This quaint little campground was a gem to find. When we visited it was right after a ton of rain and much of it was covered in water. But the parking lot was a perfect place to land for the night. A lot of the spots are designed for smaller RVs or tents but as there was no one there and we had the place to ourselves, we stayed in the parking area/boat ramp. AT A GLANCE Location: 32.552166, -87.877281 Length We Stayed: 1 Night Solitude: Several sites Services: Water and trash, vaulted toilets T-Mobile Coverage: Good Time of year we stayed: April More Info: https://freecampsites.net/#!1863&query=sitedetails Watch Our Video Here: Check out the items we use the most while camping off-grid with these Boondocking Must-Haves. Head back to our Boondocking guide and check out other locations around the US where you can stay for free!

We stayed at this gem on our way to Ashville North Carolina. While the sites appeared to be used for mostly tent camping, there was another RVer there. We chose the only site we felt we could back into. Our friendly neighbor also ran a generator and we observed the unspoken quiet time rule and shut it down by 10 pm. There was plenty to explore in this area - the kids enjoyed the creek. There was no cell service at all and we only stayed for one night. AT A GLANCE Location: 34.56079, -85.10213 Length We Stayed: 1 Night Solitude: One other camper but they were friendly and also ran gene Services: Tent pads (oops!) It does not state no RVs T-Mobile Coverage: None Time of year we stayed: April More Info: https://freecampsites.net/#!14229&query=sitedetails Watch our Episode Check out the items we use the most while camping off-grid with these Boondocking Must-Haves. Head back to our Boondocking guide and check out other locations around the US where you can stay for free!

This is a great location between Kanab and Zion National Park. We stayed here for two separate nights and it was a convenient spot just off Highway 89. It was pretty busy in April and there were several ATVs. I think the thing we loved the most about it was that it was right near the Belly of the Dragon hike, a unique culvert that has been carved out over time. We would not advise staying here long term but it served us well for the two nights we needed it. We don't have many pictures of the area as we were enamored by the hike but there is room for about 5 RVs. We stayed near the entrance off the highway but there are several spots as you drive past the trailhead. They were full at the time we visited. We suggest scouting before driving back there with your RV. AT A GLANCE Location : 37.214101,-112.684752 Length We Stayed : 2 Nights Solitude : Lots of traffic & other RVs Services : None T-Mobile Coverage : some AT&T Coverage : decent Time of year we stayed: April Nearby Services : Chevron in Mt. Carmel offers free water and dump with the purchase of fuel More Info: https://freecampsites.net/#!114073&query=sitedetails Watch our Episode: Coming Soon (5/30/21) Check out the items we use the most while camping off-grid with these Boondocking Must-Haves. Head back to our Boondocking guide and check out other locations around the US where you can stay for free!

Phoenix was where our boondocking journey began. We were so new to the idea of handling alllll the things off grid but we were determined to make it work for us. It was partially out of necessity as finding an affordable RV park that allow us (we are younger than 55) and our children AND our dog was next to impossible. We figured we would just put the money toward all of the boondocking "stuff" we would need and just jump in and learn as we went. We stayed at several locations on the west side of Phoenix. This will be part one of four location reviews. We hopped around between these four sites, then side trips out of state to other areas on John's stretches off and back again to the same locations during our three month contract. John worked at Banner Del E Webb Medical Center in Surprise, AZ so we tried to stay north and west of the city. Our very first boondocking experience was on Thanksgiving Day! We not only found a great spot but we made an entire Thanksgiving meal 100% off grid! It was amazing and I'm pretty sure we knew then that boondocking was going to be our favorite way to stay somewhere. Black Canyon BLM Land Just North of Phoenix in an area called Black Canyon is this spot just off of I-17. We found this spot through Free Campsites but didn't find the listing helpful. We are so glad we gave it a shot. AT A GLANCE Location: 33.976104, -112.132711 Length We Stayed: 3 Nights Terrain: Pretty level dirt/gravel lot Solitude: Some neighbors - ORV Staging Distance to John's Work: 39 min Services: None but 10 Min to Anthem AZ T-Mobile Coverage: Decent Time of year we stayed: November Location Notes: This was nice and roomy but we did get visitors/neighbors as it is a staging area for ORV trails near by. It was pretty quite at night though we did hear the highway. The highway was close but not really visible from where we were. John and the boys hiked up the hill to get some pics and the views are just epic. The town of Anthem is only a 10 min jaunt down the highway where you can get groceries, gas and water. We only stayed for three days so we did not do water and propane runs while staying here but if you are coming up from Phoenix or don't mind a 30 min drive, you can get super cheap propane, free dump, and free potable water at Orangewood RV in Surprise, AZ. Video:

We stayed at several locations on the west side of Phoenix. This is part two of four location reviews. We hopped around between these four sites, then side trips out of state to other areas on John's stretches off and back again to the same locations during our three month contract. John worked at Banner Del E Webb Medical Center in Surprise, AZ so we tried to stay north and west of the city. Saddle Mountain BLM in Tonapah, AZ This was our next location after Thanksgiving. We landed here because we were invited to join a Fulltime Families Boondocking Branch meet up. It was a great experience to get to see how other "seasoned" dry campers did things. This location is probably in our top five favorites for the space and beauty but because it was so far from John's work we stayed our 14 days (ok maybe more shhhhh) and then moved on. Here's the thing, yes the limit is 14 days. It's to keep people from living there forever and spreading out all their stuff everywhere. We never once saw anyone come and check and there were families who had been there upwards of 6 weeks. I'm not saying go do that but...do what you gotta do. In the winter this place was the perfect temperature and there is seriously so much space! We had about 9 families and there was still an abundance of room all around. AT A GLANCE Location: 33.453173,-113.055388 Length We Stayed: 3 or 4 weeks Terrain: Mostly flat, dirt/gravel road. There are lots of pull outs and open spaces Solitude: Many people stay here so likely have neighbors but very spacious Distance to John's Work: 1 hour Services: None - more info on closest dump and water here - Free Campsites T-Mobile Coverage: Decent Time of year we stayed: December Location Notes: While this was a beautiful area and it was fun to meet other families, it was difficult to be so far from John's work. There isn't much close by in the way of groceries either. It's about a 30 min drive to Buckeye to a Walmart and other services like gas and laundry. Because John's work passed near Orangewood RV he would take the shwagon with him to dump and the water bladder to refill our water tank. This isn't ideal for someone not driving in that direction though. Another small downside was that there were many flies. That may just be a desert thing though. All in all, we really liked this location. We just wished it was closer. Videos:

I'm going to start this review by saying we did not actually stay here. It was at the very beginning of our boondocking journey and we did not feel comfortable with it at the time. The road was rough, there was a lot of trash and hundreds of shot gun shells. That said, since then we have become much more comfortable finding spots and could possibly make this site work for us if we were to go back to Phoenix by driving further down the road. There are other reviews on the Free Campsites page that suggest there are spots further down. We stayed at several locations on the west side of Phoenix. This will be part three of four location reviews. We hopped around between these four sites, then side trips out of state to other areas on John's stretches off and back again to the same locations during our three month contract. John worked at Banner Del E Webb Medical Center in Surprise, AZ so we tried to stay north and west of the city. The Good: This area is close to Buckeye AZ which has all the things you might need - Walmart, water, gas, dump stations, laundry, etc. It's also much closer to Phoenix if you are working in Goodyear or Sun City like we were. We had joined Lifetime Fitness in Goodyear which we LOVED so the drive from here would be much shorter. There are also so pretty views. The Bad: There was a ton of trash and it may be hard to maneuver a large rig (can be done but probably takes a decent amount of skill) AT A GLANCE Location: 33.311217, -112.632949 Length We Stayed: We had so many other options that we did not stay here Terrain: Rough road in and could be hard to turn around in large rig Solitude: Not a lot of other campers when we went to look Distance to John's Work: 40 Min Services: None but just outside of Buckeye T-Mobile Coverage: Decent Time of year we stayed: n/a. Location Notes: The Good: This area is close to Buckeye AZ which has all the things you might need - Walmart, water, gas, dump stations, laundry, etc. It's also much closer to Phoenix if you are working in Goodyear or Sun City like we were. We had joined Lifetime Fitness in Goodyear which we LOVED so the drive from here would be much shorter. There are also so pretty views. The Bad: There was a ton of trash and it may be hard to maneuver a large rig (can be done but probably takes a decent amount of skill)

This was our favorite location in the Phoenix area! We landed here between our side trips for a few weeks at a time each. The location is on Arizona Trust Land. We found out about it initially through freecampsites.com but it seems the location is no longer listed there. We did some digging and found out how to acquire a permit to camp on 8 million acres available for recreational use and it only cost us $20 for an entire year. The process was pretty easy. We purchased our permit from their website HERE and printed it off to display on our rig. You can also print one off for each vehicle. All vehicles entering state trust land for any reason must display the permit or risk a hefty fine. Finding a spot seemed overwhelming so I ended up calling and speaking to someone. They showed me this map that had designated areas on it. As long as the area was blue we could camp there if there weren't signs posted stating otherwise. We scoped out quite a few spots from the map. Some areas are subleased for cattle grazing or other businesses and it's hard to tell unless you just go check it out. A few places blatantly state no camping so scouting ahead of time is a must. We also might suggest to call the office just to check and make sure. You are allowed to stay for 14 days but I wasn't clear how long you must be gone from the area. We moved frequently but often came back to the same areas. We never had any trouble and we even had a Sheriff come check on us once who was very friendly and upon seeing our permit said we were welcome to stay there. AT A GLANCE Location: 33.836903,-112.630462 Length We Stayed: 14 day stints off and on Solitude: No other Campers - sometimes some ORV Distance to John's Work: 26 min Services: 12 min to Wittmann for gas and propane, 25 to Sun City for groceries T-Mobile Coverage: Decent Time of year we stayed: On and off Dec - Feb Location Notes: The Good: This area was super close to John's work and the kids loved to play outside. We always had a spot to come back to after leaving town to explore other areas. Free potable water, dump and super cheap propane was available 30 min away at Orangewood RV which was close to John's hospital. The Bad: If you don't feel comfortable being 100% alone this is not the place for you. We left our rig often (never over night) to run into town for various things and never had any issues or felt that it was unsafe. There was evidence of other campers and sadly quite a bit of trash. We cleaned up as best we could and dealt with the rest. Videos:

This was an easy, no frills, one night stay for us as we blitzed through Joshua Tree on a side trip. We wished we could stay longer but we only had one day to drive through this amazing National Park. It was also during the government shutdown so it may have been less busy than normal. It was a nice place to stay the night and we could see staying here for several if needed. AT A GLANCE Location: 34.1729320, -116.2246630 Length We Stayed: 1 Night Solitude: A few other campers but very spread out Distance to John's Work: N/A Services: Town of Joshua Tree near by T-Mobile Coverage: Decent Time of year we stayed: December More Info: https://freecampsites.net/#!1899&query=sitedetails Location Notes: The Good: Very close to the North Joshua Tree National Park Entrance and Visitor Center. Large area with room for lots of large rigs. The Bad: Nothing really - typical desert boondocking. Videos:

Visiting Saguaro National Park or the Tucson area? This spot might be for you. This is just outside of the Northwest side of the park. We used it as a home base for visiting both sides of the park (it splits on both sides of Tucson) as well as Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. AT A GLANCE Location: 32.291832, -111.355569 This is the exact place we stayed but it was rough Length We Stayed: 3 Nights Solitude: No other Campers but some people at the main lot Distance to John's Work: N/A Services: None - we packed in and out T-Mobile Coverage: No Cell Coverage Time of year we stayed: January More Info: https://www.blm.gov/visit/ironwood , https://freecampsites.net/#!2711&query=sitedetails Location Notes: The Good: Close to Saguaro National Park and other attractions. We did not have any bad vibes or anyone bother us. The Bad: The road was soooo rough! We arrived at night and had we seen the condition of the road we probably wouldn't have gone back so far. It was very washed out but we still somehow managed. Make sure you go all the way through the gate as it's surrounded by private property. There is a parking area just inside the gate but it had people in it all three nights. Video:

This was a quick stop for us but we were impressed with it as it was an actual campground that was completely free. AT A GLANCE Location: 36.5531, -93.1082 Length We Stayed: 1 Night Solitude: Campground with designated spots - about 2 other RVs there Distance to John's Work: N/A Services: Vaulted toilets, no water or power T-Mobile Coverage: just OK Time of year we stayed: October More Info: https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/drury-mincy-ca Location Notes Close to Branson - about 20 min to Branson Landing area. There were spacious sites and it wasn't very full but this was in October. I'm not sure what it would be like in the summer time. There area seemed pretty clean. Video:

FREE HOOKUPS! Woohoo! This road side park is not actually true boondocking but it is absolutely free and a great over night stop. Here's the deal, there are only three sites and it's a first come first serve basis with a two night stay max. There is a donation box available if you'd like to leave a thank you. There is a free dump station and water available as well. We have attempted to stay here twice. The first time there were two open spots and the second there were none. It's a really nice place to stay right by the river with a nice park for the kids. AT A GLANCE Location: 34.1729320, -116.2246630 Length We Stayed: 1 Night Solitude: Pretty busy place but worth it Distance to John's Work: N/A Services: Hookups and everything you need within minutes T-Mobile Coverage: Decent Time of year we stayed: December More Info: https://freecampsites.net/#!49&query=sitedetails Location Notes: The Good: 30 Amp electric and water on site - what more could you want in a free spot?! How about a beautiful river, free dump station and a kids playground. Also there is a Kroger grocery store across the street, lots of restaurants and a decent little laundromat near by. The Bad: You need a little luck to snag a spot and if it's full than you need to move on as you can get a ticket. It is a little noisy as it's right next to the road. Video:

Why did we choose the name "No Ordinary Path?" It’s been 18 months since we first launched our channel in May of 2018. Can you believe it? Over a year on the road and tons of memories on this “unordinary path." Ok ‘unordinary’ isn’t a word. How about extraordinary? Yeah, that pretty much describes it. Right now we feel like it’s a good time to come clean and mention that while all this has been amazing sometimes we can feel downright tired. Like really tired. We find ourselves having those conversations about what comes next and why are we doing this anyway? It’s a good time to reflect and remember what No Ordinary Path really means to us and why we started this channel in the first place. This isn’t a post to talk about what’s next for us though - that is still unclear and we know when the time is right, doors will open that perhaps we haven’t even thought of yet. We are along for the ride. Quite literally For more than 20 years we have made decisions in our life that were considered “not ordinary.” Each time we did, we knew in our hearts we were following the path set before us and it was often exhilarating. And many of the times, hard. Because things that are worth it are rarely easy. We didn’t want to be on the sidelines of our own life story. And we believed there was more to life than what we were doing. We wanted adventure, quality family time, and...to inspire others. Sometimes all you need to finally go after something is to know that another ordinary person like yourself is doing it and it’s actually attainable. Let’s talk about “ordinary” for a minute. Sometimes we might come across like ordinary is something bad. That’s NOT what we are saying at all! We aren't talking about daily living. Of course there isn’t anything wrong with living ordinary. I’m not trying to stick out just to be a rebel. (ok maybe a little) We still have ordinary days that involve work, and school, and chores, and cooking meals and...well living. But it looks different than what many expect. Our work involves travel nursing as a family when others say it’s only for singles. Our school involves hands on learning all over the country a few hours a day instead of 8 hours straight in a classroom. Our chores include packing up our RV, dumping our tanks, and keeping the small space we call home as tidy as is possible. And our cooking meals involves the smallest kitchen ever on removable counter tops. We want to encourage you to take that unbeaten path. Follow that still small voice inside you that is prompting you toward something. That voice that we so often push away because it “sounds crazy” or “impossible” Have you heard it before? I hope so. And if not, maybe it’s time to step away from the hustle and bustle for moment and give yourself a chance to hear it. We’ve recently given our website a total makeover. The intent is to put out actual helpful information and content to encourage others taking a similar path as ours. It was designed to follow our current means of making a living, our housing, and education for our kids. Of course right now that is travel nursing, living in an RV, and roadschooling our kids. We know someday this path is going to split off somewhere - it always does. And when that time comes we’ll update accordingly. This website was inspired by questions from YOU. We’re taking the time to add to it frequently so it’s always being updated. Here’s what you can find there: ~Blog posts and updated information about travel nursing with a family and the process of getting started. ~Tons of information on full time RV living including our boondocking guide which includes an interactive map of all the places we’ve stayed and a review for each. ~How we roadschool and fun ideas to use in your own homeschool journey. Plus, you can check out our Amazon shop. Here you’ll find our favorite things and a host of items we use in our everyday life. We are affiliates which means if you are shopping anyway but you do it from our link, you’ll pay the same amount but we’ll get a small portion. Thank you for being here! If you have any suggestions or things you'd like to see, please leave us a comment!