We have traveled thousands of miles since purchasing our RV in 2016. Our travels have taken us as far as Wyoming, Arizona, and Southern Texas from our home in Massachusetts. Fortunately, throughout our travels, we learned that there are a number of RV-friendly rest stops. Along the unfamiliar highways all across America, these rest stops offer convenient and familiar places for RVers to take needed pit stops.
We also learned that there are times you may need to alter your plans, or maybe need some extra rest between destinations. Thankfully these RV-friendly places also welcome RVers overnight.
Our Favorite RV-Friendly Rest Stops
Loves Travel Stops
These travel stops are listed first only because they were the first truck stop we spent a night in while traveling in our RV. We were heading home to Massachusetts from Disney World. This was our first long-distance trip, and we foolishly thought we could make it home in one trip. Well after about 16 hours of driving we stopped at the Loves Travel Stop in Ruther Glen, VA for fuel. We soon realized there were other RVs set up for the night, and we decided to join them.
The nice thing about Love’s is that there are a lot of them. They offer 550 locations in 41 states. Another good thing is they seem to always be busy so you have safety in numbers. Many of them offer showers, food, convenience stores, and fast-food chains. In addition, they offer RV dump stations and large sites for overnight parking.
Pilot | Flying J Travel Centers
As we continue to travel across the country we have learned that Pilot | Flying J Travel centers are great options for RVers. After traveling cross country multiple times, and covering thousands of miles, these are our favorite RV-friendly rest stops.
Pilot Flying J owns and operates over 700 travel centers and convenience stores nationwide. They can be found off of almost every major highway, and are all pretty consistent in their offerings.
One of the main reasons we prefer stopping at a Pilot or Flying J on our RV adventures is because they offer RV-friendly gas islands. When we pull in, we don’t have to worry about whether our RV will fit, or whether we will have a hard time navigating through the gas station parking lot.
In addition to RV fueling lanes, they also offer dump stations and propane refills. Of course, many also offer overnight parking for RVers looking for an easy spot to pull in and get some shut-eye after a long day’s drive.
Travel Centers of America
The Travel Centers of America are another good choice when on the road in an RV. There are 272 locations in 44 U.S. states
However, unlike Pilot Flying J and Loves, there are geared more towards the trucking industry. They certainly accommodate RV’s and welcome them. However, our experience had been that is it mainly over the road truckers who use these stops primarily.
Of course, this is not to dissuade you from stopping in your RV. Since they are geared towards over-the-road truckers they offer laundry services, showers, shopping, and restaurants where you can sit down for a meal.
Retail Locations
It is no secret that Walmart is RV-friendly. They are well known for letting RV campers stay overnight. One thing to be aware of is that not every Walmart offers this, as they must comply with the local ordinances. Therefore, make sure to keep a lookout for posted signs that prohibit RV parking.
In addition, there are some restaurant chains that welcome RV travelers to park, come in and enjoy a meal, and stay for a night.
Cracker Barrel is best known for this. Many of them have RV parking spots and allow overnight camping.
We highly recommend all RV travelers have the AllStays app on their devices. This is a great tool to find rest areas that allow overnight parking where ever you are. It can be used to find campgrounds, Walmart parking lots that allow overnight parking, dump stations, truck stops, and many other places close to your location.
Conclusion
One of the realities of RV travel is being on the road for hours at a time. It is important to be able to pull off the road, refuel, eat, and get a few hours of sleep if needed. These RV-friendly rest stops can be found all across America, off of the interstates. Of course, this list is not exclusive. However, when we are on the road these are the places we look to stop when it’s time.
Do you have any other RV-friendly rest stops to recommend? Have you used any of the above, and how was your experience?
