boondocking newbe

I dont know about BLM rules but have had good luck with this site.

http://freecampsites.net/

You usually can camp on federal land unless it is signed as "no camping" or unless you are in violation of local general rules. Best to check in at district office to learn about these rules. An example would be "no camping within 100 feet of any body of water or stream. That one is used often.
Good luck / skip

The first thing we do when we arrive in a new area is to drop by a National Forest or BLM office to get their advice on local camping regulations and likely places to camp. They will also have current information on back-road conditions washouts and such.

johnna wrote:
The first thing we do when we arrive in a new area is to drop by a National Forest or BLM office to get their advice on local camping regulations and likely places to camp. They will also have current information on back-road conditions washouts and such.

x2.

Ah yes... the lure of boondock camping has a very strong appeal! Those great camping sites we see on the cover of magazines sure look like the kinds of places we look for, but most seldom find.

We feel most "free campsite" location websites are filled with places we're not interested in staying. WalMart, Cracker Barrel, public parks and campgrounds and other commercial locations are not boondocking to us.


This is boondocking!

There are rules for "dispersed camping" (boondocking) and they are not consistent. The US Forest Service is changing their dispersed camping regulations in some area. USFS has developed, or is in the process of developing, Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MUVMs) that specify what forest roads are open and what activities are permitted in the forest. BLM has surface recreation maps with roads and other detailed information.

This web page has a lot of information about the way we think works best for finding great boondocking locations...

How To Find The Best Boondocking Locations

By clicking on a specific state on the following web page, you can find virtually every federal and state public land managers official web site with state specific camping information. It is the only web site I know of that has cataloged every states public camping resources web sites. Since land management information is always changing, we find it's best to check with official land management sources. BTW - Arizona is unique with their state lands pass.

www.rv-camping.org

You probably cannot boondock in a National Park. National Forests and BLM land as usually OK but they may have areas that are off limits for dispersed camping (which is their official term for it). Check either at a ranger station of go online for that NF/BLM district and search for dispersed camping.

We will stop in the district office of the specific national forest and pick up maps, get a fire permit and sometimes the staff person may give a bit of insider info on nice boondock areas.

Here's the motor vehicle use map site for part of Colorado. Look at the key and it mentions dispersed camping

skipnchar wrote:
You usually can camp on federal land unless it is signed as "no camping" or unless you are in violation of local general rules. Best to check in at district office to learn about these rules. An example would be "no camping within 100 feet of any body of water or stream. That one is used often.
Good luck / skip

If they had posted those signs along the Oregon Trail in 1846 a lot more settlers would have made it West. :)

Her in Colorado we have to get some stamp that comes as part of the fishing license. You may want to check into that.

What area of Colorado are you looking to be in? I know the spot in the shot above, it is in one of our favorite areas. Living here we take day trips to new areas to pick out a few spots for the next trip. We always call the ranger station to check with them for fire bans and to let them know we are in a area. They have always been helpful in locating spots we can get into.