Boondocking site planning
RV campsite suitability score calculator
Pre-screen a campsite for access, legality, solar harvest, internet risk, water and dump logistics, weather, wind, and leveling before you drive the rig in.
Campsite score
Pre-screen the site before the final road gets expensive.
Score access, legal confidence, solar exposure, internet risk, water and dump logistics, weather, wind, and leveling before you commit the full rig to a pin.
Road and rig access
Legal, stay, and services
Sun, signal, and weather
Suitability result
This campsite is workable with a few checks
Total score
73/100
Limiter
Connectivity fit
44/100
Scout flag
Paper fit
No hard stop
The total score is 73/100. The limiting lane is connectivity fit at 44/100, so that is the first thing to verify before the drive in.
Road and rig access
80/10030 ft rig, 10 in clearance, 4 mi from pavement, graded gravel road, manageable turnaround.
Legal confidence
78/100likely access with a 14-day posted limit against a 5-day plan.
Solar exposure
75/10075% estimated solar exposure before weather, trees, dust, and parking angle change the harvest.
Connectivity fit
44/1002/5 cell bars and 80% satellite sky view for messages needs.
Water, dump, and supplies
67/10012 mi to water, 18 mi to dump, and 25 mi to groceries.
Leveling and weather
90/100minor leveling, mild weather risk, moderate wind exposure, and 3 arrival-buffer hours.
Recommended next move
Run the connectivity stack planner and treat this as a backup-lane problem before scheduling calls from camp.
- This is a pre-arrival planning score, not legal permission or a road-safety guarantee. Verify current land-manager rules before driving in.
- Access is one of the easiest campsite mistakes to make. A road that works for a van may not work for a long trailer or low-clearance motorhome.
- Connectivity is not strong enough to treat this as a dependable work site without scouting or redundancy.
Why this exists
Campsite decisions are system decisions, not just map decisions.
A site can have perfect views and still fail because the last road is too rough, the stay limit is unclear, the sky is blocked for work, or the dump station is a half-day errand. This score puts those tradeoffs in one place.
Use this with
How to find legal boondocking sites
Use this to verify land manager, stay limits, closures, and rule changes after the score flags legal uncertainty.
Open next stepConnectivity stack planner
Use this when the campsite looks good but the workday needs a stronger internet backup lane.
Open next stepStay length calculator
Use this after picking a promising site so power, water, gray, and black tanks are ranked together.
Open next stepDesert boondocking checklist
Use this when the site is exposed, hot, dusty, windy, or far from services.
Open next stepTool notes
What the campsite score is actually saying
This output is a pre-arrival planning screen. It helps compare risks before committing the full rig, but it does not replace official land-manager rules, road scouting, weather judgment, or common sense at the final turnoff.
Weighted lane score
The total score weighs legal confidence and access most heavily, then adds solar, connectivity, logistics, and comfort lanes. A weak legal or road lane can override a pretty campsite.
Hard-stop logic
Restricted access, very weak legal confidence, unsafe road access, or a planned stay beyond a confirmed posted limit pushes the result toward avoid or scout-first.
Workday redundancy
Connectivity scoring rewards the best available lane for casual use, but critical workdays get better scores only when cell and satellite both have some support.
Avoid these traps
Common mistakes before buying
Trusting the app pin more than the exit path
A campsite can look open and legal from a map while the last half mile has washouts, no turnaround, or a slope that makes backing out miserable.
Treating sky view and cell signal as the same thing
Starlink wants open sky. Cellular wants tower reach and usable congestion. A great satellite site can still be a bad hotspot site.
Ignoring water and dump distance on longer stays
A seven-day site 45 miles from water or a dump station is not just a tank problem. It becomes fuel, time, road wear, and errand friction.
Treat the campsite score as a pre-arrival screen, then verify land-manager rules, current closures, weather, road conditions, turnaround options, and a nearby backup site before driving the full rig in.See assumptions
Frequently asked
Questions RVers usually ask next.
Does this score prove a campsite is legal?
No. It is a planning screen. Verify the current land manager, posted stay limit, closures, fire restrictions, and overnight rules before driving in.
What score is good enough?
Above 82 is usually a strong paper fit. Between 65 and 81 is workable if the weak lane is manageable. Below 65 means scout first, and any hard stop should be resolved before taking the rig in.
Should I scout without the RV?
Yes when road access, turnaround, leveling, or legality is uncertain. A short scout drive can prevent a long backing maneuver, body damage, or a stressful late-day reroute.
How should remote workers use this?
Treat connectivity as one lane, not the whole answer. A work site also needs enough battery, solar, shade, road access, and backup options to survive a bad signal day.