Dispersed camping · Idaho
What the Boise 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 | — | unverified |
| 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.
Marked routes only. 2026 MVUM legend (Lowman RD; Idaho City RD West, signed 2026-06-05): 'Where designated on the Motor Vehicle Use Map, motor vehicle use off of designated roads and trails for the purposes of dispersed camping is permitted for up to 300 feet from the centerline of the road and 100 feet from the centerline of the trail when it is safe to do so and when not causing damage to National Forest System resources.' Eligible segments are marked with 'Dispersed Camping, Left/Right/Both Sides' dot symbols — driving off unmarked routes to camp is not authorized.
Vehicle classes, not camping ('Special Vehicle Designation: road or trail open to classes of vehicles other than those listed above — see Seasonal and Special Designation Table'). Dispersed camping uses a separate dot symbol: 'limited cross-country motor vehicle use within a specific distance of that route, solely for the purpose of dispersed camping.'
Order 0402-05-101 Lowman RD Dispersed Camping Area Closure (2025-06-12 to 2030-06-12): within 1/4 mile each side of Hwy 21 (forest boundary to NFSR 524), NFSR 524 (Hwy 21 to Sawtooth NF boundary) and NFSR 582 (to MP 5), camping prohibited 'except where indicated with an international camping symbol' — designated-sites-only for summer 2026. Idaho City West 2026 MVUM note: no dispersed camping along roads 261/364 in the Grimes Creek area (secs 21, 22, 27).
Stay-limit order 0402-00-62 (signed 2022-07-29, eff. 2022-07-31 to 2027-07-31), verified verbatim: 'Camping within the same 25-mile radius for more than 14 days during any 30-day period between April 1 to August 31' and 'within the same 5-mile radius... between September 1 to March 31' — note the unusually large 25-mile summer no-re-camp radius. Water setback: no prohibition found in the occupancy order or on forest pages ('no rule found', not verified-permitted). Two of five district MVUM legends read directly (identical 'where designated' language); other districts not individually read.
Open the map with scored campsites in Idaho
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.