Dispersed camping in Colorado

Where you can camp

National forest and BLM land are open to dispersed camping unless posted closed. Private land is not, and many forest roads pass private parcels. Forest Service pages for busy areas like Caribou warn campers not to trespass.

Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain

Reading the Motor Vehicle Use Map

Each national forest publishes a free Motor Vehicle Use Map showing which roads are open to which vehicles. A dotted line along a road marks where you may legally dispersed camp (Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests).

On the Rio Grande National Forest, vehicles must stay within 300 feet of the center line of a designated road. The forest also notes that a road open to camping doesn't guarantee there's a usable site.

How long you can stay

• National forests: usually 14 days. On the White River National Forest, you must then move at least three miles (Forest Service). Some areas add a cap, such as 28 days in any 60-day period at Caribou.
• BLM Colorado: no more than 14 days in any 30-day period at one location, then move at least 30 air miles. Don't leave property unattended for more than 48 hours (BLM).

BLM rules also bar using public land as a residence. Camping there is for recreation only.

Photo: Bureau of Land Management, Public domain

Campfires and fire restrictions

Forests post fire restrictions on their alerts pages, and county restrictions apply too (Pike-San Isabel). The BLM Colorado fire restrictions page links an interagency map. BLM Colorado defines the stages this way:

• Stage 1: campfires only in metal fire grates in developed campgrounds. No fires at dispersed sites, and fire pans and rock rings don't count.
• Stage 2: no campfires or charcoal anywhere, including campgrounds.
• Under both stages, stoves that run on pressurized gas or liquid fuel are still allowed.

Waste, water, and bears

• Pack out all trash. There's no trash service at dispersed sites.
• Bury human waste in catholes 6 to 8 inches deep, at least 200 feet from water (Forest Service).
• Camp well back from lakes and streams. Setback distances vary by forest, so check the local rules.

If you're camping west of I-25, you're in black bear country (Forest Service and CPW). Colorado Parks and Wildlife says to keep food, drinks, and toiletries in a bear-resistant container or a locked vehicle, never in your tent, and never to bury or burn trash.

Before you go checklist

• ✓Download the Motor Vehicle Use Map for the forest from Forest Service maps.
• ✓Check the forest's alerts page for closures, fire restrictions, and new camping orders.
• ✓Check current fire restrictions on BLM land and in the county.
• ✓Bring water, trash bags, a trowel or portable toilet, and enough water to put out a fire.
• ✓Have a backup plan. Many designated sites are first-come, first-served.