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Throughout our travels, several RVers have mentioned that overnight RV parking is available at select Cabela’s locations around the United States.
The first time we parked overnight at Cabela’s was in Georgia. Since then, we have slept at quite a few Cabala’s locations throughout the U.S.
Keep reading to learn more about overnight parking at Cabela’s and using the dump stations at Cabela’s.
Overnight Parking at Cabela’s
What is Cabela’s and why would you want to spend the night in their parking lot? Cabela’s is a large outdoors retailer with over 80 locations throughout the United States and Canada. The stores are popular stops for outdoor enthusiasts, especially those traveling around in recreational vehicles.
Anything you could possibly need for your adventure, there’s a very good chance you can find it at Cabela’s.
It’s worth mentioning that Cabala’s was acquired by Bass Pro Shops in 2017. When you combine the two brands, there are over 170 locations. Visit Cabela’s website for store locations.
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Which Cabela’s Allows Overnight Parking?
To find out which Cabela’s location allow overnight parking, call the store and ask the manager. We’ve slept in quite a few Cabela’s parking lots since 2015 and some stores are welcoming while others will respond with a firm no. Each store has a different policy which is why you want to call and speak to the manager.
It’s important to point out that these overnight parking spots are provided by Cabela’s for their customers.
My favorite way to find a Cabela’s store near by is to use Allstays. If you have an iOS device, you can also download the Allstays Camp & RV App.
Spending the Night at Cabela’s
Our first experience overnight parking at Cabela’s was in Georgia. Joe was in need of some camping gear so I called ahead to ask if they allow overnight RV parking for customers. The employee told me not only do they allow overnight parking, but they have a special parking area in the back of the store for RVs and trucks.
When we arrived, there were clear signs in the parking lot on where to go for RV and truck parking. The signs lead us to the back of the store with five large parking spots.
The area was very quiet at night. We had a few neighbors including a family that parked next to us in their small travel trailer. We bonded over how terrible the mosquitos were at Flamingo Campground in the Florida Everglades.
Leo got a new dog toy and we were tempted to buy this hammock, but at last, we must follow the one in one out rule (12 Tips to Survive RV Living).
Cabela’s RV Dump Station
Some Cabela’s locations have Sani Star dump, where you can dump your RV tanks. When you make a purchase at Cabela’s, ask the cashier for the dump station code at check out. Otherwise, you can pay to dump by using your credit card.
To our surprise, there was also an RV dump station at the Cabela’s in Acworth, Georgia.
The cost was $5 to dump and the machine only accepted credit cards.
The dump station was very clean and the instructions were clear on how to use it. Unfortunately, the station at this RV dump did not have potable water. Check out our post on finding an RV Fill Station for potable water.
Tips for Spending the Night at Cabela’s
Find out if the parking area is level when you call to ask about overnight parking. If you plan to get a good nights sleep, you will want to make sure you can get your vehicle level (How to Manually Level Your Camper).
Park in a way where you will not get blocked in by other vehicles. As customers arrive in the morning, they could be parking their vehicles around you. If you are in a large RV, it may be a challenge to maneuver out of your spot.
Ask for the RV dump station code at check out. If the location has a Sani Star you can ask the cashier for the code to use the RV dump (How to Dump RV Tanks).
Have you experienced overnight parking at Cabela’s? Leave us a comment below.
Cabellas say they shut down all their dump stations nationwide.
Cabela’s in Fairview, TX (north of Dallas) says they no longer have a dump station available. The lady I talked to did not know why or what happened to it.
Just stayed at a Cabela’s in Billings, Montana. This was top notch. They had an RV dump and potable water. We went inside to shop and asked if it would be OK to park overnight and they were like, “Sure! Just don’t block the water spigot and you can park wherever.” The view this morning was awesome! Cabela’s will now be my preferred place to shop!
The Cabela’s in Lehi, Ut allows overnight parking have stayed there a few times on the way to Moab.
Bought some food in there it was great, Shopped around was very pleased. I drive tractor trailer and parking is provided but what I didn’t know is that at 2200 hours security would come around To tell me I’m tresspassing And threaten to issue a ticket to my company I drive for. Great way to lose business and I’m going to return everything I bought tomorrow. 1st time ever I’ve Had a problem parking at Cabela’s. You just lost my business and probably the business of my friends and family. This is at the Fort Mill South Carolina location.
They are the best in Hamburg Pa. potable water and dump station free of charge! What a great store!
Thanks a lot Heather, we needed that!
Found great overnight parking w/sani dump at Cabelas in Post Falls, ID, and Calgary, AB.
Summer 2016 stayed at Cabela’s Mitchell South Dakota on way out to Glacier National Park and Billings Montana on way back. Very convenient. No issues of any kind. Did not purchase anything on our trip but frequent the Cabela’s in Dundee Michigan for hunting and fishing supplies.
Overall it has been a great experience and im grateful they allowed it. after a year on the road i came back to washington and tried to stay a night at cabelas in tulalip washington. i called ahead and was told its ok to park overnight. I parked the motorhome and left for a few hours to come back to a nasty note that said i could be towed since i was not with my mothorhome, and overnight was not allowed. but, many semis were parked. actually, i was the only rv. and some semis had no sleeper and were just cabs.. so they were not with the vehicle. so for some reason they selectly enforce some rule that was at no other cabelas all over the usa. id say some employee or manager really needs to get some basic common sense or training. or fired for picking on a veteran who has veteran plates…maybe he or she does not like veterans. i follow the rules but it seems someone is very selective at this cabelas.
Hey John – sorry to hear about your experience. We’ve found that if something like that happens, we go inside and personally speak to someone. When we arrive, we go inside to do our shopping and after check out, we ask to speak to the manager so they know we’re customers when we ask to spend the night. Unfortunately, we’ve been a few places where we’ve seen people leave RV’s and then everyone gets a note or asked to leave.
Thank you for your service Tim!
Joe
Cabelas in Sidney, Nebraska has a campground for full hook up, electric and water only, plus allows dry camping in the parking lot. Of course we shopped, and of course we dropped more cash than we expected to. What we saved in camping fees, we spent at the store. What a great time, Cabelas. We will frequent your stores more often.
Do you have info about 2017 wrangler-unlimited, auto, max tow pkg, 3.73 rear in.
I have been told they need a lot modifications just to set up the tow bar, and brake systems on them, something to do with the computer has to be changed. also have been told they just are not the same vehicles since they have been bought out fiat, not as reliable as they used to be.
Any comments would be appreciated,
Hey Tom – I can’t speak to the 2017 models in terms of towing. In general the Wrangler is one of the easiest vehicles to set up and flat tow. There is a lot of incorrect information out there so my suggestion would be to talk to some people who are towing them and what they needed to do it.
In terms of reliability, ours was a product of Fiat and we had no problems in 33k miles.
Many Chrysler/ Jeep products cannot be “flat towed because they have no means to put the transfer case into “neutral” and flat towing will damage the transmission because the internals do not receive lubrication when the engine is not running. Your Owners Manual will tell you if your vehicle can be “flat towed” in the section on towing. If you don’t have the manual, look for a switch or lever that gives you a “neutral” position for the transfer case (4 WD selector). If there is none, be safe and do NOT attempt to flat tow as you will probably damage the vehicle you are towing. If you are considering buying a vehicle to flat tow, you need to verify this BEFORE you buy, Dolly trailer”, plan on also buying a trailer that you can load the vehicle on to with ALL 4 wheels off the ground. If you attempt to tow using a “dolly trailer” with only the front wheels off the ground, you will also do damage.
The Cabela’s in Rogers/Maple Grove Minnesota allows RV-ers over night. And they also had a dump station and potable water both free last time I was there, a little over a year ago. Great place. I’m definitely a dedicated customer when they offer such a great service!
Just returned from the Buffalo Roundup in SD. We shopped at Cabelas in Rapid City and also Mitchell, SD. We boondocked in Mitchell SD and they also had the same setup with great RV parking with the sanit-dump also. There were about 12 RVS and a couple Semis that made use of the overnight. Thank You Cabella’s. I will continue to support this great Company! Alot of nearby restaurants and Walmart nearby.
Hi Teresa. Glad to hear you had a positive experience. Cabela’s is a great store and we love shopping there.
Did the Cabelas in Rapid City have overnight parking? We will be passing through there in a couple weeks, and I know the local Wal-Mart doesn’t allow it. Thanks!
Hey Jamie. I would give the Cabela’s a call and ask to speak to a manager. They’ll be able to tell you if overnight RV parking is available.
We were traveling through Rapid City just this past weekend. Cabela’s does allow overnight parking. It was a quiet night and just what we needed, as we could not go any further on I-90 because of severe storms. We were in a Subaru Outback, so it appears friendly to cars/all travelers. There were a few vans and truck campers.
Yes the Cabela’s in Rapid City does have overnight parking.
Cabela’s outside Reno Nevada heading west toward Tahoe does Not allow over night parking but does have an automated dump station.
The Reno Nevada location has signs saying no overnight parking but they don’t bother you if you stay. I’ve stayed there many times both with my fifth wheel and in my semi truck when working. Longest stay was a full week and never had any issue.
Thanks for sharing this info on staying at Cabelas. Heard you can stay there, but never heard of anyone who has. So this was great info. Enjoy your posts and videos greatly.
Hi Kim! Let us know if you ever end up at a Cabela’s.
OMG, Just watched the Video of Kait as a “Hot Mess” (your words) during the distillery tour on Youtube.. Laughed my ass off!!! It looked like a great tour. You guys are starting to come into your own. Love the additional content… remember video is king. Personally I enjoy reading the post but videos are king!!!
Thanks Lance! Glad you got a good laugh too! ?
Not sure if it is true at all Cabela’s but the one here in north Denver was only allowing use of Cabela’s credit card. Haven’t tried recently. When it was first installed if you went inside they would give you a code if you didn’t have a Cabela’s card. Nor did they ask you for the $5. Class act at Cabela’s.
Hi Gary. That’s interesting about the Cabela’s credit card. This particular machine did have a label indicating it accepts credit or debit cards. Since we didn’t need to use it we’re not sure if that’s actually the case. Thank you for sharing!
Remember…. rules are made to be broken!!!
Some rules are certainly fun to break 🙂
Looks like a great setup there. We will have to keep them on the radar for an overnight stop. Also great way to save a few bucks. So nice that they supply a dump station.
SaniStar RV dump stations, what a great idea, I hope the company sells a lot of these. Here is the company website where you can see a map and list of all locations: http://sanistardump.com/
Thanks for the link Ron. Wonder how much they sell those machines for.
Having been in the automated pay business for many moons, a good quality pay-on-foot station can cost in the neighborhood of $5,000 to $15,000 depending upon function, plus monthly costs for a cellular connection and back office integration. And don’t forget the cost of repair when they go down or are vandalized.
Trust me, Cabelas isn’t making any money on $5 sewer dumps that may have cost them $100,000 in construction costs. The $5 charge is simply a method to keep the dump from being abused by people who don’t care.