During my road travels over the last few years I have seen many changes involving rest areas – those quick-off/quick-on places for a break along the interstate highways with easy, quick access. They are well-lit and usually have decent toilets/rest rooms, a few picnic areas with tables & shelter, maps & information, water and trash disposal, and pet areas. You can get out a stretch your legs a bit and just relax for a minute. Some even have wifi or manned tourist booths with free coffee or vending machines. The nice thing about these roadside havens is the fact there is no “noise” – no restaurants, convenience stores, shopping…nothing distracting but a place to take care of your urgent personal needs so you can get back on the road.

I have talked previously about our family trips when I was younger before and how when we would stop at the first rest area I would jump out and grab a free highway map so I could follow along with a marker until I fell asleep. When I got older I would start driving after work, turn left to get on I-70, and drive all night until I got to Colorado. At the Deer Trail rest area (which I believe is now closed) I would pull in around 04:00 and sleep until the rising sun & the sound of truckers leaving woke me up. I would head on through Denver and into the Rockies to enjoy my vacation, dining on mac & cheese, ramen, and sandwiches.

Used to be that they were a good place to catch a nap if road-weary, but in the last few years I have seen many understandable, yet problematic, changes. I have seen that many rest areas in or near bigger cities are being closed down; I think the states assume that since there is a place for fuel nearby let them clean THEIR bathrooms and we can shut ours down to save maintenance and utility costs. Another issue I have heard about is crime in some areas – drug dealing, human trafficking, and probably theft, robbery and assaults. Some are in the middle of nowhere so the chance of someone getting caught is low.

I have seen more surveillance cameras at rest areas in the last few years to improve security. I am also beginning to see signs outright prohibiting overnight parking – which is really one of the other purposes of these rest areas – hence the “rest” part of the name. Many over-the-road truckers sleep in these places and I have seen many ignore the signs. When you are too tired to drive you are a danger on the highways and should pull over to sleep no matter if you are in a car, RV or big truck. Here in Montana, you will see signs for “rest areas” and you will also see signs for “truck parking”. The “truck parking” is mainly for big rigs – no fancy facilities. They might have a trash can and a vault toilet and nothing else. My trip this past week I stopped at a few to use the toilet and was surprised when I found the doors locked shut. I was able to stand behind a tree (luckily it was all I needed), but for the woman who pulled up in a truck it was an inconvenient surprise for her to see the doors locked. Perhaps they use seasonal workers to take care of these during summer and close them down in winter. I have seen private contractors maintaining many of the normal rest areas but I do not know about the truck parking areas.

The changes I have seen since the road trips as a kid are really unfortunate. No…I am not longing for the past; the unfortunate part is that some people who do not travel have screwed up things for those of us who do. That is not the entire issue, though. Economic belt-tightening by the states I am sure has caused many of these changes and I do understand that to a point. Another thing may be an underlying effort forcing travelers into places where our wallets can be drained. These things are speculation on my part, but they do make sense.

I am sure the crime part has gotten worse as bad people get bolder and the economy spirals down the drain. I know that Walmarts have been a long-time stalwart of overnight RV parking but some of the stores are no longer allowing it. If you drive around and see what is going on in Walmart parking lots you understand why. I have seen videos of homeless violence in the parking lots, vehicle damage, fights, and people are living in the parking lots in their trashy vehicles with their stuff and trash scattered all around them. I totally understand why rest areas (and overnights at Walmart) are getting closed down or restricted.

Going forward I will be avoiding the truck parking areas in Montana (and other states) in the off-season for sure, and during travel season it will be “just in case”. I will be sticking with the regular rest areas for my quick stops and when I get fuel I take care of everything then to save time. If I am towing my trailer I can use the bathroom in it since I know it is clean and sanitary.

And, of course, you should always do your due diligence. You should be aware of your surroundings anywhere, but I feel the actual rest areas are pretty safe these days. Truck parking is sometimes not as well-lit but I have never had an issue. Of course there is safety in numbers so if you are still uncomfortable with rest areas just take care of business when you get fuel.

I just wanted to put these things out there for others. I’ll catch you next time.

Shawn