We Thought We Could Overnight Here!

When we left Dinosaur Valley, Texas, we were headed for a place that had been high on our wish list for several years–Craters of Diamond State Park in Arkansas. We decided to split the trip into two travel days so we could stop in to see our friends at Open Roads in Texarkana.

We knew it would be a long drive day and there weren’t any Harvest Hosts in our path, so we scouted for businesses in the area that allowed for overnight stops and made some calls. The Home Depot in Texarkana said we were welcome to stay in their parking lot, so we set that as our destination. When we arrived, we found a place in the back to park, no signs about overnighting, and then went in to talk to the manager, just to confirm we were out of the way and they knew we were there. That’s when things changed.

A different manager was on than who we’d spoken to and said that they’d had trouble with truckers staying in their parking lot, so had done away with overnights recently and the person we spoke to hadn’t been told yet. Long story short–we couldn’t stay.

We started looking for other places around, or worst case scenario, a campground, but there was a big shopping plaza next to the Home Depot, so we headed for the Kohl’s anchor store and got approval from the manager there to stay. We set up in the lot, strolled the shops after a long travel day and got a good night’s rest.

The next day we grabbed some treats from the Nothing Bundt Cakes shop in the plaza (which had YUMMY gluten free mini cakes too) and stopped in to see our friends at Open Roads before heading on to the state park.

Not all overnights need to be in a campground for us since we are self-contained, but since we are large (55 feet in tow), it can be challenging to find spots that don’t take away from the truckers. There is no stealth camping as a large RV!

There are several businesses or areas you can find that will let you stay, but a few things we suggest.

Tips for Parking Lot Overnights

>you are only stopping to rest and recharge–sleep and eat
> some cities don’t allow overnights, even if a company does
> plan to arrive after peak business time
>leave before they open, or before their morning rush
>stay just the one night–if you need longer, find a campground or dispersed camping area
>park in the back
>check in before setting up in a spot
>don’t do more set up than needed–we usually only do the slides, put feet down and unhitch so we don’t stress the pin, but have stayed hitched up with only the kitchen slide out in a pinch
>NEVER set up outdoor cooking or seating, find a campground or dispersed camping for doing that!
>try not to use truck stops or rest areas and leave them open for truckers since they have fewer options and more restrictions
>make a purchase at the business you stop at
>if you are told no, or asked to leave by owner or law enforcement, be respectful and just go

We’ve never been asked to leave someplace following these practices, but we have gotten no’s, even when we called ahead. This isn’t our go-to, but sometimes it’s just the way life is when you travel!

In the next blog, we’ll take you on our adventures to Craters of Diamonds State Park, so stick around.

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