Where is BLM land in California?

Most of California's roughly 15 million acres of BLM land is in the southeastern deserts — the California Desert District around the Mojave, Imperial, and lower Colorado River — and in the northeast. The gold shading on this map shows it; that is where free dispersed camping is generally allowed, up to 14 days.

Is free dispersed camping allowed in California?

Yes, on most BLM and national-forest land, with a 14-day limit. It is not allowed in California's national parks or state parks, which are campground- and permit-only. Note that a California Campfire Permit is required for any fire or stove on federal land, and fire-season closures are common.

Do you need a permit to camp on BLM land in California?

Dispersed camping itself is free, but a California Campfire Permit is required to use any stove, lantern, or campfire on BLM and national-forest land. Some BLM Long-Term Visitor Areas in the desert require a separate seasonal use permit for extended winter stays.

What's the difference between BLM and state-park camping in California?

BLM (and national-forest) land generally allows free, undeveloped dispersed camping. California State Parks are the opposite: designated, reservable, fee sites only, with no roadside dispersed camping. This map's gold and green is the free ground; the terracotta and brown is the fee-gated ground.

Where is the BLM land and free camping in California?

Look to the deserts and the forests. The Bureau of Land Management controls about 15 million acres of California — the gold on the map below — concentrated in the southeastern deserts (the California Desert District) and the northeast, and most of it allows free dispersed camping up to 14 days. The national forests add green high-country dispersed land. The honest catch that sets California apart: a huge fraction of the state's public land is national park and state park, where camping is campground- or permit-only — so the BLM map matters more here than almost anywhere, because it shows the open ground inside a state otherwise locked up by fee-only managers.

Open the interactive map of California →

What land is this?

California is the public-land paradox: enormous acreage, much of it closed to free camping. The Bureau of Land Management's desert and northeastern holdings (gold) are the core dispersed-camping resource, joined by the national forests (green) draped over the Sierra, the Cascades, and the coastal ranges — both generally open to undeveloped camping. But the state also carries the densest concentration of national parks (Yosemite, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Sequoia-Kings Canyon — brown, permit/campground only) and a large state-park system (terracotta, designated sites only) in the country, plus extensive private coast and valley. So the map's job in California is subtraction: showing the open gold and green inside a mosaic where most of the famous ground is fee-gated.

The rules — verify each at the source

BLM CaliforniaDispersed camping is generally allowed on BLM California land — heavily in the California Desert District (including long-stay options around the Imperial and Mojave deserts) and the northeast — up to a 14-day limit, with some Long-Term Visitor Areas operating under a separate seasonal permit. Verify the field-office rules and seasonal fire closures before you go.verify: BLM California — Bureau of Land Management ↗
National forests (USFS Pacific Southwest Region)California's national forests generally allow dispersed camping away from developed sites, typically a 14-day limit, but a California Campfire Permit is required for any stove, lantern, or fire on national-forest and BLM land, and severe fire seasons bring sweeping forest-order closures. Always check the current forest order and fire restrictions.verify: USDA Forest Service — Pacific Southwest Region (California) ↗
California State ParksCalifornia's state parks and state beaches are designated-site, fee, and usually reservation-only — there is no dispersed camping in them. They are a developed-camping resource, not free public-land camping; the open dispersed ground is the BLM and national-forest land instead.verify: California State Parks ↗

Known campsites

Our map enumerates 2,806 public campgrounds across California — Forest Service, BLM, and other public developed sites, the most of any state in our data — over the open BLM and national-forest base where free dispersed camping is allowed. The points are anonymized, so we don't list names here; pan the live map to see each site and who runs it.

2,806 public campsites of 4,243 mapped in this frame · source: OpenStreetMap, gated to public land · as of 2026-06.

Common questions

Where is BLM land in California?: Most of California's roughly 15 million acres of BLM land is in the southeastern deserts — the California Desert District around the Mojave, Imperial, and lower Colorado River — and in the northeast. The gold shading on this map shows it; that is where free dispersed camping is generally allowed, up to 14 days.
Is free dispersed camping allowed in California?: Yes, on most BLM and national-forest land, with a 14-day limit. It is not allowed in California's national parks or state parks, which are campground- and permit-only. Note that a California Campfire Permit is required for any fire or stove on federal land, and fire-season closures are common.
Do you need a permit to camp on BLM land in California?: Dispersed camping itself is free, but a California Campfire Permit is required to use any stove, lantern, or campfire on BLM and national-forest land. Some BLM Long-Term Visitor Areas in the desert require a separate seasonal use permit for extended winter stays.
What's the difference between BLM and state-park camping in California?: BLM (and national-forest) land generally allows free, undeveloped dispersed camping. California State Parks are the opposite: designated, reservable, fee sites only, with no roadside dispersed camping. This map's gold and green is the free ground; the terracotta and brown is the fee-gated ground.

Sources

This page aggregates public data; the linked official pages are authoritative — verify before you camp. As accessed 2026-06. Machine-readable version.