Blog
Longer pieces on camping on public land and where to sleep overnight, researched from agency and legal sources.
Camping on public land
Rules, stay limits and maps for camping on national forests and BLM land.
- Why dispersed camping stay limits differ from forest to forestSeven days on one national forest, 14 on the next, 10 per district on another. Where does each limit come from, how do forests count the days, and how do you find the current one?
- How much of a national forest is actually public land?The Forest Service owns about 84% of the land inside national forest boundaries. Who owns the rest, why, and what does it mean when you pick a campsite?
- A short history of dispersed camping in the USAHow national forests and BLM land came to be, how camping outside campgrounds took hold on them, and where today’s stay limits and road maps come from.
- Introducing a new dispersed camping research toolA free map for scouting your own dispersed campsite: public-land boundaries, forest roads and each area’s published camping rules, with sources and dates.
Where to sleep overnight
Where the law lets you sleep in a car, from rest areas to city streets.
- Is it illegal to sleep in your car?No national law bans sleeping in your car; the rule comes from whoever manages the place you park. Which law applies on public land, at a rest area, on a city street or in a private lot, and where do you check it?
- Is it illegal to sleep in your car in California?San Francisco, Sacramento and Redding each restrict sleeping in vehicles on their streets, at different hours and under different conditions, and Penal Code § 647(e) bars lodging in a vehicle or place without permission. What does each city’s code prohibit, and when does a shelter offer change the answer?
- Can you sleep at a rest stop? Rules in 12 statesTennessee and Virginia allow no overnight parking at highway rest areas; Pennsylvania caps a stay at 2 hours and Texas at 24. How long can you sleep in your car at a rest stop in 12 states, and when does resting become camping?