Dispersed Camping - BLM, National Forests

View from dispersed campsite - BLM -Virgin River Recreation Area

The BLM (Bureau of Land Management), the agency that oversees much of the Public Land in the west and the National Forest Service provide many developed camping areas in the western US.  Unlike the National Park Service they also allow what is known as dispersed camping.  That is camping along gravel roads and in primitive campsites throughout the public lands.  Dispersed camping areas do not have facilities... no picnic tables, no bathrooms, no rec centers, no hookups.  You are on your own and you must be either self-contained like we are (we have a bathroom and holding tanks for our waste water and plenty of fresh water) or use proper back-country disposal methods (or in some cases pack it in - pack it out).  Along with all those don't haves, these areas do have, unspoiled beauty, solitude, quiet, dark skies and the chance to see wildlife in it's natural setting.

Just us and the Joshua Trees.

We are currently camped in Northwestern Arizona amidst Joshua Trees and lots of cactus and lizards.

The beauty of dispersed camping (besides the fact that it is free) is that you can camp in amazing places,  usually without the sound of traffic, and always without the sounds of generators and radios.



 

Looking North toward Utah

This site is one of the best we've ever found, with 10 mile views of the sandstone cliffs of Utah and a myriad of blooming Desert plants.

We are fortunate that the BLM and Forest Service allow this kind of camping and we always take care to leave the site cleaner than we found it.  It is our hope that all will do so and we can all continue to take advantage of this marvelous recreational resource.

Looking Down on Our Campsite from the Cliffs to the West.

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Last year we were fortunate to find a couple of excellent dispersed site.  Here we are camped at the BLM Paria River area on the southern border of Utah near Lake Powell.

Leavitt Creek, California

Above we are camped on the banks of Leavitt Creek in the Stanislaw National Forest, in the Sierras of California.

Dispersed camping is one of the joys of the west, and while we will continue to explore our National Parks and Forests, we will always look for the out of the way places where we can spend a few days alone in the wilderness.