Where is dispersed camping allowed in Colorado? Also, keep in mind most BLM land has a limit of 14 nights before you have to move to a new location if you’re looking to camp out for the season or longer periods of time.īe bear aware, keep a clean camp and always store your food and anything else smelly properly overnight. Make sure overnight camping is allowed wherever you’re trying to sleep. Your one campfire can unhouse and displace hundreds of people who literally don’t have the means to start life over somewhere else and can leave hundreds or thousands of acres of ash in its wake, which takes decades to recover or regrow, even longer at higher, more harsh elevations. I’ve seen firsthand the devastation that follows human-caused wildfires in Colorado.

Rules For Dispersed Camping In Coloradoįirst and foremost, always check for fire bans or red flag warnings – and actually follow them. The biggest distinction is that you’re not staying at a campground or designated campsite. You wouldn’t think that needs to be said, but it is an increasingly common issue in Colorado that results in large areas of our public being shut down and closed due to human poop.ĭispersed camping could refer to camping in or very close to your car along forest service roads, essentially car camping, or it could mean backpacking many miles into the wilderness with all your gear and finding a random spot to sleep in the middle of the woods. That includes packing out all trash, and toilet paper, and learning to dispose of human waste properly. You’ll have to figure all that out for yourself.

Dispersed camping often allows you to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature, without having to worry about crowds or reservations.īut this also means there are no facilities for you to use and no staff to come around and clean up your campsite after you leave. What does dispersed camping mean?ĭispersed camping is a type of camping where you camp on approved public lands away from developed campgrounds. Unlike a road atlas that just shows you, well, roads and highways, the Gazetteer highlights useful outdoor recreation information like boundaries for National Forests, wilderness areas, major trails and trailheads, fishing spots and more. I also highly recommend you grab a copy of the DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer for Colorado.

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