Stanislaus National Forest Dispersed Camping Rules

21 days stay limit

Counted per calendar year, per ranger district - not a rolling window. Order STF-16-2026-09 (effective July 31, 2026 through July 30, 2029) prohibits camping in undeveloped locations "longer than 21 total days during a calendar year" per ranger district; developed sites are capped separately at "14 consecutive days within any 30-day period" per district. The forest's dispersed-camping guide (ROG 16-03, May 2024) states it the same way: "The maximum cumulative days camping in any forest ranger district is 21 per calendar year. 36 CFR 261.50(a)."

Where you can camp

Designated sites in some areas

Dispersed-camping guide: "It is up to you to find a permissible camping spot best suited to your needs" - there are "no designated camping or parking areas." But: "Dispersed camping is not allowed within a designated developed recreation area. 36 CFR 261.16(e)" and "No camping in violation of posted signs. 36 CFR 261.58(e)." The guide also notes that from December 15 to April 15 "all forest roads are subject to a seasonal closure due to winter weather... traditional dispersed camping is not available during this time." source

Keep your distance

Recommended: 100 ft — Dispersed-camping guide's campsite-finding guidance (not in its CFR-cited regulations list): "camp at least 100 feet away from edges of meadows, lakes, or streams to minimize damage to critical wildlife and riparian areas." The guide separately asks that dishes be cleaned and human waste buried at least 200 feet from water sources. source
Stay-close corridor rule, stated in the guide's Regulations section: "Dispersed campers are permitted to park within one vehicle length (including any tow vehicle) of a National Forest transportation route and walk into camp." source
Area rule, no number: "Dispersed camping is not allowed within a designated developed recreation area. 36 CFR 261.16(e)." source
100 ft — Cherry Lake only (Order STF-16-2025-01, effective January 27, 2025): camping, cooking, building a campfire, or storing fuel is prohibited within 100 feet above the 4,702-foot water mark or on the lake's islands. source

Roads and vehicle access

Check the motor vehicle use map

Dispersed-camping guide: "The Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) displays seasonal openings of National Forest roads and trails designated for motorized travel use... Stay on established, open routes," with dispersed campers parking within one vehicle length of a transportation route. "As a general rule, if a route is not designated 'open' by public notice... assume the route is closed for use." MVUMs are free at district offices and on the Avenza app.

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 STF-16-2026-09 - Occupancy and use limits (developed and undeveloped locations) The stay-limit order: 21 total days per calendar year per ranger district in undeveloped locations; 14 consecutive days in any 30-day period per district in developed sites. Effective July 31, 2026 through July 30, 2029.
Order STF-16-2025-01 - Cherry Lake Camping Restrictions No camping, cooking, campfires, or fuel storage within 100 feet above Cherry Lake's 4,702-foot water mark or on its islands. Effective January 27, 2025.
Winter and spring seasonal road closures (December 15 - April 15) "From December 15 to April 15 all forest roads are subject to a seasonal closure due to winter weather" - the forest's guide states traditional dispersed camping is not available during this window; some CA SNO-Parks allow overnight vehicle camping with a SNO-Park pass.
Order STF-16-2026-08 - Renewal of Emigrant Wilderness Use Rules Standing wilderness use rules for the Emigrant Wilderness - read before backpack camping there. Effective July 8, 2026. A companion order (STF-16-2026-10, July 10, 2026) renews Mokelumne Wilderness rules.

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.