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Dispersed camping · Idaho

Boise National Forest dispersed camping rules

You can camp up to 14 days in any 30 on this forest, anywhere that isn't posted closed. The card below is the whole rule set — every line links the order or page it came from, and all of it was checked on .

14 days in any 30

Occupancy and Use Order 0402-00-62 (effective July 31, 2022 through July 31, 2027) counts by season and radius: April 1 - August 31, no "camping within the same 25-mile radius for more than 14 days during any 30-day period"; September 1 - March 31, the radius drops to 5 miles. The radius is part of the count - moving a few miles down the road does not restart the clock in summer. The Emmett Ranger District page states the limit as "14-day limit for camping at the same campsite, or within a 5-mile radius of the same campsite in any undeveloped area or developed campground during any 28-day period" - where the district page and the order differ, the numbered order governs.

Where you can camp

Allowed unless posted

The forest publishes no single dispersed-camping policy sentence; the Intermountain Region's dispersed page states "you can camp just about anywhere in the Intermountain Region's Forests, dispersed camping is welcomed in most areas" and "typically, dispersed camping is NOT allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas such as campgrounds, picnic areas, or trailheads." District pages note dispersed opportunities throughout (Emmett RD). A standing closure order (0402-05-101) closes specific Lowman Ranger District dispersed campsites to let impacted areas recover. source

Keep your distance

  • Recommended: 200 ft — Intermountain Region dispersed-camping guidance covering this forest: "Please place your campsite at least 200 feet from any stream or other water source." Regional guidance wording ("please"), not a numbered order; no Boise-specific setback distance is published on the forest's own pages. source

Roads and vehicle access

Check the motor vehicle use map

"Refer to our Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) for where and when Forest Service roads and trails are open to motorized use" (forest OHV page). The forest's MVUM page states the maps display designated routes plus "seasonal allowances, distance allowances, and... other travel rules and regulations" - the off-route distance allowed for dispersed camping is printed per route on the MVUM. The region states: "Motorized vehicle use for the purpose of dispersed camping is defined on each forest's motorized visitor use map."

Fires right now

Stage 1 fire restrictions — since August 7 last checked August 18, 2026

Whether you can have a fire at your site runs on the forest's fire order, not on camping rules — see the live fire restrictions page for this forest and what each stage still allows before you light anything.

Closures and special orders

Rules checked against the pages linked above — the full list is below the card.

Rules change by forest order and posted signage — confirm with the Forest Supervisor's Office, Boise, ID at (208) 373-4100 before you go.

How to read these rules

Dispersed camping means camping outside a developed campground — no fee, no table, no toilet, no water. You pick an already-used spot, pack out everything you brought, and the rules above are the whole deal you're agreeing to. The stay limit counts the way the card says it counts, not the way it counts on the forest next door: some places count per spot, some across the whole forest, some inside a radius, and moving a short distance often doesn't restart the clock.

Distance rules come in two shapes. Keep-away rules ("at least 100 feet from water") protect the thing you're camping near; stay-close rules ("within 300 feet of the road") keep vehicles on ground that can take them. A line marked recommended on the card is the office's guidance, not an order — the rest are enforceable rules, and a posted sign at the site beats everything on this page.

The motor vehicle use map is the legal answer to "can I drive in there to camp" — if a road isn't on it, that road is closed to your vehicle, and many forests only allow roadside camping along the roads the map marks for it. It's a free PDF; download it before you lose signal.

Fires are a separate rule with a separate clock. Nothing on this page says you can light one — the card's fire line says where that answer lives today. This forest's fire restrictions page carries the current stage with the date it took effect. If a fire is allowed when you get there, buy your wood near camp — hauling firewood from home is how tree-killing pests reach new forests, and the BTU chart says what that local bundle is actually worth.

Where these rules come from

Every rule above was read on the forest's own pages and orders on the dates shown — nothing here is borrowed from another forest or an old guidebook. The managing agency is U.S. Forest Service, Intermountain Region (R4).

Before you go