Great Maps for Finding Dispersed Camping Areas

This past camping trip, I got a notification in FB reels of an offering by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

It's a series of maps which show land ownership.  For instance, it shows what Federal/State agency manages an area or if it's private.  No more wondering if you're on public or private land!

Sure, the BLM and other Federal agencies have published maps both online versions and for sale as paper maps for years and years at their field offices.  Sure, there's pay apps that show land ownership.  

But, these new and free maps, not only give you info on who "owns" or manages the land you're looking to camp in, but also shows your position based on GPS!  There's no doubt as to where you are in relation to the land you're exploring.

The maps also are downloaded to your phone and via the listed app, are available offline.  Heck, you can have it running on your phone while driving letting you know who manages the land you're driving by.  

You can zoom in for road/trail details of course once you've decided to explore an area with this app.

It's what I used, with the New Mexico map, to locate a great camping spot about 30 minutes from Truth or Consequences, NM.  The location isn't on iOverlander which is the primary app I use to find reported "wild camping" spots.

The trouble with using a popular app such as iOverlander is that others can use it to find reported spots, sometimes leading to crowding or small sites being occupied and not available to you.

Here's a link to the maps and the app: Field Maps which allow you to explore in a more certain manner for dispersed camping spots.

Free National Mobile Map Package (MMPK) Program

Finally, something really worthwhile for our tax dollars that's easy to access and use.

As stated in the link above, the 18 BLM states, basically the western half of the US are covered.  Plans are to cover all 50 states eventually.

Here's an animated gif on the process of using the app to get the maps:

source: BLM MMPK Program

Given the initial success I enjoyed using it for the first time last month, I'm very confident this will lead me to other sites away from the "maddening" crowds at "known" sites.

I know, I know, more evidence of my anti-social behavior.   Still, being certain I'm on BLM land is very reassuring when setting up camp somewhere I've never been.