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Dispersed camping · Washington

Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest dispersed camping rules

You can camp up to 14 days 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 stay limit

Camping Restrictions Order 06-05-24-02 prohibits "camping for a period longer than 14 consecutive days, at the same location, on National Forest System lands outside of a developed campground" AND "camping for a total of 28 days, per calendar year, on National Forest System lands outside of a developed campground" - 14 consecutive at one spot plus a 28-day annual aggregate counted per calendar year, applying to dispersed camping only (developed campgrounds exempt). The forest's dispersed-camping page states the same limits. The order's stated term was May 16, 2024 - May 16, 2026, yet it was still posted as the active camping-restrictions alert at verification - see gaps.

Where you can camp

Allowed unless posted

"Dispersed camping, or camping outside of designated campgrounds, is a great way to enjoy the peace and solitude of the national forest." "Certain areas are closed to dispersed camping, such as within developed recreation sites, along certain roads, and particularly sensitive areas. Contact your local Ranger District for details." A forest-wide Food Storage Order also requires storing food "in a 'bear resistant manner'." source

Keep your distance

  • 1,320 ft — Middle Fork Snoqualmie corridor only (Order 06-05-24-04): camping is prohibited along FSR 56 - the area 1/4 mile north of the road's centerline plus the area between the centerline and the Middle Fork River (1/4 mile on both sides in the sections past the Taylor River confluence) - and along FSR 5640, 1/4 mile either side of centerline to the Snoqualmie Lake Trailhead (1/4 mile = 1,320 ft). A keep-away corridor closure, not a forest-wide rule. In effect June 1, 2024 - December 31, 2026. source
  • Recommended: 100 ft — Forest dispersed-camping page, "Your site" guidance: "Camping at least 100 feet from the shoreline of lakes and streams." Worded as a best practice, not an order - rendered as guidance. source
  • Recommended: Directional guidance, no number: "Camp out of view from major roads and trails, where possible" (forest dispersed-camping page). source

Roads and vehicle access

Check the motor vehicle use map

The forest's maps page says only that "Motor Vehicle Use Maps show national forest system roads & trails open to motorized travel" - no official Mount Baker-Snoqualmie page found tying dispersed-camping vehicle access to MVUM corridors or stating an off-road distance. Check the MVUM itself and ranger districts.

Fires right now

Stage 1 fire restrictions — since July 21 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

  • Camping Restrictions - Order 06-05-24-02 The stay-limit order itself: no more than 14 consecutive days at the same location and no more than 28 days total per calendar year outside developed campgrounds, forest-wide. Stated term May 16, 2024 - May 16, 2026; still posted as the active alert at verification.
  • Middle Fork Camping Closure - Order 06-05-24-04 Prohibits camping in the Wild and Scenic Middle Fork Snoqualmie corridor: along FSR 56 from the forest boundary to the Taylor/Middle Fork confluence and beyond, and along FSR 5640 to the Snoqualmie Lake Trailhead, generally 1/4 mile from the road centerlines. In effect June 1, 2024 - December 31, 2026.
  • Food Storage Order - Order 06-05-25-01 Forest-wide: visitors must store food items in a "bear resistant manner" and properly dispose of wildlife attractants - applies to every dispersed campsite.

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, Everett 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, Pacific Northwest Region (R6).

Before you go