How to Choose a Motorcycle Camping Site: What to Check on the Map and When You Arrive

A good motorcycle camping site has firm ground for the bike, a level tent spot that is not a low place, no dead branches overhead, and enough distance from water. Check the rules and facilities before you ride, then walk the site before you unload. If a site fails one of these checks, ride on to the next.

This guide is part of our motorcycle camping guide. It covers how to judge a site once you have a shortlist. To build that shortlist by land manager, start with finding motorcycle camping near you.

Key takeaways- Before you ride, confirm water, fire rules, food storage and whether you need a reservation.- On arrival, look up. Do not camp under dead branches.- Pitch on level ground that is not a low place, and stay at least 200 feet from lakes and streams.- Do not camp along streams and washes when storms threaten.- Arrive with daylight to spare so you can see the terrain.

Before you ride: read the listing

Most of the judging can happen at home. The National Park Service suggests finding out, before you go, whether a campground has drinking water, whether campfires are allowed and where, the maximum group size, whether there are showers or flushing toilets, how food must be stored, and whether you need a reservation.

Add four motorcycle questions to that list:

• The last mile. Is the access road paved, gravel or dirt? A loaded road bike handles loose gravel very differently from a light dual-sport.
• Parking. Is the bike parked on a pad, on gravel or on grass next to the tent?
• Slope. Will you have to back a heavy bike uphill to leave?
• Gate times. Will you arrive before the office or gate closes?

If the listing does not answer these, call. Write the answers on your shortlist so you can compare sites side by side.

On arrival: the five-point site check

Walk the site before you take anything off the bike. Score each point pass or fail.

Any fail on points 1 to 4 means move. A fail on point 5 can sometimes be fixed with a flat plate or puck under the side stand. Our guide to tent camping on a motorcycle shows how to place the tent and the bike once the site passes.

Judging the ground for a loaded motorcycle

Tent campers look at the tent spot. Motorcycle campers have a second footprint: a heavy bike on a narrow stand.

• Ride the approach slowly. If the tires sink or slide on the way in, the stand will sink too.
• Park nose-out where you can. Leaving downhill or on loose ground with a cold engine and a full load is harder than arriving.
• Check the camber. Park so the bike leans into the slope, not away from it.
• Mind the lines. Keep the bike clear of tent stakes and guylines. The NPS notes that stakes and lines near busy areas become tripping hazards.

Campground site or dispersed site: what changes

National parks are stricter. Under 36 CFR 2.10, camping outside designated sites or areas is prohibited, and so is digging or leveling the ground at a campsite. National forests set their own dispersed camping rules, so ask the ranger district.

For more on choosing an off-pavement spot, see our dual-sport motorcycle camping guide.

The video below is from a rider on a long US motorcycle camping trip. She explains how she picks a dispersed site off a forest road: a spot a little away from the road, already used before, and away from trails. Note that dispersed camping is not allowed everywhere in a national forest; areas can be closed, and rules differ by forest.

Arrive with daylight to spare

The NPS advises making camp before dark and learning the terrain in daylight. On a bike, that means planning the last fuel stop and the last hour of riding around sunset, not around the map.

If you do arrive late, pick the safest option you can see, not the best one. You can move in the morning. If you leave camp after dark, stay in areas you saw in daylight and use a headlamp.

Red flags: when to ride on

• Dead trees or hanging branches anywhere near the tent spot.
• The only flat ground is in a dip, a dry wash or beside a stream; the National Weather Service warns against camping along streams and washes.
• A posted closure sign.
• You would have to clear plants or dig to make the site work.
• Soft ground and no way to support the side stand.

If rain is in the forecast, our guide to motorcycle camping in the rain covers picking ground that drains.

Printable site scorecard

Boots for walking the site

You will walk every site in your riding boots, often on wet grass or loose gravel. If you are shopping for a pair, see Leather Collection motorcycle boots.

FAQ

Where should you camp on a motorcycle?

Somewhere with firm ground for the bike, a level tent spot that is not a low place, and no dead branches overhead. That can be a campground site or, where allowed, a dispersed site on public land.

What is the 200 rule for camping?

Camp at least 200 feet from lakes and streams to protect the shoreline. In bear country, the NPS also says to keep 200 feet between your cooking space and your sleeping space.