Dispersed Camping Love

So, take me down the road

Take me to the show

It's something to believe in

That no one else knows

But don't take me for granted

Don't Take Me For Granted, Mike Ness (2004).

Late afternoon dispersed campsite atop Coad Hill in Black Hills National Forest.
This was one of my Overnighters in 2019 when I started bikepacking in earnest.

The Black Hills of South Dakota and the surrounding prairie offer a virtually unlimited number and variety of roads and trails to explore by bicycle. A cyclist's hardest decision is choosing where to ride and on which bike. It's an embarrassment of riches.

For bikepackers, it's more than just amazing roads and challenging trails. And it's more than stunning scenery, abundant wildlife, and vibrant history. 

So much of this area is Black Hills National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service or Buffalo Gap National Grassland managed by the Bureau of Land Management. That is, it's mostly public land where dispersed camping is allowed most everywhere.

Dispersed camping liberates route making, trip planning, and each day's ride. The resulting uncertainties and responsibilities of choosing a campsite deter some, but I cherish the freedom. Ride until you decide to stop for the night.

Sunrise at a dispersed campsite near the top of Bear Mountain in the Black Hills National Forest.
This was an Overnighter in 2020.

Recently, an out-of-stater asked me some logistical questions about bikepacking the BackBone Buffet, my 205 mile rough road bikepacking loop out of Hill City. See, BackBone Buffet - RideWithGPS File. He was scrambling to put together a multi-day ride of that route and kept trying to schedule the end of each day at a commercial campground or a state park.

I pointed to several USFS campgrounds along the route, or just off route, and some other possibilities. Then I mentioned dispersed camping, which is available along practically the entire route.

Dead silence. What? 

Dispersed campsite at the end of Day 1 of the inaugural Black Hills Bounty in 2021.

I realized that this bikepacker was from Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, a smattering of state parks, and the rest mostly private land. Bikepacking for him meant finding a commercial campground or state park, or maybe a small town park. To plan a trip, he wanted to know those options along the way.

Dispersed camping was an unknown term and, indeed, a foreign concept altogether.

Wow. It's easy to take familiar things for granted. 

Add dispersed camping in the Black Hills to the list.

Dispersed campsite at the end of Day 2 of the 2026 Black Hills Bounty.

Dispersed camping is basically setting up your camp most anywhere in Black Hills National Forest or Buffalo Gap National Grassland, subject to a few simple, easy to follow rules.

Yes, really. Practically anywhere, within some well-defined limitations. And maybe some common courtesy and common sense.

More specifically, here's the content from the USFS website on Dispersed Camping in National Forests. Enjoy the freedom of public lands in the mountain west.

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Dispersed Camping

Setting up your own campsite away from developed fee sites, also known as dispersed camping, is allowed on most of the Forest for a maximum of 14 days in any 60-day period. However, around developed reservoirs, lakes, and campgrounds, camping is allowed only in designated areas. Check with the closest Forest Service office for specific information.

General rules:

• Camp 100 feet away from any creek or stream and 1/2 mile away from developed recreation sites, including campgrounds and picnic areas.
• Motorized vehicles allowed 300 feet off of roads as shown on the Motor Vehicle Use Map (dots) for dispersed camping on the Black Hills National Forest.
• Around developed reservoirs and campgrounds, camping is allowed only in designated campsites.
• Can camp for a maximum of 14 days in any 60-day period.
• No open campfires in South Dakota portions of the national forest.

Check with the closest Forest Service office for more specific information about dispersed camping.

Don't Take Me For Granted, Social Distortion (2004).