BLM and DNR land

BLM vs. DNR Land — Key Differences

BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land is federally managed public land found mostly in the western United States. It was established to support multiple uses such as recreation, grazing, mining, and conservation. Dispersed camping is typically free and allowed for up to 14 days in a given area, though rules can vary by district. DNR (Department of Natural Resources) land is managed at the state level, and each state sets its own regulations. In Washington, for example, DNR land often requires a Discover Pass and may limit camping to designated areas. In general, BLM land offers more open, desert or grassland terrain, while DNR land tends to include forested and mountainous environments.

So! How do we find and properly use balm and dnr land?

Because blm isn’t advertised for, it can be a little tricky to find. This involves going onto gov websites for reasoruces although that can be limited. I’ve found most my spots by google searching and using onX off road app which highlights many areas.

When using the app, you can specify you are looking for beginner level trails which will then show as highlighted sections on the map.

Zooming in shows the trail name or trail code. Many of these trails have actual names which makes it easy to find info on from others.

Clicking son the road you can bring up additional info. The screenshot below has a description that mentions the area being dnr land up to a point which was a strong indication initially that there was free camping in that area.

Unless you see signs detailing not to camp or other restrictions you are generally in the clear, a good sign is to see a sign detailing what cooking methods are allowed which is further indication you can camp. A discovery pass is the only paid thing you’d need to pay

It may sound strange but all you are looking for is a fire pit made with rocks, and a semi flat area that looks like it’s been driven or traveled on. Some spots are a bit more hidden but you will almost always find a fire pit. Always look for others camping on the trail, that is the best verification you will get that you can indeed camp there, if your still ever u sure, just ask someone.

There are exceptions like Lyre River Campground in the Olympic Penninsula in Washington State. There is a on site custodial that helps with people, answers questions. Additionally a basic toilet and garbage bin . These are additions that make the experience a bit better but certainly more popular and is much more rare to find.

BLM is first come first serve, but this highlights the uniqueness of it, most spots have to be discovered, and that extra bit of effort and challenge means far less people ever consider this an option, with camping, large vans and rvs becoming more popular finding spots that aren’t crowded facilitates the blm\dnr over landing life style choice.

I always double or triple verify online with others that the blm land is ok to camp on, dispersed camping as it’s also called usually is just a pull off on a trail with a fire pit and that’s all. Usually a discovery pass is required , but I’ve not run into problems camping at many random locations

I have however many times seen an area I believed to have free camping only to drive 2 hours and find out it’s paid. Doing the extra research can save you hours, however not know things for certain can lend itself to the eventual creative process once you’ve found a location.