Boondocking Northern California: The Rules, Limits and Best Free Spots

Legal dispersed camping, plainly

On most BLM and National Forest land in Northern California you can camp free for up to 14 days in any 28-day period, provided you're on a designated route and outside developed recreation areas.

Fire restrictions change weekly

From roughly June through October, a California Campfire Permit is required even for a propane stove on federal land, and full fire bans are common. Check the local forest order the week you travel, not the month before.

Leave no trace, or lose the spot: Every dispersed area that gets closed in this state gets closed because of trash and illegal fire rings.

Where we actually go

Chappie-Shasta OHV near the dam is the closest legal free camping to Shasta Lake. It is dusty, sun-blasted and loud on weekends, and it is genuinely free with real cell signal.

Expanding beyond California

The same 14-day framework applies across most western BLM districts, which is why this playbook travels well into Oregon, Nevada and Arizona as we expand the directory.