Booning in National Forest or BLMs

[sgrizzle]

If you wanted to boondock in a national forest or in a Bureau Land Management areas, are there "campsites" or are you able to drive in and find a nice spot anywhere and set up camp? Obviously, I have never done this, but we think we might try it next year...we prefer State and National park campsites to the "luxury" RV sites. Thanks

[4runnerguy]

For Moab, check out this map for info on where dispersed camping is allowed on BLM land.

[zman-az]

sgrizzle wrote:
Thanks Zman-AZ!

Great info...any idea on the late May, early June camping around there...will the camper heat up too much and during the day and not cool off very fast at night for sleeping? We are making a loop from Sand Dunes National Park-Durango, CO-Moab, UT-Grand Junction, CO - Denver- Back to Nebraska...We are wanting to balance boondocking time with some "normal" camping from time to time.

I do worry about the Moab area and not having AC for sleeping...thanks!

Can get real hot that time of year, nights can cool down but odds are it will be hot and by the time it cools down the sun will be up. If you do camp look for something along the river as that will be a little cooler. Moab might be a good spot to hang in town at a rv park. You can then run AC, dump waste and refill water for the rest of your trip. Not sure on your budget but I always stay at canyon lands rv park. It's real close to the Moab brewery and when I come out of there I need to walk back. Moab will be busy and the blm campsites are first come so you may not find anything near town. Rv parks will also fill up fast so make reservations if you can.

[avoidcrowds]

When in Moab - 38.575409° -109.346143°

Up high with a GREAT view! Got our Jeep GC and TrailManor up there, no problem. Assume your TT is 29', so you may have a tight turnaround. But, just 50 yards down the hill is another "campsite" or two. While there is a vault toilet near the lower sites, it is not a "campground". It is just a spot that people camped in, and the FS put a vault toilet there. I saw a couple other spots like that.

There are trails to hike. This is on the edge, and in, the NF, not the State Park that the bike trails are on. Way out of Moab, but still only about a 20 minute drive to get to town. We camped there 3 nights, and I didn't feel we were too isolated to see everything in the Moab area (and there is lots to see!)

[NinerBikes]

sgrizzle wrote:
Great info! We are pretty cautious and we would definitely unhitch and explore before bouncing off into "the wilds". We are planning our trip through Colorado (I-70 this trip) and into the Moab, UT area for hiking and mountain-biking!!

I really appreciate your expertise!

Lot's of stuff north of town about 10 miles or more from Moab proper. Maybe go to the Mountainbike Utah website, and ask a few questions there. It's most likely going to be hot in Moab until October, so if mtn biking, bring lots of water. You might want to find some day trip stuff higher up in the La Salles, south and east of town, if the temps are too hot in the valley below. moonlight trail, or something along those lines, rings a bell, up in the La Salles, for mtn biking on some single track.

[sgrizzle]

Thanks Zman-AZ!

Great info...any idea on the late May, early June camping around there...will the camper heat up too much and during the day and not cool off very fast at night for sleeping? We are making a loop from Sand Dunes National Park-Durango, CO-Moab, UT-Grand Junction, CO - Denver- Back to Nebraska...We are wanting to balance boondocking time with some "normal" camping from time to time.

I do worry about the Moab area and not having AC for sleeping...thanks!

[EsoxLucius]

I agree with the recommendations of the MVUMs and Google Earth (or Google Maps with the satellite layer on). Most of the fun of boondocking on Federal lands is doing the research and exploring to find a site. BLM maps are also useful for finding likely sites on their holdings. A stop into the nearest USFS ranger station or BLM field office and talking to them can be very helpful as well.

[zman-az]

sgrizzle,

Not going to find much "boondocking" around Moab. The BLM has closed a lot of dispersed sites but does have some designated campgrounds with a small fee near Moab.

If you stay in a national forest see if you can get a MVUM map (free at the local ranger station). These maps will show you what roads are open and where you can camp and how far off the road you can camp. If you have a smart phone get the Avenza PDF map program. You can download forest service maps (again for free) that show what roads are open and where you can camp. Not sure if all forests are available but I do know many of the forest in Arizona are using it. Also keep in mind that just because a road has a number with a sign does not mean it is open, you have to refer to the map to verify it the road is open or not.

As far as BLM goes, I have not seen anything consistent from them. It varies all over. Typically you can camp just about anywhere unless its marked that you can't. The more active a area is the more restrictions in place.

I will also use google maps with satellite images to find camping sites. However with pine forests it is hard to find those dispersed camping sites as the trees cover the sites.

[profdant139]

I have never heard of a ranger discussing a specific spot -- usually, they will just describe an area -- "near Deadman summit," or "north of Virginia Lakes," or "near Carson Pass." Then you have to go hunt for camping sites on your own in those areas. That's part of the fun!

[dave54]

Opie431 wrote:
I Email or call the various NFs or BLMs and ask them.

You may just get a recitation of the dispersed camping rules.

If you can talk to someone who has an RV themselves you may get clued in on some real prized 'secret' spots. Most but not all employees will reveal their favorites. When I worked for the FS I begrudgingly disclosed some of my hidden boondocking sites (and later regretted it when the sites showed up on boondocking web sites and got overused and trashed.)

[profdant139]

When you call, watch out -- the person on the other end of the phone may be a volunteer or part timer -- often a person with a good attitude and not much valid info. If possible, try to get a real ranger, although they are usually busy with more serious issues.

[Opie431]

I Email or call the various NFs or BLMs and ask them.

[AH64ID]

Get a MVUM, Motor Vehicle Use Map, for the National Forest you plan to visit. The open roads are shown, and there are indicators for dispersed camping.

Dispersed Camping Roads are the area's you are looking for.

In my area travel is permitted up to 300' from the center-line of the road for the purposes of camping.

[profdant139]

IDman, it is very sad what is happening to the forest road network. We were recently hiking in the Hoover Wilderness north of Yosemite and saw a lot of new and illegal ATV tracks through meadows and over streambeds. At very high altitudes, it will take many years for those scars to heal, because the growing season is so short.

A few lawbreakers are going to ruin it for everyone else -- the forest service is cutting back on vehicle access in a lot of areas. I don't know what else they can do -- they can't put a ranger on every road. The folks who run their quads cross-country are not the sort of people who read these forums, so there is no way to ask them to stop. They know exactly what they are doing, and they do not care.

[IDman]

Be careful where you go as the USFS has new rules re driving off of certain roads and two-tracks. You cannot just go "anywhere" in the National Forests any longer!