Rules · Wyoming

Dispersed-camping rules in Wyoming

Wyoming 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. Wyoming does not require a general state-trust recreation permit; see specifics below for any unit-by-unit exceptions. The federal stay limit applicable to Wyoming is generally 14 days in a 28-day period on BLM and USFS land, after which you must move at least 25 miles to a new general area. Some units within Wyoming apply tighter local stay limits in popular areas. Fire restrictions in Wyoming are issued by the Wyoming State Forestry Division 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 Wyoming need to keep in mind, with links to the authoritative agency pages — bookmark those, because the specifics change yearly.

State trust land in Wyoming

Wyoming State Trust Land — no general permit; restrictions apply. Free for casual recreation; no overnight on most parcels. The authoritative page is lands.wyo.gov — 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 Wyoming

Restrictions in Wyoming are issued by the Wyoming State Forestry Division for state and private land, and by each federal land-management unit independently for federal land. The current statewide picture is published at wyoforestry.wyo.gov. Always check both sources before lighting anything — even a propane stove can trigger enforcement under Stage II conditions.

Specific quirks worth knowing

Wyoming State Trust Land is generally closed to overnight camping — assume no unless posted otherwise. Bridger-Teton and Shoshone NFs have grizzly food-storage orders requiring IGBC-certified containers; soft coolers and grocery bags are not legal storage.

Agencies you'll deal with

• BLM Wyoming
• Bridger-Teton NF
• Shoshone NF
• Bighorn NF
• Medicine Bow-Routt NF
• Black Hills NF (WY portion)
• Wyoming Game & Fish

How this page interacts with the rest of the directory

The rules above govern every campsite in our Wyoming directory. They also govern the regional zones we curate inside Wyoming — 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.