Camping in Wyoming

Camping rules worth knowing in Wyoming

Some Shoshone campgrounds require hard-sided camping

Order SHO-24-002 prohibits camping from 1 March to 1 December in the Threemile, Eagle Creek and Newton Creek campgrounds of the Wapiti Ranger District, along US 14-16-20 between Yellowstone’s East Entrance and Wapiti, without a hard-sided, non-pliable, self-contained unit such as a trailer, camper or vehicle. The purpose is to minimise human-bear conflict. A roof tent and a ground tent are both excluded there, and the order runs through 31 December 2027. Source 40

Near Jackson, camping drops to five days

The general limit on the Bridger-Teton is 14 days in any 30, after which you move at least five air miles and may not return to the same site for 30 days. In several heavily used dispersed areas across the Jackson, Blackrock, Big Piney and Greys River districts, the limit falls to five days within any 30 from 1 May through Labor Day, and some popular corridors allow no camping at all. All food, rubbish and scented items must be stored in bear-resistant containers, in a vehicle, or hung. Source 41

In Yellowstone, off-road driving and undesignated camping are federal offences

The park lists them among its prohibitions by regulation: camping outside designated areas under 36 CFR 2.10(b)(10), and travelling off-road by vehicle under 36 CFR 4.10(a). There is no dispersed camping, no pull-off sleeping and no two-tracking anywhere inside the boundary, which is the opposite of the forest ground on three sides of it. Source 19

State trust land is day use, and no camping or fires

The Board of Land Commissioners’ Chapter 13 rules extend a privilege, not a right, and they are specific. Casual recreational use means day uses such as riding, photography, wildlife watching, hiking and rock hunting, and expressly excludes camping and joy riding. Motor vehicles are confined to established roads. Open fires and overnight camping are prohibited except in camping areas the Board has established. The state granted about 4.2 million acres at statehood in 1890, and damaging trust land, driving off-road, charging fees, building fires or camping on it is a misdemeanour. Source 24

Fire restrictions are posted by county and by office

The BLM issues its Wyoming fire restrictions as stage one prevention orders by district or field office and by county, and points to the Rocky Mountain Area interagency dashboard, which covers state, federal and tribal land across five states. The state forestry division maps the restrictions county commissioners set under the Board of Land Commissioners rules. Restrictions change rapidly, so the local office, fire district or sheriff is the current answer. Source 37

Dispersed camping: 14 days on BLM land, and every forest differs

BLM Wyoming allows 14 days of camping in any 28-day period, in one stay or several, after which you must move outside a 5-mile radius. Property left unattended for more than 72 hours is not allowed and counts toward the limit. In most circumstances you may drive up to 300 feet off a route if it causes no damage and leaves no ruts. The Bridger-Teton allows 14 days in any 30 and then a move of at least 5 air miles, with 5-day limits in busy areas near Jackson from May 1 through Labor Day. The Shoshone allows 16 consecutive days within a 5-mile radius, then 7 days away before you return. The Bighorn allows 14 days in 28, then a move of at least 5 road miles. Source 6

State trust land is day use only

The Office of State Lands and Investments says the public may hunt, fish and make general recreational use of state trust land that is legally accessible. Off-road vehicle use, overnight camping and open fires are prohibited, cultivated cropland is closed, and the Board of Land Commissioners’ rules confine motor vehicles to established roads. Breaking them is a misdemeanor. Anything more needs a temporary use permit or a special use lease. Source 23

Fire restrictions come from the county and the land office

The Wyoming State Forestry Division maps the fire restrictions set by each county’s commissioners, and points to the federal agencies for theirs. BLM Wyoming issues fire prevention orders by district and field office, and they appear with other agencies’ on the Rocky Mountain Area interagency fire restrictions dashboard. The BLM says fire season typically lasts from June to October and that restrictions can change rapidly, so ask the local fire district, the sheriff’s office or the federal land office. Source 36

Bear country: food storage and hard-sided camping

On the Shoshone National Forest, from March 1 to December 1 each year, food, refuse and anything that smells of either must be attended by someone awake and within 100 feet, hung at least 10 feet up and 4 feet out from the tree, kept in a certified bear-resistant container, or shut in a closed vehicle or trailer of solid, non-pliable material with the windows closed. The Bridger-Teton and the Bighorn have food storage orders of their own. At Threemile, Eagle Creek and Newton Creek campgrounds, between Wapiti and Yellowstone’s East Entrance, camping in that season is allowed only in a hard-sided, self-contained unit. The food storage order now in force runs through 2026 and the hard-sided order through 2027, so check for their successors. Source 38

The full guide to overlanding Wyoming