Dispersed Camping

A large part of the Spring Mountains is remote and undeveloped. Visitors can venture out and set up camp in these remote areas with just a little planning from the guidelines below and a check of the current conditions and fire restrictions.

What is Dispersed Camping?
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Dispersed camping in the Spring Mountains also means no services like trash bins, restrooms, or tables and fire pits.

This means there are a few extra responsibilities and skills that are necessary for successful and safe dispersed camping, and to keep the Spring Mountains scenic and unspoiled for other campers.

Rules for Dispersed Camping
- Please place your campsite at least 100 feet from any stream or other water source.
- You need to be self-contained. No amenities are provided; such as water, restrooms or trash cans.
- You may camp in a dispersed area for up to 14 days in any 30 day period. Campers may not return to the same campsite within the calendar year.
- Groups of over 25 people who wish to use the forest need to obtain a special use permit.
- Keep a Pack-In Pack-Out camp by containing trash, human and pet waste, and sealing food containers. Following Leave No Trace guidelines will help you easily keep your campsite unspoiled for the next visitor.

Where Can I Disperse Camp?
The best known areas in the Spring Mountains include Mack's Canyon, Champion Road, and Lovell Canyon but those can get crowded in warm weather. Dispersed camping is NOT allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas such as campgrounds, picnic areas, or trailheads. Many people drive or hike out on Forest Service roads into the woods and find a clearing or a spot with a nice view or good shade. Do not drive on meadows to access your camping site. Drive on existing roads to prevent resource damage. Dispersed camping is allowed outside a one-mile perimeter away from campgrounds and 100 feet from any stream or spring. To prevent resource damage please keep your campsite within 150 feet from a roadway.

How to Pick a Campsite
If you are going to an area where others have camped before, pick a site that has been used before. Plants, soil and wildlife are impacted by new campsites so using existing ones will minimize your impact in the forest. If there is no existing campsite, then follow these Leave No Trace guidelines.
- Camp on bare soil if possible, to avoid damage or killing plants and grass.
- Do NOT camp within 100 feet of any water source, as plants near water are especially fragile.
- Do not camp in the middle of a clearing or meadow; try to make your campsite less visible so that other visitors will see a "wild" setting
- Lee Meadows is NOT open for camping, and is closed Dusk to Dawn
- Do not try to level or dig trenches in the ground at your campsite. Pick a tent site that is already level with good drainage.

Can I have a campfire?
It depends on the time of year and if a fire restriction order is in place. If fires are not restricted, please use existing sites and fire rings left from past campers. If fires are restricted, campers are limited to using propane-type campstoves with an "On" and "Off" switch or knob.
The Spring Mountains have wildfires each year. Many of these are caused by human activity, typically escaped campfires from dispersed campers. Campfires must be avoided when there are fire restrictions in effect due to high fire danger conditions. It is your responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before you go camping.

Tips for Safe, Low Impact Campfires
- Use existing fire rings if they exist. Minimize the scarring of new rocks, soil, and plants by using existing fire rings.
- Select a site that is not in a meadow or clearing, that is not next to a tree with low overhanging branches, that is at least 100 feet from any water source to protect fragile vegetation.
- Clean an area and make a ring of rocks about two feet in diameter.
- If you don't bring your own firewood collect only dead wood that is on the ground. You should not cut branches off of live trees. If a popular camping area does not have dead wood on the ground, please bring your own firewood. The animals, insects, and micro-organisms in the soil need rotting wood on the ground to survive.
- Before you leave your campfire make sure it is completely out. You should be able to put your whole hand into the ashes without being burned, it should be cool to the touch. Stir the ashes to make sure all embers have cooled. This is very important! Many forest fires are caused by abandoned campfires that were not completely out.

Water and Washing
Water gets contaminated by visitors who do not take care of their human waste or their garbage and food properly. Campers must bring water for drinking and washing. When disposing of gray water (water that was used to wash) it is best to spread out where it is drained, away from the campsite, to preserve the health of the soils, plants, and animals in the area.

Going to the Bathroom in the Woods
Dispersed camping means no bathrooms and no outhouses. That means extra care has to be taken in disposing of human waste. To dispose of feces, dig a hole six (6) inches deep at least 100 feet away from any water source. When you are done, fill the hole with the dirt you dug up and take your toilet paper with you to dispose of in a proper waste container. A ziplock bag is helpful for this. Never defecate or leave toilet paper on top of the ground since it could easily get into the local water source and contaminate it.

Treating Your Water
We used to be able to take a cup and drink directly out of the sparkling creek, a rushing waterfall, or a clear spring. There is NO safe water source anymore. With an increasing population and visitation to the Spring Mountains, water sources have been contaminated with invisible micro-organisms that can make people very ill and even kill them in some cases. Giardia is a common contamination that has been spread through improper toileting and wild animals to many water sources. It will cause diarrhea, cramping, and other physical problems.
The only way to ensure that water from any undeveloped source is safe is to treat it. That means heating it until it comes to a rolling boil, using water purification tablets or a water purification filter. Water from faucets in developed recreation areas has been tested and treated and is safe to use without treating.

Have Fun!
If you follow these tips you can save a safe, low impact, primitive camping experience. Thank you for helping care for YOUR National Forest.

 

 

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