Sequoia National Forest Dispersed Camping Rules

14 days in any 30

Order 0513-25-03 (effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027) prohibits "camping for more than 14 consecutive days within any 30-day period anywhere on National Forest System lands within the Sequoia National Forest" - forest-wide, rolling 30-day window, no move distance stated. The same order applies the 14-in-30 limit to parking or leaving a motor vehicle or trailer in one place. The forest FAQ adds a separate cap: "The maximum stay in most campgrounds is 14 days and a 30-day maximum stay per Ranger District, per calendar year."

Where you can camp

Designated sites in some areas

Forest FAQ: "Yes, you can camp outside a developed campground." But standing orders carve out designated-area-only corridors: along the North Fork Kern Wild and Scenic River and the Lower Kern River, "camping, outside of the developed campgrounds and designated dispersed camping areas listed in Exhibit A" is prohibited. The Hume Lake Ranger District publication closes the Hume Lake Recreation Area, Stony Creek Recreation Area, and Hwy 180 "from the Hume Lake turnoff to the end of Hwy 180 East" to dispersed camping; "other prohibited areas include campgrounds, trailheads, and picnic areas." source

Keep your distance

250 ft — Kings River Scenic Byway corridor only (Order 0513-25-02, May 8, 2025 through November 30, 2027): no "camping within 250 feet of the Kings River Scenic Byway (State Highway 180)" from Tenmile Road (FR 13S09) east about 21.1 miles to the forest boundary. source
Recommended: 100 ft — Hume Lake Ranger District dispersed-camping publication (May 2022), worded as an instruction rather than an order provision: "Camp at least 100 ft. (31 m) from any water source." source
Stay-close corridor rule, no number: forest FAQ - "If you choose to disperse camp, park only one car width off the main road"; Hume Lake publication - "Park only in designated or already impacted places. DO NOT DRIVE OFF ROADS." source

Roads and vehicle access

Check the motor vehicle use map

Forest maps page: "The Motor Vehicle Use Map displays National Forest System routes (roads and trails) or areas designated open to motorized travel," with free copies at ranger stations. The camping pages order campers not to drive off roads, but no official page read today ties dispersed-camping vehicle access to MVUM camping designations specifically.

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

Order 0513-25-03 - Sequoia National Forest Camping and Parking Restrictions The forest-wide stay-limit order: 14 consecutive days in any 30-day period for camping and for parked/left vehicles and trailers. Effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027.
Order 0513-24-24 - North Fork Kern Wild and Scenic River Camping Prohibition Camping only in developed campgrounds and Exhibit A designated dispersed areas along an approximately 17-mile corridor of Mountain 99 east of the North Fork Kern, and within 500 feet of the Johnsondale Bridge. Effective October 30, 2024 through October 29, 2026.
Order 0513-24-05 - Lower Kern River Camping Restriction Camping along the Lower Kern River corridor restricted to developed campgrounds and designated dispersed areas. Effective March 5, 2024.
Order 0513-26-09 - Chico Flat Dispersed Camping Area Prohibition Camping within 350 feet of the Kern River prohibited in the Chico Flat dispersed camping area. Effective June 3, 2026.
Order 0513-24-21 - Brush Creek Dispersed Camping Area Prohibition Camping prohibited within 50 feet of Brush Creek's water's edge in the Brush Creek dispersed camping area. Effective October 1, 2024.
Order 0513-25-04 - Day Use Only Prohibition Being in an area designated Day Use Only after sunset or before sunrise is prohibited - no overnight camping in posted day-use areas. Effective June 29, 2025.

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.