Dispersed camping · Colorado
What the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests & Pawnee National Grassland actually allows for dispersed camping — how far off a road you may drive, which roads that applies to, and the closure orders that override it. Every figure below is sourced; the primary documents are linked at the bottom.
| Rule | This forest | |
|---|---|---|
| How far off the road you may drive | 300 ft | from the road centerline |
| Where that applies | Only along roads marked on the MVUM | |
| Distance to keep from water | 100 ft | guidance |
| Stay limit | 14 days | per the forest order |
The corridor applies ONLY where the map carries the dispersed-camping symbol (usually dots beside the road line). An unmarked open road is not a camping corridor, and this is the rule most often misread.
Motorized dispersed camping up to 300 ft from road centerline, but only along roads marked for it on the MVUM (dot symbol / Dispersed Camping-Game Retrieval Table); the forest FAQ says MVUMs show where you may legally disperse camp, 'noted by a dotted line along the side of roads.' Canyon Lakes RD official page: 'You may camp within 300 feet of most Forest Service Roads and some Larimer County Roads,' with numbered-post designated sites required near Manhattan, Long Draw and Peterson Lake roads. Legend wording verified from a mirrored copy of the official 2011 Sulphur RD MVUM (current FY26 MVUM PDFs are raster-only).
Dot symbol along a designated road = limited cross-country motor vehicle use within a specific distance of that route solely for dispersed camping and/or game retrieval; specifics in the map's Dispersed Camping/Game Retrieval Table.
Order ARP-2024-03 (eff. 2024-05-24 to 2029-05-23): in Described Areas mapped in Exhibits 1-6 across Canyon Lakes, Boulder, Clear Creek and Sulphur RDs and Pawnee NG, camping prohibited 'except in campgrounds and dispersed campsites designated and provided by the Forest Service' (successor to the 2020-era designated-sites orders; includes the Rainbow Lakes/Brainard-area Boulder RD exhibit). Order ARP-BRD-2023-02 (2023-05-12 to 2028-05-12): Winiger Ridge/Gross Reservoir (FSR 68J), designated posted campsites only. Canyon Lakes RD: numbered-post sites only near Manhattan/Long Draw/Peterson Lake roads; no camping within 1/4 mi of Hwy 14, lower Stove Prairie Rd, or upper Larimer CR 63E.
Stay limit is an enforceable order verified verbatim (ARP-2024-02, eff. 2024-05-24 to 2029-05-23): 'Camping for more than 14 days in a 30-day period or more than 30 days in a 365-day period' — no radius/move-distance rule in the order. Water setback: the 100-ft from water/meadows rule was verified only on the Canyon Lakes RD official page (updated 2026-05-19), phrased as mandatory but not tied to a locatable forest order — treat as official-page guidance, possibly district-specific. Corridor caveat: FY26 MVUMs have no text layer; 300-ft/dot-symbol legend from mirrored 2011 official MVUM plus current official FAQ and CLRD pages.
Open the map for Colorado — forest roads, boundaries and closures are on the map; scored campsite locations are built for Wyoming and Idaho so far.
Confidence in this summary: high. Forest orders change mid-season and districts differ — this is a research summary, not legal advice. Check the sources above before you drive out.