BLM land in Wyoming covers about 18 million surface acres — nearly 30% of the state — and most of it is open to camping, hunting, fishing, target shooting, OHV riding, rockhounding, and more, usually with no fee and no reservation. The rules are looser than a national park, but they are real: a 14-day camping limit, state licenses for hunting and fishing, designated routes for motorized travel, and tight restrictions on fossils, drones, and anything commercial.
Where Wyoming’s BLM Land Is
Wyoming’s total land area is about 62.1 million acres. The Bureau of Land Management manages roughly 18 million of those surface acres, one of the largest BLM footprints in the country.1Bureau of Land Management. BLM Wyoming The terrain runs from sagebrush steppe in the Red Desert to badlands and spires at places like Adobetown, river corridors, and high country near the Wind River Range.2Bureau of Land Management. Wyoming Recreation Opportunities
These holdings are scattered. BLM parcels sit mixed with private ranches, state trust land, and national forest in a pattern known as the “checkerboard,” left over from 19th-century railroad land grants. That matters when you try to reach a given section, and it’s covered below.
Camping
Dispersed camping is free on most Wyoming BLM land. No reservation, no permit. The standard stay limit is 14 days within any 28-day period, and once you hit it you need to move at least 25 to 30 miles before camping again.3Bureau of Land Management. Camping Some areas have shorter limits or seasonal closures, so check with the local field office before a long trip.
The BLM also runs a handful of developed campgrounds in the state, such as the Atlantic City Campground near South Pass, with fire rings, picnic tables, and vault toilets.2Bureau of Land Management. Wyoming Recreation Opportunities Developed sites may charge a small nightly fee.
Hunting and Fishing
Being on federal public land does not exempt you from Wyoming’s licensing rules. Every hunter needs a valid Wyoming hunting license for the species pursued plus a Wyoming conservation stamp. Anyone born on or after January 1, 1966 must have completed a hunter safety course before hunting with firearms on land other than their own family’s property.4Wyoming Game and Fish Department. What Do I Need to Hunt Fishing requires a valid Wyoming fishing license. Nonresidents pay considerably more than residents for both. Check the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for current fees and draw deadlines.
Target Shooting
Recreational target shooting is generally allowed on BLM land, so long as you shoot safely and don’t damage resources or improvements.5Bureau of Land Management. Recreational Shooting Shooting at or near developed sites — campgrounds, trailheads, picnic areas — is prohibited unless the site is specifically designated for it. Other key limits:
- No shooting from or across roads. Use a solid backstop and know what’s beyond the target.
- No exploding targets, tracer rounds, steel-core rounds, or plastic pellets.
- No attaching targets to plants, trees, signs, or structures. Defacing objects on federal land is a federal offense.
- Pack out every piece of brass, every shell casing, every target, and all trash.
- Some areas close to target shooting during high fire danger.
Violations can bring fines, and resource damage from careless shooting is one of the fastest ways to see an area closed to the activity entirely.5Bureau of Land Management. Recreational Shooting
OHVs, Mountain Bikes, Horses, and Snowmobiles
Motorized and mechanized travel is allowed on designated routes and trails. Cross-country travel off established routes is not permitted unless an area is specifically designated as “OHV open.”6Bureau of Land Management. Off-Highway Vehicles Signs at trailheads and along routes show whether an area is open, limited, or closed to motorized use, and designations change from one management area to the next. The same route rules apply to horses and mountain bikes in many places, so read the signage.
Rockhounding and Mineral Collection
Casual collection of rocks, mineral specimens, and semiprecious gemstones is allowed on most BLM land for personal, noncommercial use. You cannot sell what you collect. Collection is restricted at developed recreation sites, near active mining claims, and where the mineral estate is privately owned.7Bureau of Land Management. Rockhounding on Public Lands Wyoming BLM land is a popular area for jade, agates, and petrified wood.
Fossil Collection
Fossil rules split sharply by what you find. Common invertebrate fossils like trilobites and mollusks, plant fossils, and petrified wood can be collected without a permit for personal use, up to 25 pounds per person per day, using only hand tools and with negligible surface disturbance.8Bureau of Land Management. Can I Collect Fossils You cannot sell or barter anything you collect.
Vertebrate fossils — dinosaur bones, mammal remains, fish, reptiles, and fossil trackways — are off-limits without a research permit. Digging, removing, or even casting vertebrate fossils without authorization is illegal, and the same goes for uncommon invertebrate and plant fossils. If you find something that looks significant, leave it in place and report it to the nearest BLM office.8Bureau of Land Management. Can I Collect Fossils
Firewood
Gathering firewood for your campfire does not require a permit. Harvesting larger quantities to take home does require a permit, and commercial harvesting may require a contract.9Bureau of Land Management. Forest and Wood Product Permits Requirements and fees vary by field office, and some permits can be bought online.
Drones
Flying a drone on BLM land is allowed in most areas, but launch and landing are regulated the same way as off-highway vehicles: you must take off and land on designated routes, not just anywhere on open ground. Drones cannot launch or land in designated wilderness or wilderness study areas. Flying near wildfires is illegal, and temporary flight restrictions during fires can trigger criminal charges. Using a drone to harass wildlife is also a federal violation.10Bureau of Land Management. Drones Do and Don’t Flights above 400 feet may require separate FAA authorization.
When You Need a Special Recreation Permit
Most casual recreation needs no permit. The main exception is organized, commercial, or competitive activity, which requires a Special Recreation Permit (SRP). Since February 2026, the BLM has processed SRP applications under updated categories established by the EXPLORE Act.11Bureau of Land Management. Special Recreation Permits You likely need an SRP if any of these apply:
- You’re charging participants a fee or expect to make money.
- Anyone is being paid to organize, lead, or participate.
- The activity involves a competition, or you’ll be marking a course.
- You plan to advertise the event.
- You’re rafting a river that requires a permit or traveling in designated wilderness.
Do not advertise, collect fees, or begin operations before you have written authorization in hand.11Bureau of Land Management. Special Recreation Permits If you’re unsure whether a group hike or guided fishing trip crosses the line, contact the local BLM office.
Fire Restrictions, Stay Limits, and Trespass
Fire restrictions are the most common seasonal rule. During dry periods, the BLM can prohibit campfires, charcoal grills, and even target shooting across an entire field office area. These restrictions often change with little notice, so check current fire conditions before you go.
Trespass on federal land is taken seriously. Unauthorized use — overstaying the camping limit, building unauthorized structures, extracting minerals without a permit — can draw civil penalties equal to double the applicable rent for willful violations. Knowing and willful trespass can also be prosecuted criminally, with penalties up to $1,000 in fines and 12 months of imprisonment.12eCFR. 43 CFR Part 2800 Subpart 2808 – Trespass Pack out trash, don’t cut standing trees, respect wildlife closures, and leave gates the way you found them.
Finding BLM Land and the Checkerboard Problem
The BLM publishes interactive online maps, downloadable PDFs, and printed surface management maps you can get at field offices. For navigation in the field, apps like onX Hunt or Gaia GPS overlay land ownership on satellite imagery, which is close to a necessity in Wyoming. The checkerboard pattern means you can cross from public to private land with no fence and no sign.
Much of central and southern Wyoming features alternating square-mile sections of public and private land, a grid created when the federal government granted every other section to railroads in the 1860s. You can see BLM land on a map and still have no legal road to reach it, because surrounding sections are privately owned.
“Corner crossing” — stepping diagonally from one public section to another across the shared corner point with private land — has been one of the most contentious access issues in the West. In March 2025, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that private landowners cannot use state trespass law to block corner crossing and deny access to federal public land. As of early 2026, the Wyoming legislature has not updated state law to reflect that ruling, which leaves some practical uncertainty on the ground. Approach corner-crossing situations with caution; local enforcement may not yet track the federal court’s position.
Field Offices
Wyoming has multiple BLM field offices, each managing a different geographic area with its own travel management plans, seasonal closures, and permit requirements. Before visiting unfamiliar BLM land, contact the field office responsible for the area. Staff can confirm current road conditions, fire restrictions, and whether any special rules apply to the specific parcel you plan to use. The BLM Wyoming state office website lists all field office locations and contact information.1Bureau of Land Management. BLM Wyoming