The Bureau of Land Management (or BLM) is a United States federal government agency that oversees huge portions of the land owned by the United States Government. "BLM Land" is a common term for the areas open to the public for certain uses like recreation and dispersed camping.
In most cases it is free to use BLM land if you are not harming it or harvesting resources like timber. For some uses permits are required, and for all uses, certain rules and regulations must be followed. For example, a common rule is that you cannot camp more than 14 consecutive days in one location, and must then move a certain distance away for period of time before camping again at that same spot. There are also rules about fires, sewage, and garbage, which are intended to keep the lands clean and safe for everyone to use, and for environmental preservation.
Camping
See the BLM Camping page for information and regulations. Some BLM properties are built up specifically for longer-term camping, such as BLM Long Term Visitor Areas.
Finding BLM Lands
- Use the online BLM visitor map.
- Many of BLM's reservable locations are available on Recreation.gov.
- Download Motor Vehicle Use Maps to find where camping is allowed along the roads.
- Use resources like FreeCampSites.net, iOverlander, or other apps.
- By State:
- All states bordering or east of the Mississippi River: BLM Eastern States
- Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota: BLC Montana-Dakotas
- Washington and Oregon: BLM Oregon-Washington
- Alaska: BLM AK
- Arizona: BLM AZ
- California: BLM CA
- Colorado: BLM CO
- Idaho: BLM ID
- Nevada: BLM NV
- New Mexico: BLM NM
- Utah: BLM UT
- Wyoming: BLM WY
Events on BLM land
If you are planning to host an organized event on BLM land, note that special recreation permits are required.
