Camping guide
Where you can camp on public land, region by region
Most free, no-reservation camping in the US happens on federal public land, and that land is not spread evenly. In the 11 western states of the lower 48, the federal government holds 45.9% of the land. In the rest of the country outside Alaska, it holds 4.1% (Congressional Research Service, data as of September 30, 2024).
So where you can camp depends first on where you are, and then on who manages the ground under you. This guide covers both: the agencies and their rules, then each region, then how to read it all on one map.
What dispersed camping is
Dispersed camping means camping outside a developed campground: no hookups, no host, usually no fee and no reservation. You find a spot that has been camped before, you stay a limited number of days, and you leave it as you found it.
The Bureau of Land Management puts the purpose plainly: "Dispersed camping is for short-term recreation, not long-term living" (BLM). Every agency caps how long you can stay, and the cap is not the same everywhere.
Who manages the land, and what they allow
Five kinds of federal land show up on most camping trips. They have very different rules.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
The largest federal land manager, with 244.4 million acres (CRS). BLM says dispersed camping is "generally limited to 14 days within any 28-day period, though specific stay limits vary by state and field office," and that after the limit you must move to a new location, "often at least 25 to 30 miles away." Vehicles stay on designated roads and trails unless an area is open to off-road use, and you can't leave property unattended for more than 10 days, with some state exceptions (BLM).
National Forests (USDA Forest Service)
193.1 million acres (CRS). Dispersed camping is common on national forests, but each forest sets its own limits. A few real examples:
- Coronado National Forest, Arizona: 14 days per 60-day period, no camping within 200 feet of water, and roadside campers stay within 300 feet of the road's centerline (Coronado NF).
- Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Arizona: 14 days in a 30-day period (Apache-Sitgreaves NFs).
- Cleveland National Forest, California: camping outside developed campgrounds is limited to 14 days in a calendar year, under an order running July 17, 2026 to July 16, 2028 (Cleveland NF).
Same agency, three different rules. Read the forest's own alerts before you settle in.
National Park Service
80.1 million acres (CRS). Plan on a campground or a backcountry permit unless the park's own camping page says otherwise. Some units do allow roadside camping: Mojave National Preserve permits it in previously used sites, outside posted no-camping areas, with a 14-day limit and no camping within a quarter mile of paved roads unless the area is formally designated for camping (NPS, Mojave).
National Wildlife Refuges (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
89.3 million acres (CRS). Refuges are managed for wildlife first. Don't assume an overnight stay is allowed; check the individual refuge's page (FWS).
Bureau of Reclamation
Reclamation manages the land around many of the reservoirs and dams it built in the West. Treat it like a park until you've read the rules for that particular reservoir.
State land is not federal land. States hold their own land under their own rules. Arizona State Trust land needs a recreational permit from the State Land Department (Arizona State Land Department). Colorado's State Wildlife Areas require a hunting or fishing license or a wildlife area pass for anyone 16 or older, and camping there is prohibited unless a property specifically allows it (Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Chapter W-9).
Region by region
Federal land as a share of each state, from the Congressional Research Service's report on federal land ownership. The figures add up land held by five agencies: BLM, the Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Park Service and the Department of Defense. You can't camp on military land, so read them as how much room there is to look, not how much you can camp on.
| State | Region | Federal share |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | Southwest | 79.8% |
| Utah | Rockies and Great Basin | 63.1% |
| Idaho | Rockies and Great Basin | 61.9% |
| Oregon | Pacific Northwest | 52.3% |
| Wyoming | Rockies and Great Basin | 47.7% |
| California | California | 45.3% |
| Arizona | Southwest | 38.5% |
| Colorado | Rockies and Great Basin | 36.3% |
| New Mexico | Southwest | 31.6% |
| Montana | Rockies and Great Basin | 29.1% |
| Washington | Pacific Northwest | 28.6% |
| Florida | South and East | 13.1% |
| Alabama | South and East | 2.7% |
| Texas | South and East | 1.9% |
The Southwest: Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico
Nevada is the most federal state in the country, and BLM alone manages 47.2 million acres of it. In Arizona, BLM manages 12.1 million acres and the Forest Service 11.2 million (CRS). The Southwest is also where the BLM runs Long-Term Visitor Areas, which suit a whole winter in one place: La Posa, near Quartzsite, Arizona, and Imperial Dam, on the California side of the Colorado River north of Yuma, both sell season permits valid from September 15 to April 15 (BLM, La Posa; BLM, Imperial Dam).
California
Almost half the state is federal land: 20.8 million acres of national forest, 15.0 million of BLM and 7.7 million of national parks and preserves (CRS). On California's national forests, a free campfire permit is required year-round for campfires, charcoal barbecues, gas stoves and lanterns outside developed recreation areas (Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region).
The Rockies and Great Basin: Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana
Colorado is typical of the mountain states: the Forest Service manages 14.5 million acres there and BLM 8.3 million (CRS). Forest roads here open and close with the season, which the Motor Vehicle Use Map for each forest spells out, and some heavily used areas allow camping only in designated sites (see the Colorado guide for a current example).
The Pacific Northwest: Oregon, Washington
Oregon is more than half federal land, with BLM and the Forest Service each managing about 15.7 million acres. Washington is mostly national forest: 9.4 million acres, against less than half a million acres of BLM (CRS). So the forest-by-forest rules above apply: find the forest, read its alerts, and carry its Motor Vehicle Use Map.
The South, the Plains and the East
Federal land is thin east of the Rockies: 2.7% of Alabama, 1.9% of Texas, 13.1% of Florida, and BLM holds almost none of it. Florida's largest federal manager is the Park Service (2.5 million acres, then 1.2 million of national forest); Alabama's is the Forest Service, with 673,400 acres (CRS). For dispersed camping, national forests are the main option, for example the National Forests in Alabama and the National Forests in Florida, each with its own camping rules. In this part of the country, plan around developed campgrounds and treat a dispersed night as a bonus.
Roads and fire: the two things to check every time
The Motor Vehicle Use Map
On national forests, the Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) is the legal word on where you can drive. The Forest Service describes it as "a free map displaying the roads, trails, and areas open to motor vehicle use in the national forest," republished every year, and says "it is the responsibility of motor vehicle users to acquire the current MVUM" (Coronado NF). If a dirt road leads to a perfect spot but isn't on the MVUM, it isn't open to your vehicle.
Fire restrictions
Fire restrictions change through the year (BLM). The Forest Service is blunt about whose job it is: "It is your responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before you go camping" (Forest Service). Check the forest or field office's alerts the day you arrive, not the week before.
Reading all of it in Grover
Grover is a free app for iPhone and Android. Its map puts the pieces above in one place:
- Public land. BLM, National Forest, National Parks, Wildlife Refuges and Reclamation land, each in its own colour. Tap any patch to see who manages it and what that means for camping.
- Forest roads from the MVUM. Road surface, which vehicles are allowed, and when each road is open, season by season. Turn it on under Layers.
- Fire, smoke and hotspots. Active fire perimeters, smoke and satellite hotspots, updated four or five times a day. Snow depth and snowpack are there too, for shoulder-season passes.
- Places to stay. 14,000 public campgrounds from recreation.gov, plus Harvest Hosts, KOA and LandTrust.
- Offline maps. Save an area up to 2 GB before you lose signal. Your pins, land layers and places come with you; fire, smoke and snow are left out on purpose, because an old copy could mislead you.
The map tells you whose land you're on. The managing office's current orders tell you what's allowed on it. Use the first to find the second.
See whose land you're on
Open the public land map, or get the app for the road.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service, Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), September 14, 2026; acreage as of September 30, 2024.
- Bureau of Land Management, Camping on public lands.
- Bureau of Land Management, La Posa Long Term Visitor Area and Imperial Dam Long Term Visitor Area.
- USDA Forest Service, Coronado NF dispersed camping and Motor Vehicle Use Maps.
- USDA Forest Service, Apache-Sitgreaves NFs dispersed camping guidelines.
- USDA Forest Service, Cleveland NF stay-limit order.
- USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Dispersed camping.
- National Park Service, Mojave National Preserve camping.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System.
- Arizona State Land Department, Recreational permit terms and conditions.
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Chapter W-9, Wildlife Properties (effective September 1, 2026).
Rules change. If a source here and a sign on the ground disagree, the sign and the local office win.