Boondocking vs. dispersed camping: what is the difference?

Land agencies use the term dispersed camping. It covers anyone camping outside a developed campground, whether in a tent, a car or a large RV. Boondocking, also called dry camping, comes from RV and van travel and means camping without hookups, wherever that is.

So a van parked in a forest clearing is both. A tent at the end of a forest road is dispersed camping but not boondocking. An RV parked overnight in a store parking lot is boondocking but not dispersed camping, and whether that is allowed is up to the store and the city.

On public land, a van or RV follows the same stay limit, fire restrictions and closures as a tent, and it can only drive and park where the forest’s Motor Vehicle Use Map or the BLM’s route designations allow.

With a vehicle you also need to know whether the road suits your clearance and length, where you can turn around, and how far off the road you may park. Many forests allow parking only within a set distance of a road, and the BLM asks campers to stay within 150 feet of designated routes.

Stay limits keep dispersed camping short-term. If you want to spend the winter in the desert, the BLM runs long-term visitor areas in Arizona and California where you can stay up to seven consecutive months with a permit.