OnX Offroad Adds Dispersed Camping Layer To Navigation App

If you’re a fan of dispersed camping on public lands when you’re out wheeling or overlanding, onX has a new feature that’ll grab your attention. The company has unveiled an industry-first motorized Dispersed Camping Layer for its onX Offroad mapping and navigation tool. This feature makes finding a camping area within U.S. National Forest Service land quick and easy.

A Better Way To Find Dispersed Camping Areas

Dispersed camping is the practice of setting up camp on public lands outside of established campgrounds or developed sites. Recently, its popularity has surged as people seek more remote and private camping experiences. Another major draw is the freedom to camp without reservations.

Before the introduction of the new onX Offroad layer, campers had only two main tools for locating motorized dispersed camping areas. They could either reference official Forest Service PDFs—reliable but static and non-interactive—or rely on apps with user-generated information, which offered varying levels of accuracy. Neither option allowed users to view camping information alongside a planned route or within a navigation app. As a result, campers often had to piece together fragmented information, which could lead to confusion about legal access and site availability.

Dispersed Camping Will Update To Nationwide Coverage In Early July

The new onX camping layer is available exclusively to onX Offroad Premium and Elite subscribers. It includes nearly 140,000 miles of roads and trails within the U.S. National Forest System where camping is permitted. When activated, the layer highlights eligible segments in bright yellow. Users can click on specific roads or trails to access detailed, location-specific regulations.

Currently, this layer covers vehicle-accessible corridors on U.S. Forest Service lands across eleven states: Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. However, onX told us that it will extend the Dispersed Camping Layer to National Forests nationwide in early July 2025.

Developed With Input From Land Managers

Chris Cordes, onX Offroad Content Manger, notes that the Dispersed Camping Layer also serves to minimize environmental impact. “We’re thrilled to introduce a powerful solution that addresses a real challenge our community faces. To develop the layer, we asked land managers how we could better equip outdoor enthusiasts to access dispersed camping areas and reduce their collective impact on public lands. By highlighting all the legal camping corridors, instead of pinpointing a limited number of marked sites, the layer helps users spread out which helps disperse the environmental impact seen on popular sites pinned in other products. That’s a win for land managers. It’s also a win for outdoor enthusiasts, who, by spreading out, are finding the solitude they seek and simultaneously helping conserve outdoor destinations.”