BLM St. George Field Office Dispersed Camping Rules

14 days in any 28

The field office's own camping brochure: "To further protect resources, camping is limited to 14 days within a 30-mile radius in a 28 day period" - the 30-mile radius is part of the count, not a separate move rule. The office's current designated-dispersed-camping-area pages state the same window: "occupancy is limited to 14 days in a 28 day period" (Hurricane Cliffs, Sand Mountain Pipeline). The BLM Utah statewide dispersed-camping sheet states "a 14-day camping limit while occupying any campsite on BLM-managed lands" without a window.

Where you can camp

Designated sites in some areas

Brochure: "undeveloped BLM-managed lands are available to the public for dispersed camping, unless otherwise posted. Typically, dispersed camping is not allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas, such as campgrounds, picnic areas, or trailheads." But large blocks are designated-site or closed: "Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. Areas within this National Conservation Area do not allow dispersed camping"; in the Beaver Dam Wash NCA "Camping within the NCA is permitted only in these numbered campsites with a metal fire ring" (39 sites); Hurricane Cliffs Recreation Area camping "is limited to 56 designated sites." source

Keep your distance

2,640 ft — Smithsonian Butte Back Country Byway only: "Camping within 1/2 mile of either side of this road on BLM-managed lands is prohibited" (1/2 mile = 2,640 ft, converted from the brochure's 1/2 mile). source
1,320 ft — Seasonal, big-game water sources only: "No camping is allowed within 1/4 mile of big game water sources from October 15th through November 1st. Big game water sources include springs, water catchments, and wildlife guzzlers" (1/4 mile = 1,320 ft, converted). source
Recommended: 200 ft — Minimum-impact practice, not an order: the brochure asks campers to "please practice minimum impact camping: Camp 200 ft. from any water source; Camp at previously used sites." source
300 ft — Statewide BLM Utah rule: "Camp at least 300 feet from range improvements. Range improvements can include corrals, gates, livestock waters and livestock pens. 43 CFR 4140.1(b)(7) prohibits interfering with lawful range functions and can result in a citation." source
5,280 ft — Around the two developed recreation areas: "Camping is prohibited up to one mile from the recreation area" - stated separately for both the Baker Dam Recreation Area and the Red Cliffs Recreation Area (1 mile = 5,280 ft, converted). source

Roads and vehicle access

Ask the district which roads allow camping

BLM travel-management equivalent of the MVUM rule, from the BLM Utah statewide dispersed-camping sheet: "Only travel on designated routes. Check with local offices for off-roading information." No St. George FO travel-map page stating an off-route parking distance for camping access was verified.

Fires right now

We don't watch this office'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

Red Cliffs National Conservation Area - no dispersed camping "Areas within this National Conservation Area do not allow dispersed camping" - the NCA wraps the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve north of St. George; use the Red Cliffs Campground instead.
Santa Clara River Reserve RMZs 1 & 3 and Mosquito Cove - closed to camping "Santa Clara River Reserve. Camping is prohibited on BLM-managed lands in recreation Management Zones 1 and 3"; "Mosquito Cove riparian area is closed to camping."
Hurricane Cliffs Designated Dispersed Camping Area "Camping within the Hurricane Cliffs Recreation Area is limited to 56 designated sites" - numbered placards with metal fire rings, first-come first-served, no fees, campfires in the steel rings only.
Beaver Dam Wash NCA - designated campsites only "Camping within the NCA is permitted only in these numbered campsites with a metal fire ring" - 39 designated campsites, no fees, campfires in steel rings only.
Sand Mountain Pipeline Designated Dispersed Camping Area Eight numbered sites, each with a steel fire ring; first-come first-served; "occupancy is limited to 14 days in a 28 day period."

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.

On BLM land the travel maps play the same role a national forest's motor vehicle use map plays: they show which routes are open to vehicles, and camping access usually means staying on those routes and pulling into already-used sites just off them.

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.