Community Forums

Mtn. Lion · 04-14-2019, 04:10 PM

I've been camping in the Mohave Desert rotating from spot to spot for 6 months straight. It has been a great experience at 3,500 - 4,500', but cold in the Winter with the wind. Can't beat free camping and solitude.

As the temperature starts to climb I will need to move to cooler climates. Typically I've been camping in the Forests in the Summer, but I'd like to stay on BLM land. Are there any BLM properties in the USA that are less hot than the Mohave during summer time?

twogypsies · 04-14-2019, 04:16 PM

You can find some gorgeous land in the northern states:

https://www.blm.gov/locations

UTTransplant · 04-14-2019, 07:38 PM

There is also some dispersed camping in National Forests in the west. Call a district office in a specific forest for advice on where to go. There are some gorgeous places out there, generally with 2 week restrictions on length of stay.

1bigmess · 04-15-2019, 09:25 AM

BLM, COE, USFS, there's all kinds of agencies that have places you can stay. I use https://www.allstays.com/Campgrounds/ to find them. Once you learn how to find places, you can see where they are and how much they cost, if they cost anything. Not every place you could stay is on that site, but I've done well using it.

ktn1966 · 04-17-2019, 09:25 PM

There are plenty of National Forest to camp in for free. You just need to look them up and see where the dispersed camping areas are located. You will be required to move every 14 days to a new area.

Mtn. Lion · 04-18-2019, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktn1966

There are plenty of National Forest to camp in for free. You just need to look them up and see where the dispersed camping areas are located. You will be required to move every 14 days to a new area.

National Forests are great because there can be shade and it is overall better quality of land (usually), but I like to follow the rules so I don't feel guilty and the NF says I'm only allowed 14 days in the entire Forest per year. I'm not sure if campgrounds are excluded from that, but my budget doesn't permit a $25 per day fee when I can go elsewhere for free.

1bigmess · 04-18-2019, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diginomad

the NF says I'm only allowed 14 days in the entire Forest per year.

The rules very from one place to another. My favorite NF requires people to move at least 30 miles as the crow flies after 14 days, campgrounds included.

UTTransplant · 04-18-2019, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diginomad

The NF says I'm only allowed 14 days in the entire Forest per year. I'm not sure if campgrounds are excluded from that, but my budget doesn't permit a $25 per day fee when I can go elsewhere for free.

It definitely depends on the Forest. The ones we have stayed at only require you move to a different site for dispersed camping. I have seen limits on campground camping though. Also there are lots of FS campgrounds with fees of $6-8. They don’t have water or trash pickup, but they would have pit toilets.

Mtn. Lion · 04-18-2019, 06:20 PM

It's good to know about how the NFS stay limits vary. Another reason I stay away from campsites is I run a generator all day. I do shut it down at 8 PM and start it at like 10 AM the next day. It's only 51db from 6' away, but I still feel guilty. Dispersed camping nobody should complain.

ktn1966 · 04-19-2019, 11:08 AM

We end up moving, about, every 10 days. That is the longest I can get my black tank to last. Time to move, dump and pick a new view to look at, lol. I prefer dispersed so I don't have to listen to other people's generators, even mine annoys me and it is quite. Haha