Free dispersed camping on BLM + USFS land — the real rules

Both BLM and USFS apply a 14-day stay limit per location across the West. The exact wording: 'no more than 14 days within a 28-day period at any one site.' After 14 days you must move at least 25 mi to a new dispersed location (BLM districts vary 25-50 mi; verify local district).

This rule applies whether or not the area has signage. Rangers DO enforce it during summer + fall in heavily used areas (Sedona AZ, Moab UT, Mt Shasta CA approach roads). Track your stay dates per location.

Default: on most BLM + USFS land in the West, dispersed camping is legal unless posted otherwise (BLM regulation 43 CFR §8365). On the same federal land, you cannot camp within 0.25 mi of a developed campground, within 100 ft of a water source, on a road shoulder, or in a wilderness area without a backcountry permit.

Wilderness Areas (designated under the 1964 Wilderness Act) require a separate backcountry permit for overnight stays. Wilderness Study Areas (BLM-managed) have similar rules. Check Wilderness.gov for the specific area's status.

• Legal: most National Forest land outside wilderness, BLM land outside Wilderness Study Areas, designated dispersed corridors
• Not legal: within 0.25 mi of developed campground, within 100 ft of water, on road shoulders, in wilderness without backcountry permit
• Variable: National Grasslands (case-by-case via the supervising National Forest), Wildlife Management Areas (state-by-state)

The Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) is the authoritative source. Every National Forest publishes a free PDF + paper MVUM showing every legal motorized-access road + corridor for dispersed camping. Download from the USFS website (search 'MVUM' + forest name) or pick up at any district office.

iOverlander, Campendium, and FreeRoam are user-contributed and helpful but NOT authoritative — sites listed on these apps may have been closed by district order since the last user update. Always cross-check with the MVUM.

• MVUM PDF per National Forest — free download from USFS
• BLM Surface Management Status (SMS) maps — color-coded land status
• Recreation.gov 'maps + facilities' filter for 'dispersed camping'

Fire restrictions change daily in summer + fall. Stage 1 (no fires outside developed grates) and Stage 2 (no open flame anywhere, including stoves in some districts) are common July-October in the West. Check the local USFS district fire-restriction page DAILY during fire season — restrictions can change overnight after rainfall or after a new ignition.

Pack out everything including human waste in many districts (especially Joshua Tree NP backcountry, Pictured Rocks NL Chapel Rock, and Sedona red-rock corridor). Wag-bag systems are required in those areas; the days of 'cathole + bury' are over in heavily used corridors.