Coconino National Forest Dispersed Camping Rules

14 days in any 30

Order 03-04-00-24-04 prohibits "camping for more than 14 days in any 30-day period" on all NFS lands within the Coconino National Forest boundary (in effect Oct 29, 2024 - Oct 29, 2026). The forest's outdoor-ethics page words it as "a 14-day per month stay limit on the Coconino National Forest" and notes some areas carry shorter limits.

Where you can camp

Designated sites in some areas

"You may camp most anywhere on the Coconino National Forest (unless otherwise posted)" - but standing orders carve out large exceptions: camping in the Flagstaff urban-interface area is prohibited year-round (Order 03-04-08-25-01), and "dispersed camping in west Sedona outside of these eight designated sites is prohibited" (West Sedona Designated Dispersed Camping Area). Some corridors (e.g. Pumphouse Wash) require signed, numbered designated sites. source

Keep your distance

1,320 ft — Camping is prohibited "within a quarter mile of a wildlife watering tank/hole" (forest safety and outdoor ethics page). Quarter mile converted: 1,320 ft. Stated for wildlife waters specifically - no general lake/stream setback distance is published forest-wide. source
300 ft — Stay-close corridor rule: within "designated camping corridors shown on the Motor Vehicle Use Map," visitors "may drive their vehicles up to 300 feet from the road to car camp." Outside those corridors motor vehicles must stay on designated routes. Also: do not camp in or drive through open meadowland. source

Roads and vehicle access

Check the motor vehicle use map

"The free MVUM is the legal document-of-record that shows the roads, trails and areas designated as open to motorized vehicle use on Coconino National Forest." Motorized dispersed camping access runs through the designated camping corridors shown on the MVUM (drive up to 300 feet from the road within a corridor).

Fires right now

No fire restrictions 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

Order 03-04-00-24-04 - 14-day camping limit in a consecutive 30-day period The forest-wide stay-limit order: no camping more than 14 days in any 30-day period. In effect Oct 29, 2024 - Oct 29, 2026.
Order 03-04-08-25-01 - Flagstaff-area camping and campfire restrictions (year-round) Camping and campfires prohibited year-round on forest lands ringing Flagstaff (area bounded by I-17, I-40, US 89, US 180 and listed forest roads); developed campgrounds and permit holders excepted. In effect May 1, 2025 - Apr 30, 2027. Dispersed camping is effectively off the table in the Flagstaff urban interface.
West Sedona camping and campfire restrictions Year-round camping and campfire restrictions west of Sedona except within the eight designated dispersed camping areas (roughly 200 first-come sites, free, 14-day limit; charcoal and wood fires prohibited at all times).
Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon camping and campfire restrictions Standing camping and campfire restrictions in the Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon corridor - read the order before dispersed camping near Sedona.
Kachina Village and Pumphouse Wash camping and campfire restrictions Camping and campfire restrictions in the Kachina Village/Pumphouse Wash area; the Pumphouse Wash (FR 237) area allows camping "only in signed and numbered designated campsites" with parking within 50 feet of the campsite sign post.
Lake Mary restrictions in effect Camping, campfire and use prohibitions in the Lake Mary area.
Occupancy and use prohibition - San Francisco Peaks alpine tundra and Inner Basin Occupancy/use prohibition covering the San Francisco Peaks alpine tundra and Inner Basin - no camping in the restricted zone.

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.