Camping guide · All regions
Camping on public land in Colorado
36.3% of Colorado is federal land. The Forest Service manages 14.5 million acres of it and the Bureau of Land Management 8.3 million (Congressional Research Service). So most Colorado camping trips come down to one question: what does this national forest, and this ranger district, allow?
New to dispersed camping? The region-by-region guide covers the basics. This page is about what's specific to Colorado.
National forests: rules change by district
Colorado's national forests include the White River, Pike and San Isabel, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison and San Juan. Each publishes its own orders, and some are strict.
Example: the Pike National Forest order
A Forest Service order covering the Pikes Peak, South Platte and South Park Ranger Districts, in effect from May 3, 2024 through December 1, 2026 unless rescinded, prohibits (Pike and San Isabel NFs):
- camping within the same 20-mile radius for more than 14 days in any continuous 30-day period;
- camping within 100 feet of a body of water, except in a developed or designated dispersed site;
- in the areas the order maps out, camping anywhere except developed recreation sites or designated dispersed sites.
That last point is the one that catches people: in parts of these districts, a flat spot off a forest road isn't a legal campsite unless it's designated. The order's end date is close, so check whether it has been renewed or replaced before your trip.
Roads: read the Motor Vehicle Use Map
National forests publish a Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) for motorized travel. It is free, republished each year, and it is the driver's responsibility to carry the current one (Forest Service). In Colorado the dates matter as much as the lines, because the map also shows when each road is open to which vehicles.
BLM land
On BLM land in Colorado, the national rule applies unless a field office says otherwise: dispersed camping is "generally limited to 14 days within any 28-day period," then move, "often at least 25 to 30 miles away" (BLM).
State Wildlife Areas need a license
Colorado Parks and Wildlife's property rules, effective September 1, 2026, require anyone 16 or older entering a State Wildlife Area to hold a current hunting license, a valid fishing license or a State Wildlife Area pass. Recreational camping is prohibited unless a property specifically allows it, and where it does, you can't park a camper or trailer on one wildlife area for more than 14 days in any 45-day period (CPW, Chapter W-9).
Fire
Fire restrictions change through the year (BLM), and the Forest Service says it's your responsibility to know whether they're in effect before you go (Forest Service). Check the alerts for the forest or field office you'll be in.
Reading Colorado in Grover
- Turn on the Public Land layers to see BLM, National Forest, National Parks, Wildlife Refuges and Reclamation land, and tap a patch to see who manages it.
- Turn on the MVUM layer for forest roads: surface, which vehicles are allowed, and the seasons each road is open.
- Check snow depth and snowpack before a shoulder-season pass, and the fire and smoke layers, updated four or five times a day, in summer.
- Tilt the map into 3D to read the terrain before you drive it.
See whose land you're on
Open the public land map, or get the app for the road.
More state guides: Arizona · California · All regions
Sources
- Congressional Research Service, Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), September 14, 2026; acreage as of September 30, 2024.
- USDA Forest Service, Pike National Forest occupancy and use restrictions, Order 02-12-00-24-04.
- USDA Forest Service, Motor Vehicle Use Maps (Coronado NF's explanation of the MVUM).
- USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Dispersed camping.
- Bureau of Land Management, Camping on public lands.
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Chapter W-9, Wildlife Properties.
Orders change. If a source here and a sign on the ground disagree, the sign and the local office win.