying overnight at rest stops
- Find rest stops along your route (as well as campgrounds and other points of interest) with RV LIFE Trip Wizard and the RV LIFE App.
- If a rest area looks sketchy, don’t stay there. The next one won’t be too far away.
- Carefully check rest areas for “No Overnight Parking” signs. These signs are often put there because there have been problems with campers there in the past. If there is such a sign, have a quick rest and move on to the next area. Most Rest areas say “No Camping,” but parking overnight in an RV is not “camping” as long as you simply parked and resting in a vehicle or RV.
- Don’t take up parking spots obviously meant for tired long-haul truckers. They need these spots more than you do.
- Don’t camp. Keep your slides and awning in. Don’t bring your chairs out.
- Have something to eat or drink. Go to sleep. Wake up and have a light breakfast, make your coffee, and leave.
RV LIFE Trip Wizard is the best app to have with you in your RV. You can use it for planning RV-friendly routes, finding amazing places to stay, checking campground reviews and more. Learn more here.
Related articles:
- 6 States That Allow Overnight Parking At Rest Areas
- Why Overnight RV Parking At Truck Stops Is A Bad Idea
Lynne lives, travels, and works full-time in a Forest-River R-Pod 180 with her 2-pointers, Jolene and Annabelle. Lynne has been an enthusiastic RVer for over 35 years. And then one day in 2019, she began full-time RVing as a lifestyle experiment. She quickly fell in love with the convenience, freedom and minimalist lifestyle offered by full-time RV living. Lynne is a professional writer and has been a professional dog trainer since 1995. You can read about her travel adventures on her R-Pod Adventure blog, R-podyssey at: http://www.rpodaventure.com
There are very few rest areas in western Canada
So… the signs at reststops direct “trucks and RV’s” to the same area… with same rules. I have yet to see a “no RV’s allowed” sign, at least in the many states I’ve traveled.
Sincere question: why don’t states enlarge their reststops to accommodate the needs of all travelers? Clearly, when trucks are parking on the ramps, more spots are needed. What better use for the fuel/mileage taxes truckers must pay?
If I am too tired to drive, I need that place in the rest stop just as much as any trucker.
Did you know that truckers often linger in rest stops when they are early for a delivery time? No, they are not camping, but they do not “need” that space in the rest stop. Their habit of lingering contributes greatly to the overcrowding at many rest stops.
Yes, yes, yes!
If you have the money for a camper,you have the money for a campground. If I pull into your campground with my 18 wheeler you would raise hell. Truckers have no where else to go. You do!
It may not be about economics! Imagine trying to find a campground open at 10:00 after a long travel day. I have done this several times, w/o issues, when returning from a long trip.
Here is what I just rec’d from Michigan on staying overnight in their rest areas.
MDOT
8:57 AM (1 hour ago)
to Bartonkarenj@gmail.com, MDOT
Good morning Karen,
Thank you for contacting the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). Yes, you can stay overnight at a rest area as long as the vehicle is occupied. However, you will have to park in the truck parking lot, which can fill up quickly with trucks. Please let me know if you have any further questions or comments.
Safe travels!
Sara Koenigsknecht
Office of Communications
Truck drivers do not usually park in rest areas waiting to unload. Usually where on a required by law 30 minute, 2 hour 3 hour 7 hour 8 hour 10 hour break. Usually waiting for unloading is done at a truck stop. All of us also have secret go to stops while we wait. There secret so there available when where desperate. That being said while we need spots to park we all encourage RVs and even cars to park when there to tired to drive. We don’t mind you using Rest Areas or even truck stops. All we ask is that you understand we don’t have many options to park trucks. And the 1 thing that will get a Truckers blood boiling is seeing an rv taking 2 spots up so they can use there Pop Outs. All we ask is that you remember there may be a tired Trucker or another RV needing a nap also.
There is a huge difference.
You do not have to stop due to federal regulations after 11 hours of driving for 10 hours.
Truck drivers do or we get a DOT violation on our electronic hours of service device.
There are also locations you can park that semi trucks are not allowed.
Just because an RV driver is not “Legally” required to stop does not make them any less tired after 11 hours of driving. In fact, the tired RV driver might verry well be more prone to make a dangerous driving error than a professional truck driver.
When you are a truck driver you are only allowed to drive so many hours by the time we stop and we have to get into a rest area and there’s an RV in one of the spots you guys can always go park in places where we cannot park in that’s why yeah I do get aggravated at RVs because I am a truck driver and I think RV should go park somewhere different
As a truck driver I would simply ask if you do stay over night at a rest area. Please do not park in truck parking. There is a massive shortage of parking for truck drivers when they need to take their required breaks and rests. Please don’t make us have to park on/off ramps.
I’m very disappointed that you would condone campers parking and rest areas those were made for truck drivers and there’s very little places over the road truck drivers can park with the rules that truck drivers have to follow they need a place to sleep there’s more Walmarts than there are truck rest stops why not push people towards a Walmart or trucks usually can’t park anyways
I drive a truck and I feel anyone has a right to parking spots. You paid your taxes for those rest areas parking spots as well. However rest areas are “rest areas” and not campgrounds but parking is first come.
I get that rest area parking is a shared asset for large and small vehicles. More than once one was not available or to far to make it to. In the very rural areas I always see trucks parked on off and on ramps. Is there a general rule or guideline on stopping the shoulder of a ramp with those trucks?
I believe safety should be in the best interest of all drivers.
I’m an RV owner. I do normally stop to stretch and have a snack.
Again this is not a camping area. To all; be considerate to others.
Texas has some really nice rest stops that allow overnighting: https://www.txdot.gov/discover/rest-areas-travel-information-centers/safety-rest-area-map.html
Many Alabama rest stops have shut down their dump stations, boarded them up and removed the flush water.
If it’s a rural rest stop I call the county sheriffs office and ask for a couple of welfare checks during the night. Deputies just drive through with the spot lights on.
They should be allowed to rest they’re not doing anything wrong I’m just park in there it’s called a rest stop duh
Have a log book ( like Semi drivers ) after 8 hours of driving its illegal for them to drive …easy peezy . State patrol has to allow ,or can be held accountable……
An RV is a large vehicle and must park in the so-called truck areas and aren’t allowed in the auto areas. We all pay taxes to build these rest areas so we are all entitled to use them!
Its a rest stop, not a truck stop. I say this having driven OTR and towing an RV behind a 3500. It is what it is, whatever you’d like. Save the monopoly. Truck and trailer, tractor and trailer, same thing.
A question was asked what the rules are as far as parking on off ramps. Technically parking on ramps is illegal. We do so sometimes because it’s a last chance to get parked somewhere anywhere before the logbook dings a violation. You haft to weigh the consequences. A parking ticket is far cheaper couple hundred bucks then a HOS violation a couple thousand bucks. I’ve been rousted at 2am before. Some states generally won’t enforce it knowing we don’t have any alternative or we wouldn’t be there. We don’t encourage but if your that tired it’s a better choice then being pulled out of a ditch.
Hell no..they take up a precious spot us truck drivers need because we’re out of drive time as we’re bound by federal law
They can go to a damn campground
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Well for one, the places that say “no overnight parking” Technically, if you pull in and park at 12:01 am, whenever you leave in the morning, 6am, 8am, 9am, you HAVE NOT parked OVERNIGHT. I think in most rest areas, even if they don’t want people parking there too long, worst case will probably be a knock on the door and telling you that you need to get going. Then you can resume your trip, or just drive as far as the next rest area and park for several more hours.
Hi was driving back from Ontario going to Saskatoon and I was falling the sleep in my car finely I found a rest area.i didn’t want to stay very long.i feel the sleep and I woke up 7 hours later when a opp knocking on my door to see if I was ok.
Well if I found you on my lot after posting no parking signs I’d have you arrested for trespassing and have your rig towed off, because my property is not yours to try to loophole squat on.
Long slots at rest area are NOT only for 18 wheelers.
We drive 35 ft long class A with a jeep in tow and need to use those long slots too. Even just for pit-stops.
If I’m tired I’m stopping and resting. Not putting out slides and camping but if there is a spot then I’m there. I got no problem being curteous to truck drivers all day long but to say they are entitled to the spot is silly. Why should i have to travel miles out of the way and pay for a night all the time. They could get off the highway and rent a room at a motel if that’s the case. Besides if you want curtesy how about not cutting in front of me in the left lane on a hill 8,000 time on my road trip?