Dispersed camping · Wyoming
What the Black Hills 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 | 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 is allowed ONLY where the dispersed-camping dot symbol appears on the MVUM: 'Motor vehicle use off of designated roads for the purpose of dispersed camping and/or elk retrieval is permitted for up to 300 feet from the centerline of the road, allowing the same vehicle as the road allows and the same season as the road is open. The dots indicate where this activity is permitted. They may be on the left, right, or both sides of the road' (verbatim, 2025 Bearlodge MVUM legend, map dated 1 JAN 2025; each map has a Dispersed Camping and Elk Retrieval Table). Forest FAQ (updated 1/28/2026): dispersed camping with a motor vehicle is allowed on ~135,500 acres, and 'You may camp with a motor vehicle only where the dispersed camping symbol is displayed on the MVUM.'
On Black Hills MVUMs the dot symbol = motorized dispersed camping and/or elk retrieval corridor (up to 300 ft from centerline). The legend's separate 'Special Designation' class means trails open to vehicles 62 inches or less in width - a vehicle-width class, not a camping designation.
Order 044-98 (signed 5/21/1998, until rescinded): within the concentrated public-use/developed recreation areas at Pactola Reservoir, Sheridan Lake, Deerfield Lake, Bismarck Lake, Dalton Lake, Cook Lake, Cascade Complex, Horsethief Lake, Lakota Lake, Roubaix Lake, and Willow Creek Horse Camp, camping is prohibited except in developed sites posted as campgrounds. Forest FAQ also bars dispersed camping in/near developed rec sites and the Mickelson Trail ROW. Summer-2026-relevant: Rochford exploratory drill pads/access routes closure Order BKF-187-2026 (4/10/2026); Stage 1 fire restrictions in the Wyoming districts (Bearlodge & Hell Canyon) Order BKF-188-2026 (4/17/2026); standing open-fire restriction on SD portions Order BKF-182-2024 (since 11/16/2024) - no wood/charcoal fires even at dispersed sites on the SD side.
Forest spans SD and WY; the WY unit (Bearlodge RD) has its own 2025 MVUM with the same dot/300-ft system. Stay limit is an enforceable order: BHNF-046-98 (signed 12/9/1998 at Custer SD, until rescinded) - camping outside developed campgrounds limited to 14 days total (including portions of days) in any 60-day period (36 CFR 261.58(a)); developed campgrounds max 14 consecutive days. No move-distance rule stated in the order. Water setback: the official dispersed-camping page (updated 1/26/2026) instructs 'Camp 100 feet away from any creek or stream' and 1/2 mile from developed rec sites, but NO 36 CFR 261.58 order imposing the 100-ft setback was found in the forest's posted order list - treat as official guidance, enforceable only where posted. State-split quirks: open campfires banned on SD side (BKF-182-2024) but WY side under (lesser) Stage 1 restrictions; motorized trails need a WY ORV permit on the WY side vs a BHNF Motorized Trail Permit on the SD side (2025 MVUM legend). Elk-retrieval corridor use requires most-direct route and bans crossing flowing streams/wetlands (MVUM legend).
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.