Public land
Dispersed camping rules, forest by forest
Camping outside a developed campground is free on most national forest and BLM land, and every office writes its own rules for it. Here are all 80 we've read the orders for — 62 national forests and 18 BLM field offices across 10 states. Stay limits run from 10 to 21 days, and no two offices count them the same way.
Every page below names the stay limit, the setbacks from water and roads, whether the motor vehicle use map governs where you can drive in, and the office to call — each line linked to the order or page it came from, with the date we read it. We don't list campsites or coordinates anywhere on this site: the rules are ours to summarize, the spot is yours to find.
Colorado
13 forests and field offices filed under Colorado, plus 1 that reaches in from next door. The Colorado hub has the state-wide picture.
| Forest / office | Stay limit | Where you can camp |
|---|---|---|
| Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests & Pawnee National Grassland | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| BLM Colorado River Valley Field Office | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| BLM Grand Junction Field Office | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| BLM Gunnison Field Office | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| BLM Kremmling Field Office | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| BLM Royal Gorge Field Office | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| BLM Tres Rios Field Office | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests | 14 days | Designated sites in some areas |
| Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests & Thunder Basin National Grassland | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Rio Grande National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| San Juan National Forest | 14 days | Designated sites in some areas |
| White River National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Manti-La Sal National Forest | 14 days in any 28 | Allowed unless posted |
Arizona
9 forests and field offices filed under Arizona. The Arizona hub has the state-wide picture.
| Forest / office | Stay limit | Where you can camp |
|---|---|---|
| Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| BLM Arizona Strip Field Office | 14 days in any 28 | Designated sites in some areas |
| BLM Kingman Field Office | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| BLM Lake Havasu Field Office | 14 days in any 28 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Coconino National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Coronado National Forest | 14 days in any 60 | Allowed unless posted |
| Kaibab National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| Prescott National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Tonto National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
Utah
10 forests and field offices filed under Utah, plus 2 that reach in from next door. The Utah hub has the state-wide picture.
| Forest / office | Stay limit | Where you can camp |
|---|---|---|
| BLM Kanab Field Office | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| BLM Moab Field Office | 14 days | Designated sites in some areas |
| BLM Monticello Field Office | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| BLM Richfield Field Office | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| BLM St. George Field Office | 14 days in any 28 | Designated sites in some areas |
| BLM Vernal Field Office | 14 days | Designated sites in some areas |
| Dixie National Forest | 16 days in any 60 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Fishlake National Forest | 16 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| Manti-La Sal National Forest | 14 days in any 28 | Allowed unless posted |
| Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Caribou-Targhee National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Sawtooth National Forest | 10 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
California
10 forests and field offices filed under California, plus 1 that reaches in from next door. The California hub has the state-wide picture.
| Forest / office | Stay limit | Where you can camp |
|---|---|---|
| Eldorado National Forest | 10 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Inyo National Forest | 14 days | Designated sites in some areas |
| Lassen National Forest | 14 days | Designated sites in some areas |
| Plumas National Forest | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Sequoia National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Shasta-Trinity National Forest | 15 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Sierra National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| Stanislaus National Forest | 21 days | Designated sites in some areas |
| Tahoe National Forest | 14 days | Designated sites in some areas |
| BLM Lake Havasu Field Office | 14 days in any 28 | Designated sites in some areas |
Montana
6 forests and field offices filed under Montana. The Montana hub has the state-wide picture.
| Forest / office | Stay limit | Where you can camp |
|---|---|---|
| Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest | 16 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Bitterroot National Forest | 16 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Custer Gallatin National Forest | 16 days | Designated sites in some areas |
| Flathead National Forest | 16 days | Designated sites in some areas |
| Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest | 16 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Lolo National Forest | 16 days | Allowed unless posted |
Idaho
7 forests and field offices filed under Idaho, plus 2 that reach in from next door. The Idaho hub has the state-wide picture.
| Forest / office | Stay limit | Where you can camp |
|---|---|---|
| Boise National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| Caribou-Targhee National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Idaho Panhandle National Forests | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Payette National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Salmon-Challis National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| Sawtooth National Forest | 10 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Wallowa-Whitman National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
New Mexico
6 forests and field offices filed under New Mexico. The New Mexico hub has the state-wide picture.
| Forest / office | Stay limit | Where you can camp |
|---|---|---|
| BLM Farmington Field Office | 14 days in any 28 | Allowed unless posted |
| BLM Las Cruces District Office | 14 days in any 28 | Allowed unless posted |
| BLM Taos Field Office | 14 days in any 28 | Allowed unless posted |
| Carson National Forest | 14 days in any 45 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Lincoln National Forest | 14 days in any 45 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Santa Fe National Forest | 14 days in any 45 | Allowed unless posted |
Washington
5 forests and field offices filed under Washington, plus 1 that reaches in from next door. The Washington hub has the state-wide picture.
| Forest / office | Stay limit | Where you can camp |
|---|---|---|
| Colville National Forest | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Gifford Pinchot National Forest | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest | 14 days | Designated sites in some areas |
| Olympic National Forest | 21 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Umatilla National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
Oregon
11 forests and field offices filed under Oregon. The Oregon hub has the state-wide picture.
| Forest / office | Stay limit | Where you can camp |
|---|---|---|
| Deschutes National Forest | 14 days | Designated sites in some areas |
| Fremont-Winema National Forest | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Malheur National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| Mt. Hood National Forest | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Ochoco National Forest & Crooked River National Grassland | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Siuslaw National Forest | 14 days in any 60 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Umatilla National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| Umpqua National Forest | 14 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Wallowa-Whitman National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| Willamette National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
Wyoming
3 forests and field offices filed under Wyoming, plus 3 that reach in from next door. The Wyoming hub has the state-wide picture.
| Forest / office | Stay limit | Where you can camp |
|---|---|---|
| Bighorn National Forest | 14 days in any 28 | Allowed unless posted |
| Bridger-Teton National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Shoshone National Forest | 16 days | Allowed unless posted |
| Caribou-Targhee National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
| Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests & Thunder Basin National Grassland | 14 days in any 30 | Allowed unless posted |
| Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest | 14 days in any 30 | Designated sites in some areas |
Fires are a different question, on a different page
Nothing on these 90 pages tells you whether you can light a fire. That answer runs on the forest's own fire order, it changes with the weather, and it lives in the other wing of this site: current fire restrictions by national forest has the stage each forest we watch is under and when we last read its alerts page. Off federal land, the county sets the rule instead — start here to find your county.
Stage 1, stage 2 and closures in plain words is worth a read before the drive, because a stage 2 order turns a planned campfire into a bottled-gas stove and it can land the week you leave.
Rules change by forest order and posted signage — confirm with the ranger district or field office before you go.