Dispersed camping · Wyoming
What the Bighorn National Forest 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 | Along any designated open road | |
| Distance to keep from water | 100 ft | order |
| Stay limit | 14 days | per the forest order |
The corridor applies to the whole designated road system, minus the exceptions the MVUM prints. This is the most permissive pattern.
Official forest FAQ and 2024 camping brochure state a blanket rule: 'Driving up to 300 feet off of any designated Forest System Road (FSR) to camp is allowed, as long as no resource damage occurs, it is not in an area signed closed to motorized vehicles, or if there is not a forest order prohibiting this use.' The 2023 MVUM implements this via a dot symbol and a Dispersed Camping table: one giant entry grants '300 ft. either side, entire length' to several hundred listed roads (effectively the open-road system), with a handful of segments limited to one side (e.g., '300 ft. north side') or partial mileposts.
MVUM legend: 'Dispersed Camping, Both Sides' dot symbol - 'used along with a designated road or trail to indicate limited cross-country motor vehicle use within a specific distance of that route, solely for the purpose of dispersed camping. The dots indicate where this activity is permitted. They may be on the left, right, or both sides of the route. Refer to the Dispersed Camping Table for specifics.' Dispersed camping only - no game-retrieval use on this forest's MVUM.
Order 02-02-24-02 (signed 2024-03-18, in effect to 2027-12-31): (1) seasonal Road Camping Closure Areas June 1-Sept 30: no camping within 1/2 mi of US 14 and US 14A, or within 1/4 mi of FSR 26 (Big Goose, Hwy 14 to Sawmill Divide), FSR 16 (Black Mountain, FSR 26-FSR 223), FSR 125 (Littlehorn Meadows stretch), FSR 13/137 (Porcupine Creek); (2) Woodrock Area water setback (see notes); (3) no camping at posted locations. West Tensleep corridor - Order 02-02-01-25-02 (signed 2025-06-23, to 2029-12-31): along FSR 27 from Tyrrell Ranger Station to the Cloud Peak Wilderness boundary, camping prohibited except designated sites (40 designated dispersed sites per the 2024 forest camping brochure), fires only in FS metal rings, max 8 people per camp, and all solid human waste must be packed out. Powder River RD year-round posted no-camping areas (per 2024 brochure): FSR 19/396 corridor incl. Hunter Trailhead, Sitting Bull Park, east shore of West Tensleep Creek, FSR 21 from Hwy 16 to Tie Hack Reservoir.
Stay limit: Order 02-02-24-02 prohibition #1 (verbatim): 'Camping in the Bighorn National Forest for more than 14 days within a 28-day period without moving all equipment and personal property a minimum of 5 road miles after the 14th day' (36 CFR 261.58(a)). The 2024 brochure paraphrases it as 14 days, move 5 road miles, no return to the original spot for 14 days. Water setback: the 100-ft rule is an enforceable 36 CFR 261.58(e) closure but applies ONLY to the Woodrock Area (bounded by FSR 16, FSR 223/520, FSR 26, and Hwy 14, Tongue RD) - there is NO forest-wide water-setback order; separately, Cloud Peak Wilderness special regulations prohibit camping within 100 ft of lakes/streams inside the wilderness (foot traffic only, not car camping). MVUM is the 2023 edition (2 sheets); its map face also notes: 'Between October 1st and May 31st, the dispersed camping prohibitions along US Hwy 14 and 14A, FSR 13, FSR 16, FSR 26, FSR 125, and FSR 137 are lifted,' matching the order's June 1-Sept 30 season. corridor_scope coded all_open_routes per the forest's own blanket phrasing, but a mapping app should ingest the MVUM DC table for the one-side/partial-milepost segments and the developed-campground-road exclusions.
Open the map with scored campsites in Wyoming
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.