Dispersed camping · Idaho
What the Caribou-Targhee 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 | guidance |
| 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.
Blanket rule printed on all seven district 2026 MVUMs (Ashton/Island Park, Palisades, Montpelier, Soda Springs, Westside North, Teton Basin, Dubois): 'Motor vehicle use off of designated roads for the purpose of Dispersed Camping is permitted for up to 300 feet from the centerline of the road where use will not cause resource damage.' Roads only — no motorized dispersed-camping corridor stated for trails.
Vehicle classes, not camping: 'Special Vehicle Designation: This symbol indicates the road or trail is open to classes of vehicles other than those listed above. Refer to the Seasonal and Special Designation Table' (2026 MVUM legend). No dispersed-camping/game-retrieval dot system on this forest.
Order 04-15-25-219 (eff. 2025-05-23 to 2030-03-30): 5-day stay limit per 14-day period within same 5-mile radius, May 1-Sep 1 in Palisades RD Areas A/B (Snake River corridor, Palisades Reservoir shoreline, Big Elk/Little Elk/Blowout/Indian Creek, Table Rock, Kelly Canyon, S Fork Snake NFSR 206, Fall Creek-Skyline NFSR 077) and year-round in Teton Basin Area C (Mike Harris, Moose Creek, Teton Pass corridor). Order 04-15-23-200 also bans camping within 1/4 mile of any developed campground forest-wide. Order 04-15-23-202 (wildernesses only): no camping within 200 ft of lakeshores / 100 ft of streambanks in Jedediah Smith & Winegar Hole.
Stay limit is an enforceable order (04-15-23-200, eff. 2023-03-30 to 2028-03-30): 14 days per 30 consecutive days within a 5-mile radius, then must move 5 radius miles and not return for 30 days. Water setback (100 ft from streams/water sources) appears only as a 'must' statement on the forest's official dispersed-camping pages (updated 2025) — no forest-wide order enforcing it was found; only the wilderness order carries an enforceable setback. Forest web pages state '14 days in a 28-day period' and '5 road miles' — the signed order text (30-day period, 5-radius-mile move) controls. MVUM PDFs obtained via the official R4 MVUM Finder (usfs.maps.arcgis.com dashboard) whose footprint service links to usfs-public.box.com.
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.