### My 2026 Travel Plans: Embracing Free BLM Camping Out West

My travel plans for 2026 are really starting to come together! After my previous trip out west, I knew I wanted to spend a lot of time staying at free spots on BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) — those wide-open, no-cost dispersed camping areas perfect for boondocking or van/RV life.

The biggest challenge was figuring out *how* to find them reliably. That changed when I discovered an awesome resource: Campendium.

Check out Campendium here

Campendium is a fantastic site (and app) built for campers — it lists thousands of camping spots, including tons of free options like BLM land, national forest dispersed sites, boondocking locations, and more. It has user reviews, photos, details on amenities (or lack thereof), cell coverage maps, public land overlays, and easy filters to find free/public spots. It's especially great for planning longer trips out west where free camping is abundant.

To organize everything, I've created a custom Google My Maps that shows my planned route and stops:

View my 2026 Travel Map Below

On the map:

- Blue pins/markers → Places I want to visit (destinations, attractions, national parks, cool towns, etc.)

- Yellow pins/markers → Free camping spots (mostly BLM land and other dispersed/public areas) where I'll stay along the way