How do I find BLM land? Where is your favorite and why?

[akrvbob]

This question was asked on a thread where no one would find it if they weren't searching for it. So I thought I would give it it's own thread and make it a sticky. Everyone is welcome to add any tips they may have!

Also, please tell us your favorite BLM camping spot and why

Here are good resources for finding BLM and all public land:

1) This is the best: http://publiclands.org/

2) I love US Public Lands App for smartphones! Tremendous help! If you have a smartphone, you must have it Smile
https://play.google.com/store/apps/detai...ubliclands

3) Delorme Atlas and Gazeeter for the states you travel in (note; not all states have BLM land and so they don't all list all public lands) :
http://www.amazon.com/Arizona-Atlas-Gaze...0899333257

4) Benchmark Atlas same not as above
http://www.amazon.com/Arizona-Road-Recre...929591909/

Or you can go to blm.gov and then click on the state you want to go to. Then click to the specific area you wan to go to and get the phone number of the Ranger office and cal them and ask specific questions.

The state BLM web pages are easy to find it's just blm.gov plus a /abbreviation for the state. So Arizona is blm.gov/az and California is blm.gov/ca. Easy to find.

Once you are in the state BLM page, type "dispersed camping" into the SEARCH BAR will give you information specific to their state.
Bob

 

[akrvbob]

My favorite BLM land is Ehrenberg, AZ for these reasons:

1) No Ranger enforcement.
2) Easy access to free water and trash disposal.
3) Blythe, CA is 7 miles away and has good shopping.
4) Only 3 miles from a Flying J with a Wendy's and a dump station.
4) Only 17 miles away from Quartzsite, AZ which is a very cool place!
Bob

 

[highdesertranger]

thanks bob. highdesertranger

 

[Dardrian]

Anyone have any tips for finding free land on the east coast? Aside from national forests, I can't figure anything out.

 

[Oberneldon]

Although not as many free campsites as in the west try this site for free sites in the east too. Www.freecampsites.net

 

[peacetara]

Just for completeness, there is also: http://www.geocommunicator.gov/GeoComm/ . It's an online map, with overlays, the overlay for NF and BLM land is 'Surface Management Agency'. Has different map bases as well (topo, etc).

I don't think it's any better than publiclands.org, just different, since it's a US govt ran site.

 

[light trip]

I'm not sure why, or even when I started feeling some anxiety about ever finding dispersed camping areas, but it started happening. Maybe because I'm now in a sticks and brick. But I've done it before. I've lived in a van, I've lived in a RV. I've hiked and done dispersed camping in places like Death Valley, Mojave and Borrego Springs.

When I found this thread it offered some comfort, but it didn't address the nuts and bolts of finding a camp site after arriving on BLM land or national forest. But then I remembered some articles Bob Wells wrote and it was the key. Even though I'm not currently boondocking, I take a lot of comfort in knowing I have a backup plan.

If your saying to yourself,,, okay, I found BLM and national forest but still not sure of what your doing, check out these articles written by Bob. It really doesn't get any better then this unless he was there holding your hand. Thanks Bob.

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/boondocking-stealth-parking/dispersed-camping-on-public-land/

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/boondocking-stealth-parking/livingcamping-public-land/

Sometimes just knowing is just about as good...

 

[akrvbob]

Thanks Light Trip, I should have included those links. I tried to be very thorough in them
Bob

 

[Patrick46]

Great resource to have available.

Thanx for posting this Mr. Bob!!

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

Loved this thread, it answered a lot of my first time boondocking blm nd questions, but I have a few more.... I plan on traveling with my horse, I already know some people who boondock on blm land in Colorado, They did so so much that they where hired to take horse counts.... My question is if I want warm is they also places to graze my horse? To ease my need to buy hay? I am already planning a 55 gallon drum for water...which depending on the grazing can last a week to 2weeks.... Also are coyotes a heavier problem in certain areas? As I have little dogs...thanks much
Ps I am only planning to winter in a warm areas , as I have a home in PA I will summer in

 

[highdesertranger]

by warmer areas I assume you mean the desert. not a lot of grazing in the desert as far as for penned up horses. how do you pen your horses while boondocking? panels? electric fence? hobbles? the thing is feed is so scarce you are going to be moving the horses constantly. have you ever thought to ask the local ranches for hay or pasture in exchange for some ranch work, like riding fence? I am sure you are aware of the "certified weed free alfalfa" laws. as far as the dogs versus coyotes goes, yes some areas are worse than others, however you should always be vigilant no matter where you are at even with larger dogs. highdesertranger

 

[akrvbob]

That's way to specific question for this forum, I think you're going to have to go to specialty forums or directly to the BLM.

I can tell you that I'm a resident of Pahrump, NV and it is surrounded by BLM and National Forest land and I do know for a fact that wild horses and burros thrive in that area. A few years back the BLM came in and rounded most of them up and took them off to wherever they keep them. But they didn't get them all, every spring they came down from the mountains and I'd have them pretty close to my camp.

But it's high desert and it can be surprisingly cold there. Every winter I was there we got some snow and the wind blows a LOT!!! That's why I'll never winter there again.
Bob

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

Thanks HDS and Bob,
Fencing I use portable solar electric, I use alfalfa cubes, and will check on the weed free thing, I do remember reading a blog of a Wagoner teamster ( wagonteamster.com ), who mentioned that while going through a particular area.... Thanks I will make sure I check into it. Thanks will have to do more research...

 

[highdesertranger]

I am not sure but I believe all of the pellets are certified. it should say on the bag. highdesertranger

 

[SinnTek]

Searching and searching and low and behold I find this thread....

Right now I am having a hard time understanding the concept of BLM.

Do you just drive out there and park? Because I love the outdoors / wilderness aspect of living in a van.

Just confused as to how exactly you go about finding BLM and how to find ones that aren't charging 5+ a night just to park there.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Good info here....Thanks for starting the thread Bob.

SinnTek... Some BLM land requires a quickie registration with a volunteer host for a free 14 day stay and then you must move (I think its 25 miles) to another location.
Some BLM requires no registration...such as the area Bob referred to at Ehrenburg, Az. and quite a bit of that around Pahrump, Nv.
There are also many other places you can take advantage of without any  paperwork.

 

[mockturtle]

I am camping at Squaw Lake, a BLM campground north of Yuma near the Proving Grounds.  Not free, but only $7.50/day with my senior pass.

 

[jimindenver]

Nice thread but I wanted to say that two of the links in the OP didn't work for me. The first link worked but showed no BLM land in Colorado which I know we have.

I haven't used any BLM land yet, we are still working our way through the Pike National forest so far. When I look for either I go the the NFS ranger district or BLM site for the area first. There I find out if they allow disperse camping, where, what restrictions, etc. Once I have located a area I get on google earth and follow the trails looking for suitable sites. Some spots are easy to spot, some even have RV's sitting in them at the time the photo was shot.  We might even do a day trip in the off season to scope things out but at least we have a good idea of what's what before we get there. Since the site we want may not be open, I pick out a number of sites in a area based on altitude and proximity to others.

I had a list of sites I've used but I lost them so it's easier to send you to the OP of this thread on RV.NET. (lots of links)

RV>NET boondocking thread

 

[akrvbob]

I just did a post on my blog about a smarphone App that is tremendosuly helpful in finding all US Pulbic Lands. and it it appropriately named "US Public Lands." See my review of it here:

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/technomadia-visits-rtr-review-smartphone-app-us-public-lands/

Very highly recommended.

In both the National Forests and BLM land is something called dispersed camping. You literally just go and find a place you want to camp and set up camp and there you are, that's all there is to it.

In some places they limit you to a few campsites but those are rare out West and in some National Forests there is soemthing called a MVUM Motor Vehicle Use Map and it lists exactly where you can and can not camp. But most NFs don't restrict it that much. You can download the MVUM as a PDF from their website. You can call any NF Ranger office ad ask about restrictions to dispesed camping usually there are none. The closer you are to a population center, recreation sites or bodies of water the more restrictions there will be.

BLM land rarely has restrictions. Nearly all of it is open to dispersed camping. If it does have restrictions it's usually because of it popularity, reclamation for damage done by A**hole ATVers or endangered species like desert toroise.
Bob

 

[gojo]

What if you plan on staying for 2 or 3 days on BLM land. Do you still need a permit?