Dispersed camping · Colorado
What the Pike and San Isabel National Forests (PSICC) 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 | — | 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.
No 300-ft corridor on this forest. Current MVUM legends (San Isabel/Leadville-Salida MVUM 2026, read directly; Pikes Peak RD MVUM 2026; Leadville RD official page updated 2026-03-31) state: 'Motorized dispersed camping is authorized within one vehicle length off of designated National Forest System routes, where not specifically prohibited, unsafe, or causing resource damage'; parking likewise within one vehicle length. Dispersed camping itself is authorized on NFS lands except in specially designated closed areas. Exception: South Platte RD Forest Order PSICC202208 (referenced on the South Platte MVUM) restricts camping/parking on and within 1/4 mile of NFS roads to posted locations.
PSICC MVUMs have no dispersed-camping/game-retrieval dot corridor; 'special designation' tables are Seasonal and Special Vehicle Designation entries (vehicle class/season), and the South Platte map keys symbols to Order PSICC202208 posted camping/parking locations.
Order 02-12-00-24-04 (Pike NF; signed 2024-05-03, expires 2026-12-01): in mapped Described Areas of Pikes Peak, South Platte and South Park RDs, camping prohibited except in developed recreation sites or designated dispersed sites (fires likewise). Order 02-12-00-24-05 (San Isabel NF; eff. 2024-04-05, expires 2026-12-01): designated-sites-only camping at Turquoise Lake and Twin Lakes Recreation Areas (Leadville RD), South Cottonwood Creek/Chalk Creek/O'Haver Lake (Salida RD), Cuchara Creek and Purgatoire River (San Carlos RD). South Platte RD: PSICC202208 posted-sites-only within 1/4 mi of NFS roads.
Both occupancy orders verified: 'Camping at any location within the same 20-mile radius for more than 14 days within any continuous 30-day period' and 'Camping within 100 feet of a body of water (such as a lake, stream, pond, or river) unless in a Forest Service developed recreation site or designated dispersed site' — these apply to all NFS lands in the named districts, i.e., the 100-ft water setback is an enforceable ORDER here. Both orders expire 2026-12-01 (cover summer 2026, need renewal after). One-vehicle-length legend verified verbatim by direct text extraction from the 2026 San Isabel MVUM (media/265128) and corroborated on the Pikes Peak RD 2026 MVUM and Leadville RD page.
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.