UOT Call Center Archives: BLM Camping Rules

I received a call from a person who wanted to know the rules in Utah with regard to camping on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land. I asked the caller where, specifically, he was interested in camping. He explained that he was interested in camping on BLM land near Otter Creek State Park. In order to answer the caller’s question accurately, I asked him to give me a little time to research the question and call him back with more information. Here's what I learned ---


How to obtain rules for camping on BLM land:

Determine which BLM district oversees the land you are interested in camping on. If you are unfamiliar with the BLM and how it divides Utah’s wilderness, go to: www.blm.gov, and click on the state of Utah. On the right side of the page, you will see a map of Utah divided into 11 districts.

The BLM land near Otter Creek State Park is located within the Color Country BLM district. Click on the Color Country District. You will be taken to a page titled, Richfield, which is where the Color Country BLM Field Office is located. The contact information, including the address and phone number is listed on the bottom of the page. The same is true for all BLM districts.

I called the Richfield Field Office and they explained the following rules for camping on all BLM designated land.

Three Most Common Rules for Camping on BLM Land

1) All wilderness camping is “hike in/hike out.” Motorized vehicles are not allowed in wilderness areas.

2) Leave no trace camping techniques are required. For more information on “leave no trace camping,” go to: http://wikitravel.org/en/Leave-no-trace_camping or http://www.camping.com/community/camp-styles/1298

3) 14 day maximum stay in any location.

Some BLM rules are uniform, but there are unique rules in certain BLM districts. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to check with the BLM Field Office in charge of the land you’re interested in camping on before you go.

Utah BLM Field Offices:

Bureau of Land Management

BLM Utah State Office

P.O. Box 45155

Salt Lake City, Utah 84145-0155

440 West 200 South, Suite 500

Salt Lake City, Utah 84101

Phone: (801) 539-4001

Fax: (801) 539-4013

utsomail@blm.gov

West Desert District:

2370 South 2300 West

Salt Lake City, UT 84119

District Manager: Glenn Carpenter

Phone: (801) 977-4300

Fax: (801) 977-4397

utslmail@blm.gov

Green River District:

170 South 500 East

Vernal, UT 84078

District Manager: Bill Stringer

Phone: (435) 781-4400

Fax: (435) 781-4410

utvnmail@blm.gov

Fillmore District:

35 East 500 North

Fillmore, UT 84631

Field Office Manager: Micki Bailey

Phone: (435) 743-3100

Fax: (435) 743-3135

utfmmail@blm.gov

Color Country District:

150 East 900 North

Richfield, UT 84701

Field Office Manager: Cornell Christensen

Phone: (435) 896-1500

Fax: (435) 896-1550

utrfmail@blm.gov

Price District:

Price Field Office

125 South 600 West

Price, UT 84501

Field Office Manager: Jerry Kenczka

Phone: (435) 636-3600

Fax (435) 636-3657

utprmail@blm.gov

Moab District:

Moab Field Office

82 East Dogwood

Moab, Utah 84532

Field Office Manager: Lynn Jackson

Phone: (435) 259-2100

Fax: (435) 259-2106

utmbmail@blm.gov

Cedar City District:

Cedar City Field Office

176 East D.L. Sargent Drive

Cedar City, UT 84721

Field Office Manager: RandyTrujillo

Phone: (435) 586-2401

Fax: (435) 865-3058

utccmail@blm.gov

Canyon Country District:

82 East Dogwood

Moab, Utah 84532

District Manager: Shelley Smith

Phone: (435) 259-2100

Fax: (435) 259-2106

utmbmail@blm.gov

St. George District:

St. George Field Office

345 East Riverside Drive

St. George, UT 84790

Field Office Manager: Jimmy Tyree

Phone (435) 688-3200

Fax (435) 688-3252

utsgmail@blm.gov

Kanab District:

Kanab Field Office

318 North 100 East

Kanab, UT 84741

Field Office Manager: Harry Barber

Phone: (435) 644-4600

Fax: (435) 644-4620

utknmail@blm.gov

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Monument Manager: Rene Berkhout

190 E. Center Street

Kanab, UT 84741

Phone: 435) 644-4300

Fax: (435) 644-4350

escalante_interagency@blm.gov