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Dispersed camping · Arizona

Kaibab 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

Order 03-07-26-01 prohibits "camping for more than 14 days in any 30-day period" on all NFS lands within the Kaibab National Forest boundary, covering all three ranger districts (Williams, Tusayan, North Kaibab). In effect May 6, 2026 - May 6, 2028.

Where you can camp

Allowed unless posted

The forest regulates camping by closure order rather than a published policy page: Order 03-07-01-23-02 prohibits camping on "all NFS lands within one mile of developed campgrounds and recreational cabins on the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts" and "within one half-mile of developed campgrounds and recreational cabins on the North Kaibab Ranger District" (in effect through Aug 31, 2033). Outside ordered and posted closures, camping is governed by the forest-wide 14-day limit. source

Keep your distance

  • 5,280 ft — No camping within one mile of developed campgrounds and recreational cabins on the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts (Order 03-07-01-23-02, Exhibits A-K map the buffers; e.g. Dogtown Lake, Kaibab Lake, White Horse Lake, Ten X). One mile converted: 5,280 ft. Campfires in these zones only in Forest Service-provided fire structures. source
  • 2,640 ft — No camping within one half-mile of developed campgrounds and recreational cabins on the North Kaibab Ranger District (Order 03-07-01-23-02; e.g. DeMotte, Jacob Lake, Indian Hollow). Half mile converted: 2,640 ft. source

Roads and vehicle access

Check the motor vehicle use map

"The Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) displays the legal designations of where you can travel with motorized vehicles on national forest lands" and "driving a motorized vehicle on roads, trails, or areas not designated for motor vehicle use is prohibited" (forest maps page). Whether the Kaibab MVUM designates specific motorized dispersed-camping corridors was not stated on any page read - check the MVUM legend for your district.

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

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, Williams at (928) 635-8200 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. 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, Southwestern Region (R3).

Before you go