How long can you camp on public land? Stay limits and the 14-day rule
The short answer
Most national forests and BLM land limit dispersed camping to about 14 days, after which you must move on. The BLM’s general rule is 14 days within any 28-day period. National forests set their own limits by order, and many add a yearly total or a minimum distance to move.
Why there is a limit
Dispersed camping is meant for short-term recreation. The limits stop people from living on public land or holding a popular spot for a whole season, and they spread use around so sites can recover.
The BLM rule
On BLM land, dispersed camping is generally limited to 14 days within any 28-day period. After that you must move to a new location, which the BLM says is often at least 25 to 30 miles away. Field offices can set tighter limits, and long winter stays are possible at long-term visitor areas with a permit.
National forests set their own
Each national forest sets its limit by a forest order, so the rule can differ between neighboring forests. These are the published limits for the areas researched so far:
- Los Padres National Forest: 7 consecutive days, and at most 21 days per calendar year.
- Eldorado National Forest: 10 days per ranger district per calendar year.
- Inyo National Forest: 14 consecutive days within a 10-mile radius, and 28 days per calendar year forest-wide.
- Klamath National Forest: 14 consecutive days at any one location, and no more than 30 days per calendar year.
- Lassen National Forest: 14 days per stay, and no more than 30 days per calendar year in undeveloped locations.
- Deschutes National Forest: 14 consecutive days at a single location.
- Crooked River National Grassland: 14 consecutive days at a single location, and no more than 28 days within any 365-day period.
- Bishop Field Office (BLM): 14 days per year within the field office.
Reading a limit
Check three things: how many days, over what period (a stay, a month, a calendar year), and over what area (one spot, a radius, a ranger district, the whole forest). A 14-day limit “at one location” lets you move a short way and start again; a yearly total does not. Leaving gear to hold a site usually counts as camping, and the BLM does not allow property to be left for more than 10 days.
Related questions
- What is the 14-day rule?
- It is the usual limit on dispersed camping on federal land: you can stay up to 14 days in one place, then you have to move on. On BLM land it is 14 days within any 28-day period. National forests set their own versions by order.
- How far do you have to move after 14 days?
- It depends on the land. The BLM says often at least 25 to 30 miles. National forests vary: Inyo counts days within a 10-mile radius, and others count days at one location or across a ranger district.
Sources
- Camping on public lands, Bureau of Land Management
- Camping stay limitations, Klamath National Forest
- Stay limits, parking, and developed recreation site use, Inyo National Forest