Onx Offroad is Great for Trails. But What About Camping?
Onx Offroad ($34.99-99.99/year) is the gold standard for finding offroad trails, UTV routes, and 4x4 paths. The property boundaries and MVUM overlays are genuinely excellent.
But if your main goal is finding dispersed campsites, Onx might be overkill. Here’s why, and what alternatives focus specifically on camping.
Where Onx Falls Short for Campers
Onx Offroad is built for the trail, not the campsite:
- Trail-first design: Great for routes, not for finding where to sleep
- Price: $34.99/year (Premium) or $99.99/year (Elite) for property boundaries
- Camping data: Not comprehensive, seems manually collected
- Overkill features: You’re paying for trail ratings, difficulty levels, and offroad features you might not need
If you just want to find a free spot to camp on BLM or National Forest land, you’re paying for a lot of extras.
Top Onx Offroad Alternatives for Camping
1. Dispersed (Our Pick) - $29.99/year
Best for: Dedicated dispersed camping database
While Onx focuses on getting you TO remote areas, Dispersed focuses on WHERE to camp once you’re there. 25,000+ official campsites from USFS, BLM, and NPS sources.
Why it beats Onx for camping: - Purpose-built for finding campsites - Comprehensive official data (not manually collected) - Slightly cheaper - Less clutter from trail features you don’t need
Pro tip: Some campers use Onx for navigation and trail planning, then Dispersed for finding the actual campsite.
2. Gaia GPS - $39.99/year
Best for: DIY spot-finding with topo overlays
If you like Onx’s mapping power but want something more camping-oriented, Gaia lets you stack public land layers and find your own spots.
Pros: Powerful mapping, customizable layers Cons: No actual campsite database
3. The Dyrt Pro - $35.99/year
Best for: Reviews and campground discovery
Different approach than Onx. More focused on established campgrounds and user reviews.
Pros: Good community, reviews Cons: Weaker for truly dispersed camping
Our Recommendation
Onx Offroad is great at what it does. But if camping is your priority, Dispersed gives you a dedicated database of 25,000+ verified sites for $5 less per year. Consider using both: Onx for the trails, Dispersed for the campsites.