Salmon-Challis National Forest Dispersed Camping Rules

14 days in any 30

Order 04-13-23-009 (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" and "returning to camp in any part of the five-mile radius within 30 days after having camped" the full 14 days there. Applies to all NFS lands on the forest outside the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, which the order expressly excludes. The forest camping page states it plainly: "There is a 14 day Stay Limit for all camping on Salmon-Challis National Forest lands outside the boundaries of the Frank Church--River of No Return Wilderness."

Where you can camp

Allowed unless posted

"You may camp outside of developed campgrounds in most areas on the Salmon-Challis National Forest, up to 300 feet from an open road, at no charge. Potable water, toilets, and other amenities are not generally available." Standing orders carve out posted exceptions (no camping within 500 feet of Gold Bug Hot Springs; no camping along NFS Road #030 on the Salmon River Road). source

Keep your distance

300 ft — Stay-close corridor rule from the forest camping page: dispersed camping is allowed "up to 300 feet from an open road" - camp within the corridor, not deeper into untracked ground. Open roads are the ones designated on the MVUM. source
500 ft — Order 04-13-23-005: "camping is prohibited within 500 feet of Gold Bug Hot Springs." Gold Bug Hot Springs area only. source
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, not a numbered order. source

Roads and vehicle access

Check the motor vehicle use map

The forest camping page's dispersed allowance runs "up to 300 feet from an open road" - which roads are open is defined by the Motor Vehicle Use Maps. The region states: "Motorized vehicle use for the purpose of dispersed camping is defined on each forest's motorized visitor use map." Get the district MVUM from the forest's maps page or offices.

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

14 Day Stay Limit - Occupancy and Use - Order 04-13-23-009 The stay-limit legal text: no camping within the same five-mile radius for more than 14 days in any 30 consecutive days, and no returning to that radius for 30 days; excludes the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Effective March 30, 2023 through March 30, 2028.
Gold Bug Hot Spring Occupancy and Use - Order 04-13-23-005 No camping within 500 feet of Gold Bug Hot Springs.
Salmon River Road Use and Occupancy - Order 04-13-23-008 Prohibits camping along NFS Road #030 (the Salmon River Road) - read the order for the covered stretch before planning to camp there.
Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Occupancy and Use - Order 01/04-00-00-21-02 Standing visitor requirements for the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, which sits outside the forest's 14-day order - read the order before overnight wilderness trips.

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.