Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Dispersed Camping Rules

14 days in any 30

Order 04-19-22-533 (effective Aug 19, 2022 - Aug 19, 2032), forest-wide: in undeveloped areas, no person or camping unit "may occupy any general undeveloped area" for "more than fourteen (14) days in any thirty (30) day consecutive period." No move/relocation distance is stated. Developed campgrounds count differently under the same order: 7 consecutive days in one location on the Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake, Pleasant Grove, Spanish Fork and Heber/Kamas Ranger Districts, 14 on the Evanston/Mt. View Ranger District, in any 30-day period. In the High Uintas Wilderness a separate order (04-19-26-723) prohibits "camping for a period longer than 14 consecutive days in one drainage and within one mile of previous campsite."

Where you can camp

Designated sites in some areas

The forest-wide stay-limit order regulates camping in "any general undeveloped area" (14 days in any 30 - Order 04-19-22-533), and standing district orders close specific corridors to camping outside developed campgrounds: the Pleasant Grove RD order prohibits "camping in areas outside of developed campgrounds" within 200 feet of each side of SR-92 (Alpine Scenic Loop) and Forest Roads 085/008, and the forest's alerts page lists standing camping restrictions for American Fork Canyon/Alpine Loop, Rock Canyon, Silver Lake Flat and the Tibble Fork area. The forest publishes no single dispersed-camping policy sentence - check the district's alerts and MVUM before choosing a site. source

Keep your distance

200 ft — High Uintas Wilderness only, Order 04-19-26-723 (May 5, 2026 - May 5, 2031, joint with Ashley NF): prohibits "camping within 200 feet of any occupied campsite, trail, lake, pond, stream, spring, or any other water source." source
200 ft — High Uintas Wilderness only, same order 04-19-26-723: the 200-foot camping setback also runs from any trail and any occupied campsite. source
200 ft — Keep-away corridor, Pleasant Grove Ranger District Order 04-18-96-02 (in effect since Feb 28, 1996): no camping outside developed campgrounds within 200 feet of each side of SR-92 (Alpine Scenic Loop from the mouth of American Fork Canyon to the closure gate above Mutual Dell) and of Forest Roads 085 (North Fork Road) and 008 (Granite Flat Road). source

Roads and vehicle access

Check the motor vehicle use map

The forest's maps page: "A Motorized Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) is a legal document that shows which roads and trails are open to public motor vehicle use... If a road or trail does not appear on the map, it means that it is not open to public motor vehicular use." No official page read for this entry ties dispersed-camping vehicle access to specific MVUM camping designations - check the district MVUM.

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 04-19-22-533 - Camping stay limits (forest-wide) The 14-days-in-any-30 stay-limit order for undeveloped areas, with shorter 7-day developed-campground limits on most districts. Effective Aug 19, 2022 - Aug 19, 2032.
Order 04-19-26-723 - High Uintas Wilderness occupancy and use Wilderness camping rules: 200-ft setback from water/trails/occupied campsites, 14-consecutive-day limit per drainage, group size max 14 people. Effective May 5, 2026 - May 5, 2031; issued jointly with the Ashley NF.
Order 04-18-96-02 - Pleasant Grove RD camping, motor vehicle use and shooting No camping outside developed campgrounds in the SR-92 / FR 085 / FR 008 corridors of American Fork Canyon; standing since 1996.
American Fork Canyon and Alpine Loop camping and campfire restrictions Standing camping and campfire restrictions in the American Fork Canyon / Alpine Loop area to protect water quality and vegetation - read the order before dispersed camping there.
Rock Canyon camping and campfire restrictions (Pleasant Grove RD) Standing restrictions on camping and campfires in Rock Canyon to protect the watershed from dispersed-camping damage.

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.