asked to leave

[ArdraF]

Reservation lands are always restricted.  If you cross the reservation on a "public" road you are expected to stay on the road and not drift away from it.  There are many places that you cannot go unless accompanied by one of the native reservation people.  It's too bad you had the unpleasant experience, but if you want to camp in restricted areas then you need to make an attempt to learn the boundaries.  I doubt you need to find another RV but learn what is open to you and what is not.

ArdraF

 

[sherryh]

Thank you for all the kind words. We are looking at this in a whole new light, we are getting equipped with all the maps and programs so we can boondock smart. We now realize that this is a whole new way of living. Like i said we were so used to throwing on the camper and going, we have been camping/ boondocking in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Montana, Wyoming no reservation no plan, but i think even with that being said that way is gone and lands are more restricted, thats ok.

 

[ArdraF]

Sherryh, you're right.  Those days are gone.  We also used to just take off and go wherever we felt like going.  Sad to say, too many people didn't take care of the land and "they" started making rules to restrict usage.  I recall back about 1972 we camped overnight on the old Lexington to Concord road where the Revolutionary War started.  We made sure locals saw us pick up their kids' beer cans and other trash and they received us well.  You can't do things like that today.  But we still clean up the area....

ArdraF

 

[dave54]

As a general rule, all NF land is open to disperse camp (FS term for boondocking) unless specifically closed. 
Closed areas may be within 1/4 mile of a developed campground (to prevent someone from disperse camping, not paying CG fees, but still using the CG facilities), closed for environmental reasons (sensitive plants or soils, endangered species habitat, archaeological site), or the area is so popular allowing unrestricted boondocking would just overwhelm the area.  In the last case camping is restricted to developed CGs and the closure area should be delineated on the map.  The southern California national forests are different.  They have over 15 million people within a 2 hour drive and so have very restrictive rules.

BLM is similar to the FS.

National Parks are closed unless specifically allowed.

Tribal lands are not public lands, despite many public lands maps including them.  Tribal governments can set whatever rules they want.  In many respects tribal lands are politically autonomous to the federal or state governments.  They are, in many ways, foreign countries that lie within the U.S. borders.

State lands vary by state.

 

[Trailer traveler]

...As a general rule, all NF land is open to disperse camp (FS term for boondocking) unless specifically closed...

The National Forest Service regulations address two types of dispersed camping. The first is tent/back pack camping which is generally permitted unless specifically prohibited. The second type of dispersed camping is vehicle/RV camping. This type of camping is restricted to roads open for vehicle traffic and often limited to a specified distance from the open roadway. That distance can vary considerably even on different roads in the same Forest. I have seen limits ranging from 30-300'. The roads open to motorized vehicle traffic are listed on the Travel Management Maps and Motor Vehicle Use Maps. (MVUM). This website has links to many of the MVUM. Each Forest has its own rules regarding length of stay (generally 14-21 days), how far one has to move in miles to reset the length of stay limit and in some cases where Homesteading has become a problem how many days in a month one can stay in that particular Forest. As far as I know, the National Forests have no Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVAs) like BLM does in Arizona and California.

 

[dave54]

The NF MVUM rules you outlined are technically correct.  However, each NF interprets and enforces the regulations differently.  Many give enforcement a very low priority, and as long as you are not doing something stupid (like cutting vegetation to get further from the road, or tearing up a wet meadow) they may ignore you.  They are not likely to get out a tape measure and check the distance from your bumper to the road edge.
The 14 day rule is in the same category.  In popular areas it is more strictly enforced than remote seldom used areas.  The intent of the rule is to prevent long term occupancy (squatting), or preventing someone from occupying prime camping spots for extended periods.  Often ignored out in the more remote parts of the forest.  One FS LEO told me he ignored one elderly man camping in one remote spot for months because "He was my eyes and ears in an area I seldom patrol."

  I am not advocating ignoring the regulations, just that in many areas you may be able to remote area disperse camp in peace even if contrary to the letter of the regulations.  The FS gives their officers a great deal of latitude in enforcement.  Keep a clean camp with a minimum of soil/vegetation disturbance you may be allowed to stay.  Still, the MVUM regulations are in effect and you may be cited, especially if you flunk the attitude test.