In my blogs and seminars I often make references to boondocking on land controlled by the USFS (United States Forest Service). For those new to boondocking, you will want to be aware that the forest service refers to boondocking as “dispersed camping”. You will find a good description of dispersed camping along with the typical rules and other valuable tips on the Fishlake Forest (central Utah) recreation page.
For those of you that are already avid boondockers and enjoy camping on USFS, you will be excited to learn that the USFS has adopted a dispersed camping symbol for use on their maps (see photo). I discovered this symbol while planning an upcoming RV adventure revealing several camp locations I may not have located via my normal methods. It also saves several steps that I would normally go through in regards to determining land boundaries and jurisdiction. My hope is that it will begin to appear on more and more forest service district maps across the country allowing me to find boondocking locations that are conveniently located along my intended route. Now some may say making it easy for Joe Blow RVer to find solitude boondocking locations will ruin it for the rest of us who boondock on a regular basis, but with the USFS overseeing more than 192 million acres of land, I think there is enough to go around for all of us.
“X” marks the boondocking spot, making it that much easier to enjoy my next adventure in RVing!
chuck Preston says
I have heard of campers being issued tickets for living in the forest, even though they were not over the 14 day limit. what is required to prove you are not living in the forest ? Is this something we have to do now offer proof?
Dave Helgeson - Adventures in RVing says
Chuck,
Not sure where you heard this. If there were tickets issues, I suspect rules other than the 14 day limit were being violated. Possibly dumping garbage, campfires during a burn ban, etc. I have only spoken to one ranger during my many years of boondocking. He saw the ATV in my truck and he just wanted to remind me that ATVs were not legal on the forest roads where I was camped, which I knew. If you are in doubt of the rules do an online search for “dispersed camping” along with the name of the national forest you wish to camp in.