Find Free Legal Campsites on Public Land

BLM land is the most permissive: dispersed camping is allowed almost anywhere that isn’t posted “closed to camping.” With ~245 million acres, mostly across the West, it’s the boondocker’s best friend.

National Forests are close behind — dispersed camping is allowed in most forests unless an area is posted otherwise, but rules vary district by district, so check the specific forest. You can generally only drive and park on roads shown on that forest’s Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM), a free map of which routes are open.

National Parks are the opposite: most do NOT allow roadside or dispersed camping at all. Overnight stays are in designated campgrounds or permitted backcountry zones only (a few huge remote parks like Death Valley are exceptions). Don’t assume “public land” means “camp anywhere” inside a park.

Stay limit: most BLM and Forest Service areas cap dispersed camping at 14 days within a 28-day period; after that you move on (often outside a ~25-mile radius). Exact limits are set locally, so verify with the field office or ranger district.

Camp on durable, already-used sites: pull into existing clearings within ~150 ft of a designated route rather than making new tracks or a new fire ring. Keep your camp at least 200 ft from any lake, river, or stream.

Check fire restrictions every time — they change daily with conditions. “Stage 1” often bans campfires at dispersed sites (stoves only); “Stage 2” bans essentially all fires and stoves on public land. When in doubt, skip the fire.

Free finders: FreeCampsites.net and the iOverlander and FreeRoam apps are community-driven and free — the fastest way to find known dispersed sites and read recent notes on access and cell signal.

Freemium: Campendium and The Dyrt are popular for boondocking and reviews; their offline modes (the part you actually need, since dispersed sites rarely have signal) are paid tiers.

Power tools: Gaia GPS (~$60/yr) and onX Offroad (~$35/yr) let you stack a public-land layer over the USFS MVUM or satellite imagery to spot legal, unmapped sites — and download it all for offline use. Recreation.gov is the official site for paid, developed campgrounds and permits (not dispersed).

Pack out everything, including used toilet paper. For human waste, dig a cat-hole 6 inches deep at least 100 ft from water, or pack it out with a WAG bag where required.

Use existing fire rings, keep fires small and fully dead-out, and never cut live wood. Carry dishwater 200 ft from any stream or lake and scatter it; use only biodegradable soap. The reason free dispersed camping still exists is that most people leave it better than they found it.