Quote Originally Posted by morningland View Post
I looked up the national forest sites but all the camp sites seemed to be 10-20$$$ a piece.
If you are staying in an established campground in a National Forest, then, yes, you will likely pay a small fee. However, the same is true about campgrounds in BLM lands. Not all BLM land is available for camping, and not all camping in BLM lands is free. BLM has campsites that charge a fee, just like other public entities.

What I am talking about is dispersed camping, in other words, camping away from established campgrounds. Sometimes there will be free sites available, but often times you will only have what you bring with you. This is where finding out what is allowed and where is key to making this kind of camping a success.