Rules · Colorado

Dispersed-camping rules in Colorado

Colorado sits at the intersection of federal public land, state trust land, and a patchwork of state-park, wildlife-area, and private land. The rules that govern free and dispersed camping vary substantially across those categories. Colorado does not require a general state-trust recreation permit; see specifics below for any unit-by-unit exceptions. The federal stay limit applicable to Colorado is generally 14 days in a 30-day period on most national forests; 14/45 in Pike-San Isabel, after which you must move at least 25 miles to a new general area. Some units within Colorado apply tighter local stay limits in popular areas. Fire restrictions in Colorado are issued by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control for state and private land, and by each federal land-management unit independently for federal land. Always check both before lighting anything. The notes below summarize the practical rules most dispersed campers in Colorado need to keep in mind, with links to the authoritative agency pages — bookmark those, because the specifics change yearly.

State trust land in Colorado

Colorado State Trust Land mostly closed to dispersed; State Wildlife Areas require a CPW hunting/fishing license. Hunting or fishing license required to access State Wildlife Areas. The authoritative page is cpw.state.co.us — read the actual rule before relying on a third-party summary, because state agencies update permit terms more often than federal land managers do.

Fire restrictions in Colorado

Restrictions in Colorado are issued by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control for state and private land, and by each federal land-management unit independently for federal land. The current statewide picture is published at www.coloradofireinfo.com. Always check both sources before lighting anything — even a propane stove can trigger enforcement under Stage II conditions.

Specific quirks worth knowing

Front Range corridors (Rampart Range, South Park) often have stricter local dispersed-camping rules including designated-only and 5-day limits during summer weekends. Many BLM tracts on the Western Slope require parking on existing surfaces only. Wildlife restrictions for elk calving close some roads May 15–June 30.

Agencies you'll deal with

• BLM Colorado
• White River NF
• San Juan NF
• Rio Grande NF
• Pike-San Isabel NF
• Routt NF
• Arapaho-Roosevelt NF
• CPW

How this page interacts with the rest of the directory

The rules above govern every campsite in our Colorado directory. They also govern the regional zones we curate inside Colorado — see the regions index for the named dispersed-camping corridors. None of these rules override unit-specific orders posted at the trailhead; if a sign says "no camping," that's the controlling instruction regardless of what this page says.