Caribou-Targhee National Forest Dispersed Camping Rules

14 days in any 30

Forest Order 04-15-23-200 (effective March 30, 2023 through March 30, 2028) prohibits "camping within the same five-mile radius for more than fourteen (14) days in any thirty (30) consecutive day period" forest-wide - the 5-mile radius is part of the count, and after 14 days you may not return within that radius for 30 days. Stricter area orders sit on top: a 5-days-in-any-14 limit in designated areas (Order 04-15-25-219), 5-in-14 near Coffeepot Campground (Order 04-15-23-216) and at Crestline Trailhead (Order 04-15-23-204). The forest's dispersed-camping page states the limit as "a 14-day stay limit in one spot within a 28-day period" with a 5-road-mile relocation and notes "some districts, like Palisades, may have a 5-day limit" - where the page and the order differ, the numbered order governs. Curlew National Grassland: "A 14-day stay limit applies."

Where you can camp

Designated sites in some areas

"Dispersed camping is permitted in many areas unless restricted by specific regulations or authorized uses" (Caribou-Targhee). Curlew National Grassland "allows dispersed camping in its open, rolling prairie landscape unless otherwise posted." Standing orders carve out stricter zones: 5-day limits in designated areas, and designated-sites-only camping near the wilderness lakes covered by Order 04-15-23-202. source

Keep your distance

100 ft — Forest dispersed-camping page: "Campsites must be at least 100 feet from streams or water sources to protect water quality" (also stated for Curlew National Grassland). The same page's general tips section further recommends camping "at least 200 feet away from lakes, rivers, and streams." source
200 ft — Jedediah Smith and Winegar Hole Wilderness Areas only, Order 04-15-23-202: no "camping within 200 ft. of any lakeshore or 100 ft. of any streambank." The order also bans camping/stock within 1/2 mile of Moose Lake Basin lakes, 1/4 mile of Camp Lake, and 600 ft of Hidden Lake, and limits Hidden Lake-Crystal Springs and Hidden Corral Basin stays to 5 consecutive days. source
Recommended: 2,640 ft — Dispersed-camping page tips: "Stay at least 1/2 mile from developed campgrounds and trailheads" (1/2 mile = 2,640 ft). Worded as a rules-and-tips guideline, not a numbered order. source

Roads and vehicle access

Check the motor vehicle use map

The Intermountain Region's dispersed-camping page states: "Motorized vehicle use for the purpose of dispersed camping is defined on each forest's motorized visitor use map." The Caribou-Targhee's own dispersed page adds that RVs are welcome "in accessible dispersed areas of the forest and grassland, provided roads and sites can accommodate your vehicle." Per-route camping-corridor distances are printed on the district MVUM sheets - check your district's map.

Fires right now

We don't watch this forest's fire orders yet — check its own site before you light anything. Here's what stage 1 and stage 2 mean when an order is up.

Closures and special orders

Forest 14 Day Stay Limit Order - Order 04-15-23-200 The stay-limit legal text: no camping within the same five-mile radius for more than 14 days in any 30 consecutive days, forest-wide. Effective March 30, 2023 through March 30, 2028.
5 Day Stay Limit Order - Order 04-15-25-219 Restricts camping to no more than 5 days in any 14-day period in the designated areas the order maps - read the order before longer stays in popular corridors.
Coffee Pot Stay Limit Order - Order 04-15-23-216 Limits camping near Coffeepot Campground to 5 days in any 14-day period.
Crestline Trailhead Stay Limit - Order 04-15-23-204 Restricts camping near Crestline Trailhead to 5 days in any 14-day period.
Food Storage Order - Order 04-15-23-217 Requires secure food storage in bear country - store food, trash, and scented items as the order specifies before overnight stays.
Wilderness Camping (Grazing) Order - Order 04-15-23-202 Jedediah Smith and Winegar Hole Wildernesses: lakeshore/streambank camping setbacks, designated-site requirements, 5-day limits at named basins, stock and campfire restrictions. Effective March 30, 2023 through March 30, 2028.

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. 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.