For the modern-day camping enthusiast, the ubiquitous smartphone is an essential tool– especially as you can load it up with all sorts of camping apps to help you plan or map out your upcoming trip.

Are you having trouble choosing a destination for your next RV camping adventure? Or are you concerned that you may end up going to a campsite that doesn’t offer full hookups? There’s an app for just about anything these days to help you with just about any camping-related problems that might come up.

But with the proliferation of RV camping apps and other online sources, it’s hard to tell which ones are actually keepers. And for this reason, we share our most highly-recommended top camping applications. We chose these camping apps based on their search and navigation features, user-friendliness, overall value/usefulness, and reliability.

Campendium

This app serves as a great resource for casual and seasoned campers alike. Campendium has a feature that allows users to find free and paid campsites across the US. Plus, it includes national parks, nature reserves, and state parks that you may want to have on your bucket list.

Campendium is a mobile app that you can download from the App Store for free. You can also access Campendium using your desktop computer.

Now, if budget is not an issue, you may want to try Campendium’s premium version that costs $5 per month or $20 annually. With the paid version, you get to enjoy their service with no intrusive ads and enjoy additional features such as advanced search that allows you to find campgrounds based on additional preferences, such as their cell service reception, amenities, etc.

For iOS users, you may download Campendium on the App Store.

Google Maps

Google Maps is arguably the most popular and most reliable apps for all types of campers,

What this app does: Helps users navigate using a variety of different methods, including real-time updates for traffic conditions and automatic re-routing capabilities.

Basically, it’s a consumer application and web mapping platform that offers satellite imagery, street maps, aerial photography, 360-degree interactive panoramic views, real-time traffic conditions, and route planning – whether you’re traveling by recreational vehicle, car, foot, or public transportation.

How it will help you: Google Maps is essential for any road trip because of the accuracy of the directions and live information it is able to convey, thus making your RV road trip all the more enjoyable because you will experience much less stress over directions in general.

Google Maps is particularly useful for RV campers, even though it’s not specifically intended for travelers on wheels.  This free app is tremendously handy when it comes to finding fuel stops, local restaurants, and RV-friendly facilities and campgrounds.

Download Google Maps here:

AccuWeather

The key to a successful camping trip is planning, which is only possible if you have a reliable and intuitive weather app – and this is where AccuWeather comes in handy.

AccuWeather provides users hourly, daily, and weekly forecasts of not just weather but also air quality, amount of rainfall and snowfall, etc. You can even customize your updates and alerts based on the most relevant data to you.

Download AccuWeather here:

GasBuddy

What this app does: Gather all the prices of gas at nearby gas stations and then let you know which station is the nearest and cheapest.

How it will help you: GasBuddy can save you time and money on your next RV road trip because it allows you to strategize when and where to fuel up.

Download GasBuddy here:

iOverlander

iOverlander is a large database that allows campers, off-road travelers, and “overlanders” to search for their next adventure with its extensive list of campgrounds, hotels, restaurants, repair shops, propane filling sites, and other camper-friendly establishments.

The photos, descriptions, and ratings for the campgrounds, hotels, restos and other locations you’ll see from iOverlander are all provided by a team of travelers who run this free app.

So if you want to show that you appreciate their efforts, you may want to donate money or time (as a moderator, developer, or contributor).

In a nutshell, iOverlander is an excellent camping app in its own right or a supplement to other apps that help campers plan their trip.

Download iOverlander here:

Roadside America

What this app does: Gives you access to a directory of all the popular, quirky, historic, and funny places to visit while taking an RV road trip anywhere in the United States.

How it will help you: Roadside America is an especially great app to have with you while taking an RV trip because there are literally thousands of worthy places to stop when road-tripping through America that you might not otherwise have even known existed without apps like this!

Download Roadside America on the App Store.

Roadtrippers

Available for desktop, iOs and Android users for free, Roadtrippers is an excellent app for both seasoned and newbie travelers with its large database that includes millions of must-see locations such as national parks, local diners, campgrounds, and roadside attractions.

What this app does: Basically a mapping system that helps you plan the route of your road trip directly from your phone or on roadtrippers.com. However, unlike your usual travel-centric apps that mostly include touristy and highly commercialized spots, Roadtrippers also feature less trodden paths like a hole-in-the-wall resto or a peculiar local tourist attraction.

How it will help you: Roadtrippers is a great tool to use for planning an RV road trip, no matter how in-depth you want that planning to be, as there are a variety of useful features that are could make any camping adventure smoother to plan, such as a feature that allows you to share routes, destinations, and itineraries with friends on the app and online.

While this is a free app, it has a paid version ($29.99 annual membership) that offers more features like offline maps, live traffic, amazing deals with affiliate campgrounds, and “RV routing” and trip planning to create a customized route for you based on your chosen destinations.

You may download Roadtrippers here:

The Dyrt

If you want a camping app where you can read honest reviews from actual campers, The Dyrt is an excellent source. Here, users share their experiences and photos and rate the facilities and amenities of camping sites, allowing you to decide if they are a worthwhile destination or not.

The app also includes the costs, amenities, and location details of around 1 million campsites. The Dyrt also has a website if you prefer to do all your research on a desktop PC.

But if you want additional features, sign up for their paid version ($35.99 annual membership) and be able to:

  • search offline
  • find free and dispersed campgrounds
  • enjoy campsite discounts of up to 40% and heavily discounted new camping gear from affiliate stores
  • plan your camping road trips based on your driving preferences and desired destinations.

Download The Dyrt here:

PackPoint Packing List Travel Companion

What this app does: Advises you on what to take on your road trip after taking into consideration your route, destinations, activities, and weather forecasts, etc.

How it will help you: This strategic packing tool can help any RV traveler by making it much easier and helping also by taking the guesswork out of packing for a road trip.

Download PackPoint here:

Recreation.gov

If you don’t want to spend so much on your camping expedition and wouldn’t mind dispersed camping– which means camping outside of a designated campsite and no facilities like fire pits and hookups– Recreation.gov is a great online source where you can find thousands of national parks.

While many national parks have no or very limited facilities, the more popular ones tend to offer RV hookups, shower rooms, and toilets. These high-demand sites usually come with one major caveat: you may need to make reservations as early as six months before your trip, especially if you’re planning to visit them during peak season.

Download the Recreation.gov app here:

A Final Word on Our List of Top Camping Apps

Some of these must-download camping apps can help you with route planning, which reduces your time on the road so you get to enjoy more time in your destinations.

They also allow you to read user reviews, see their ratings and photos, and choose campgrounds based on the amenities you’re looking for, the location, and your budget.

Some paid versions even offer discounts on affiliate campsites and camping gear, making them ideal for full-time RV travelers and hard-core campers.