Fourteen (14) days is the most popular answer, but it’s not the correct answer.
Each National Forest and National Grassland creates its own rules on how long you can camp within their boundaries. About half of all National Forests and Grasslands enforce a 14-day limit. But the other half enforce limits ranging from 5-days up to 30 days, with additional details on when you can return to the same site, and how many days you can camp throughout the entire year.
Download Our Full List of National Forest Dispersed Camping Limits, compiled by Boondocker’s Bible from actual published Forest Orders.
How Many Days Can You Camp in a National Forest?
With respect to “dispersed camping” or “boondocking”, each National Forest and National Grassland has its own rules on how many days you can camp within their boundaries. Some Forests and Grasslands update these limits every couple of years, while others have left them in place for decades…
- About half of all national forests and grasslands enforce a 14-day limit.
- The other half enforces limits ranging from 5-days to as many as 30 days.
- Some forests are specific about enforcing these limits per stay, while others are vague on enforcing limits per stay or per year
- Some forests specify how many days you must wait before returning to the same site
- Some forests specific how far in miles you must relocate before returning to the same site
Each National Forest and Grassland publishes a “Forest Order”, often referred to as a “Closure”, which states its official rule on camping limits. They refer to these limits as “Occupancy Limits”. Most Forests and Grasslands have published these Forest Orders on the USFS website, but some have not. Some Forests and Grasslands will require you to call their headquarters to find out what their official occupancy limits are.
How Many Days Do I Have to Wait Before I Can Camp at the Same Site Again?
Some Forests and Grasslands will require you to wait anywhere from 1 day to as many as 14 days before you can reestablish your camp at a site you previously used. But, many other Forests and Grasslands don’t specify this at all.
In many cases, forest rangers rarely enforce camping limits. They are usually more concerned about campfires, tree cutting, off-road vehicles, and illegal hunting. Campers who exceed their stay are usually the least of their concerns. In most cases, they only get involved when someone else complains.
To find out what the waiting limits are for a specific Forest or Grassland…
Download Our Full List of National Forest Dispersed Camping Limits, compiled by Boondocker’s Bible from actual published Forest Orders.
Is It Illegal to Live in a National Forest?
Yes, and no.
If you are a full time camper, it is illegal to use a National Forest or Grassland as a permanent residence.
However, you are free to relocate your camp and move to another area of the same Forest, or move to another Forest or Grassland, to continue camping. In that sense, it is possible, and legal, to live full time in national forests and grasslands. Read more about this on, “Is it Illegal to Live in a National Forest?“