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!

If you are traveling through Arkansas this is a wonderful place to stop and take a few days to relax. Hiking and mountain biking about here and the solitude is wonderful. It is a bit out of the way of any facilities such as grocery stores or gas stations though so come prepared and enjoy! AT A GLANCE Location: 35.855826, -93.493683 Length We Stayed: 3 Nights Solitude: A few other campers in pull outs but none near us Distance to John's Work: N/A Services: Nearest gas station 30 min away - pack in everything you need T-Mobile Coverage: spotty Time of year we stayed: October Location Notes: The Good: We absolutely loved this location. It was very roomy and tucked away. It was also right next to a trail head. It had just rained a ton so the trails were muddy but we would have loved to get out and bike a little. The Bad: It's definitely more of a vacation/camp spot as there are not any resources near by. There are some steep roads. Make sure to come in on Cave Mountain Road to avoid super rutty and steep road. Video:

Nestled between Montezuma National Monument and Sedona is this nice National Forest camping area. It is actually a two-tier parking lot for a trail head but makes for a nice place to stay for a night or several nights. AT A GLANCE Location: 34.679376, -111.718522 Length We Stayed: 2 Nights Solitude: We met some awesome people here. There were a few RVs Distance to John's Work: N/A Services: Just a vaulted toilet - we packed in and out T-Mobile Coverage: Decent Cell Coverage Time of year we stayed: December More Info: https://freecampsites.net/#!142955&query=sitedetails Location Notes: It has since been brought to my attention that this area does not allow camping anymore. BUT you can park your rig here and scout another spot. There are tons of great spots near by. We met some fantastic people here that we call friends. They parked behind us and our kids loved hanging out with them. It's close enough to the highway for easy access to Montezuma or to Sedona but not close enough to hear the bustle. Video:

Calling all rock climbers! This place was soooo much fun. And even if you are not into climbing, the hiking is beautiful. While staying here we also took a side trip over to Winslow AZ and Petrified National Forest. The road is pretty rocky but if you are a little adventurous it's a rewarding site to stay for one or several nights. AT A GLANCE Location: 34.755798, -111.061531 Length We Stayed: 3 Nights Solitude: Lots of room - only one other camper Distance to John's Work: N/A Services: Vaulted Toilet T-Mobile Coverage: not great service Time of year we stayed: December More Info: https://freecampsites.net/#!3391&query=sitedetails Location Notes: We wished we had more time to explore the area more. It truly is a rock climber paradise for Arizona climbing. There were several easy routes for our kids and more challenging ones as well. The downside is that it's pretty far away from anything else. We did go into Winslow and to Petrified Forest National Park but it meant leaving the rig over an hour away from where we were exploring for an entire day. Fortunately we did not have any trouble and we only ran into one other RVer during our stay. It was quite cold in December but the climbing was nice as the sun warmed the rock up. There were a LOT of bees though so beware. We talked about going again but we just ran out of time before we had to leave Arizona. Video:

An unexpected gem in the middle of fields! We really enjoyed staying here an chose to fully utilize our 14 days. It would be a great overnight if you are passing through Missouri on I-70 and don't mind a small detour. AT A GLANCE Location: 38.826735, -92.078536 Length We Stayed: 14 Days (ish...) Solitude: We shared the small space a few nights and even had some late arrivals at 2 am a couple of times. (See notes) Distance to John's Work: 30 min Services: None - Water and trash nearby at Dry Fork T-Mobile Coverage: Decent Time of year we stayed: October Nearest Dump Station: Gander RV More Info: https://freecampsites.net/#!58291&query=sitedetails Location Notes: This was a fantastic site with lots of room and areas for the kids and Cinder to play. We were tucked away in the middle of a field so there were not a lot of visitors. We did meet some neighbors who were friendly and said they come by often to pick up trash that others had left behind and keep the place clean. Another neighbor kindly told us that hunting season was about to start and we may not want to stay there through that as it gets a lot of traffic. A Ranger also came and checked on us once and made sure we knew the 14 day rule. We did actually end up staying a few more days as John was working while Kristin and the kids were in KC so he was unable to move. We had a few nights where people would arrive at 2am to pull in and sleep. Perhaps because it's not too far from I-70? We were never bothered and they would be gone before we woke the next morning. Water and trash was close at Dry Fork Recreation Area and we were able to use the dump at Gander RV for free with our Good Sam membership. Video:

In the fall, this was just a beautiful little spot by the water. There are no services here though so be prepared to pack in and out. There were a fisherman and hunters coming and going but other than that it was pretty quite. We stayed here a week before caving to the cold but would have loved to stay longer. AT A GLANCE Location: 39.192464, -92.206261 Length We Stayed: 1 week Solitude: Only one other camper, one night Distance to John's Work: 30 min Services: None - pack in and out T-Mobile Coverage: Decent Time of year we stayed: November Nearest Free Dump: Gander, RV More Info: https://freecampsites.net/#!133021&query=sitedetails Location Notes: Very beautiful, small community lake. We saw a few fisherman and hunters but no one bothered us. There is a sign that says no swimming which would be a bummer in the summer. The kids wanted to get their raft out but it was a bit cold. There are vaulted toilets here but no water. There are trash cans around but unclear if they are emptied in the winter. We filled up with water before leaving our previous location. You could fill up containers at Walmart but it would be about a 30 minute drive. Video:

This location is perfect for visiting Columbia, MO or Jefferson City. We stayed here for 3 nights and may go back except for the fact that it has zero cell coverage. AT A GLANCE Location: 38.786324, -92.123619 Length We Stayed: 3 Nights Solitude: Day time hikers but no other campers Distance to John's Work: 30 min Services: Water and trash, vaulted toilets T-Mobile Coverage: None (Very sad) Time of year we stayed: October Nearest Dump Station: Gander RV More Info: https://freecampsites.net/#!2750&query=sitedetails Location Notes: This was a great landing place for us when we arrived. There was a trail right next to us to explore and water and trash very close which is super convenient. However, we live off of internet and while we can plan for a few days without it, we cannot sustain that so we decided to move on. There were also a few questionable people who looked to be permanently staying in one of the seven sites in the loop. We did not feel comfortable leaving our rig alone during the day but were later assured by a neighbor that they are all friendly and wouldn't bother us or our property. Still, you never know and we ultimately moved on. For an over night or a few nights where you don't leave anywhere, this was great. It should be noted that we opted to stay around the corner from the official campground so as not to disturb anyone with our late hour generator noise. Video: