Are camp stoves allowed in Stage 1 and Stage 2 fire restrictions?

Yes, if the stove burns gas or liquid petroleum fuel and can be turned off. Canister, white gas and propane stoves are allowed in Stage 1 and Stage 2 on every order checked here, usually with 3 feet (about 1 metre) of bare ground around them. Wood stoves, twig stoves and charcoal are not, outside a few narrow Stage 1 exceptions. Propane fire pits depend on one word in the order.

What Stage 1 and Stage 2 fire restrictions mean#

A fire restriction is a temporary order from whoever manages the land. It bans some uses of fire while the fire danger is high. On national forests, each forest writes its own order under federal rule 36 CFR 261.50. The orders cite 36 CFR 261.52(a) for the fire ban itself. States and counties use their own laws.

Most agencies use two steps, and some add a third.

• Stage 1 bans campfires except in a fire ring the agency built, in a developed campground or picnic area. Stoves are allowed with conditions.
• Stage 2 bans all campfires, even in campgrounds. A short list of devices is exempt.
• Closure shuts an area, or bans almost every flame in it. Wyoming's rule bans portable stoves at this stage.

Every order has two parts that matter for cooking. The prohibitions say what you may not do. The exemptions (or exceptions) say which devices still pass. The exemption is where the stove rule lives.

Three terms from those exemptions decide everything below.

Liquid petroleum means liquid fuel refined from oil: white gas (Coleman fuel), kerosene and unleaded gasoline (which stoves take which is in can you use unleaded gas in a Coleman stove). LPG, liquefied petroleum gas, is "primarily propane, normal butane, and isobutane", in the US Energy Information Administration's words. So the screw-on canisters for backpacking stoves, the green 1 lb cylinders and the 20 lb tank are all LPG.

Shut-off valve (or "can be turned on and off") means you can stop the flame by closing the fuel supply. A canister stove's control knob is one. A white gas stove's control valve is one. An open alcohol cup has none: once lit, it burns until the fuel runs out, as camping stove types compared notes.

Developed recreation site means a campground or picnic area the agency runs, with fire rings or grills it installed. Dispersed camping is anywhere else: a pull-off on a forest road, a backcountry site. Most Stage 1 rules treat the two very differently.

What each agency's rule says, word for word#

The rule on stoves sounds the same everywhere. The wording is not, and the gaps are what catch people out.

Idaho. The Idaho Department of Lands page is the plainest rule here: "Any stove fueled solely by liquid petroleum (i.e. gas, white gas fuel etc.) or liquid petroleum gas (LPG) (i.e. propane, etc.) fuel is OK under both Stage 1 and Stage 2." It states no valve rule and no cleared distance. On wood it is just as plain: "Stoves fueled by wood that are not being used in a building or vehicle are prohibited under both Stage 1 and Stage 2." Its Stage 2 ban covers "a fire, campfire (wood or gas fueled), or stove fire". Its Stage 1 text does not mention gas fire pits.

Wyoming. The state rule, 060-9 Wyo. Code R. § 9-8, sets the stages for county fire restrictions on county and private land outside towns. In Stage 1 it permits "portable stoves, lanterns using gas, jellied petroleum, pressurized liquid fuel or fully enclosed (sheepherder type) stove" in "a cleared radius of 15ft of burnable materials". That is 4.6 metres, the widest clearance on this page. In Stage 2 it permits only "Devices using pressurized liquid or gas (stoves, grills or lanterns) that include shut-off valves", used "at least three feet or more from flammable material such as grasses or pine needles". Jellied fuel and the sheepherder stove drop out at Stage 2. Under a closure, "portable stoves, lanterns using gas ... pressurized liquid fuel" are banned outright.

New Mexico. The interagency NM Fire Info page lists the standard Stage I text. It bans fire, campfire, "charcoal, coal, or wood stove" outside a developed or improved site. It allows "petroleum-fueled stoves, lanterns or heating devices providing such devices meet the fire underwriter's specifications for safety". The page does not say which specification that is; the Lincoln National Forest's 2025 Stage 1 release puts it as "manufacturer's safety specifications" plus "on/off switches". Gas fire pits are not mentioned. The NM Stage II page lists no stove exemption at all and sends you to the land manager.

Carson National Forest, New Mexico. Its 2026 Stage 2 order (03-02-00-26-13) bans "a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal, or wood stove". It exempts "a device solely fueled by liquid petroleum or liquified petroleum gas (LPG) fuels that can be turned on and off". The device must sit where the ground is "barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within 3 feet".

Cibola National Forest, New Mexico. Its 2026 Stage 2 order for the Kiowa and Rita Blanca districts (03-03-07-26-03) words it differently. It exempts "a stove or grill that is solely fueled by pressurized liquid petroleum or pressurized liquid petroleum gas (LPG) fuels". It names no cleared distance and no valve. Its ban covers any fire or stove fire "including charcoal, coal, and briquettes".

Pike-San Isabel National Forests, Colorado. The 2026 Stage 2 order (02-12-00-26-20) bans "a fire, campfire, charcoal barbecue, or grill, except if using a device solely fueled by liquid or gas that can be turned on and off". It needs 3 ft cleared. The Stage 1 order that followed (02-12-00-26-37) keeps the same gas device rule. Other fires, "including fires fueled by charcoal or briquettes", go only in a permanent Forest Service fire pit or grate at a developed site, or in one kind of enclosed wood stove, covered below.

California. On the Eldorado National Forest, Stage 1 means wood and charcoal fires only in designated developed campgrounds. Stage 2 means "No Fires are allowed in the forest including the campgrounds." In both, "Gas stoves and lanterns can be used in the forest only when in possession of a valid Campfire Permit." The California Campfire Permit is free, lasts until 31 December, and is needed for "portable stoves (gas)" on federal land. It is valid on BLM land and in national forests in northern California and the Sierra Nevada, and "generally" not needed in developed campgrounds. Southern California forests set their own rules.

The table: each stove type under each order#

Each cell restates a ruling made above, from the text named in the first column. "Not named" means the exemption lists device types and this one is not among them.

Propane fire pits: the one that splits the agencies#

A propane fire pit (also sold as a portable propane campfire or fire ring) is a metal bowl or ring with a gas burner and fake logs or lava rock. It runs from a 1 lb propane cylinder or a 20 lb tank, through a valve. "Can you still use a portable propane fire ring?" is how one Colorado camper put it on Overland Bound in 2020, during Stage 1.

The answer turns on how the exemption names the device.

• "A device ... that can be turned on and off" (Carson, Pike-San Isabel). A gas fire pit is a device. It burns only gas. It turns off. On the words of these orders it passes, in both stages, with 3 ft cleared.
• "A stove or grill" (Cibola), "stoves, grills or lanterns" (Wyoming Stage 2) or "portable stoves, lanterns" (Wyoming Stage 1). A fire pit is none of those, so the text does not name it. Wyoming also defines a campfire as "any fire kindled for warmth, cooking, light", and its Stage 2 bans all campfires.
• "Campfire (wood or gas fueled)" (Idaho Stage 2). This names gas campfires as banned. A propane fire pit is a gas-fueled campfire.
• "Gas stoves and lanterns" (Eldorado). Fire pits are not on the list.

Where the order is silent or names only stoves, do not light it. Call the ranger district and ask about a gas fire pit by name.

Wood, twig and charcoal stoves#

A twig stove (or wood-burning backpacking stove) burns sticks picked up near camp. A Solo Stove-style fire pit is a larger steel can with double walls that burns wood with less smoke. Neither has a valve or can be turned off, and both leave hot embers.

That is why every text here treats them as a campfire, not a stove. Idaho bans wood stoves in both stages unless used in a building or vehicle. It adds that "personally owned charcoal grills, fire pans, wood or charcoal fueled 'sheep herder' stoves" are restricted on land you do not own in Stage 1. It also bans sheepherder stoves in wall tents, because a tent is not a building. A metal fire pan is not an agency fire structure either, even in a campground.

Two Stage 1 texts allow a wood stove, and both mean something you will not carry in a pack.

• Pike-San Isabel allows "a fully enclosed metal stove with a chimney at least five feet in length and a mesh screen spark arrestor with a screen opening of a ¼ inch or less", with 10 ft cleared. A tent stove can be built that way. An open-topped Solo Stove pit or a backpacking twig stove cannot.
• Wyoming permits a "fully enclosed (sheepherder type) stove" in a 15 ft cleared radius in Stage 1, on county and private land. It drops out in Stage 2.

Charcoal follows the campfire rule everywhere here. Idaho explains why: grills "hold heat long period of time", tip over, and throw embers. Wyoming's Stage 1 alone allows "Charcoal fires within enclosed grills". Where a campground ring is still open in Stage 1, the wood has its own rules: a growing list of states accept only certified heat-treated firewood, as bringing firewood across state lines sets out.

Alcohol stoves, gel fuel and fuel tablets#

Alcohol (denatured alcohol, methanol) is not a petroleum fuel, and a typical alcohol cup has no valve. Idaho names "liquid petroleum" and LPG only. Carson and Pike-San Isabel name liquid or gas fuel that "can be turned on and off". New Mexico names "petroleum-fueled" stoves. None of these texts exempts an alcohol stove.

Jellied petroleum (gel fuel cans) appears in one text: Wyoming's Stage 1 list, with 15 ft cleared. It is gone from Wyoming's Stage 2 list, which needs a shut-off valve.

Solid fuel tablets (hexamine) are neither liquid nor gas. No exemption here covers them.

If you cook on alcohol or tablets, bring a canister stove instead. The fuel arithmetic for that swap is in how much stove fuel to carry.

A worked case: one road trip, two forests, three devices#

Suppose a camper plans a trip in early September 2026. The first nights are on the Pike-San Isabel in Colorado, under Stage 1 order 02-12-00-26-37. The last nights are on the Carson in northern New Mexico, under Stage 2 order 03-02-00-26-13. Assume both orders are still in force as written. The camper packs a canister stove, a propane fire ring on a 1 lb cylinder, and a wood-burning twig stove. All camps are dispersed.

Worked through the two orders:

1. Canister stove, Pike-San Isabel. It burns only gas and turns off, so it passes under item 1(b). The camper clears 3 ft around it first.
2. Propane fire ring, Pike-San Isabel. The ring is "a device solely fueled by liquid or gas that can be turned on and off". It passes on the same terms.
3. Twig stove, Pike-San Isabel. It is neither in an agency fire pit nor a fully enclosed chimney stove. It stays packed.
4. Canister stove, Carson. Canister gas is LPG, and the stove turns off. It passes, with 3 ft cleared of "overhead and surrounding" flammables, so no low branches above it.
5. Propane fire ring, Carson. The order exempts "a device", not only a stove. On the order's words it passes. For certainty, the camper calls the supervisor's office number printed on the order.
6. Twig stove, Carson. Item 1 bans a "wood stove" outright. It stays packed.

Now move the last nights to Idaho, under Stage 2. Steps 1 and 4 still pass: the stove burns LPG. The fire ring fails, because Idaho bans a "campfire (wood or gas fueled)". The same ring, same cylinder, same week, goes from allowed to banned at a state line.

Check this before you light anything#

Five checks, in order.

1. Find out who manages the land. National forest, BLM, state, county and private land each have their own order.
2. Get the order itself, not a summary. Federal orders carry a number (for example 02-12-00-26-37), an effective date and an end date. Read the prohibitions, then the exemptions.
3. Match your device to the exemption's words. "Device", "stove or grill" and "stoves, grills or lanterns" are different lists. If your device is not named, do not assume it is covered.
4. Measure the clearance. Three feet is about one long stride; Wyoming's Stage 1 needs 15 ft. Clear to bare soil or rock, and look up for branches.
5. In California, carry the permit. Eldorado says gas stoves need it "in possession", so a copy at home does not count.

Common mistakes#

Reading "propane is fine" as "any propane device is fine". The exemption covers the device it names, and Idaho's Stage 2 bans gas-fueled campfires.

Bringing a Solo Stove because it is "smokeless". Less smoke is not the test. The test is wood, embers and no shut-off. No text here exempts an open wood-burning pit.

Setting the stove on duff. Pine needles and dry grass are exactly what Wyoming names as "flammable material". Carson and Pike-San Isabel want the 3 ft "barren or cleared".

Packing up the fire ring while it is hot. On Overland Bound, one camper pointed out that closing the valve kills the flame, but "the metal ring is plenty hot enough to start a twig or leaf on fire". Let it cool on bare ground.

What this answer does not cover#

This page reads eight texts: two state rules, one interagency summary, four 2026 national forest orders and one forest permit page. It is not a list of what is in force today. Orders start, change and end through the season. The Carson and Cibola orders above are past their end dates, and the Pike-San Isabel order runs to 14 November 2026 unless rescinded. BLM, National Park Service, tribal and state park orders were not checked, and they may word the exemption differently. Wyoming's rule defines its area as county and private land; federal land there has its own orders, which were not checked. Where a cell says "fits the wording", that is a reading of the order, not an agency ruling; a call to the district settles it. Violating a federal order is a Class B misdemeanor, with fines up to $5,000 for a person, and the orders also allow up to six months in jail. Allowed does not mean safe: a stove can still start a fire, and a campfire's spacing rules are in how far a tent should be from a campfire. Before you light anything, confirm the current order for the exact place you are camping.

Frequently asked questions#

Can you use a camp stove during Stage 1 fire restrictions?#

Yes, if it burns gas or liquid petroleum fuel and has a valve that turns it off. Idaho allows any stove fueled solely by liquid petroleum or LPG in Stage 1. Wyoming's county rule wants a 15 ft cleared radius. National forest orders such as Pike-San Isabel's want 3 ft cleared. In California you also need a free California Campfire Permit outside developed campgrounds.

Can you use a propane or canister stove during Stage 2 fire restrictions?#

Yes, on every Stage 2 order and state rule checked here. Canister gas (isobutane and propane) is LPG, like a propane tank. Idaho says LPG stoves are "OK under both Stage 1 and Stage 2". Carson and Pike-San Isabel exempt liquid or gas devices "that can be turned on and off", with 3 ft of cleared ground. Wyoming's rule requires a shut-off valve and 3 ft from flammables. A full closure can ban stoves too.

Can you use a propane fire pit during fire restrictions?#

It depends on the order's wording. Pike-San Isabel and Carson exempt any liquid or gas "device" that turns on and off, so a propane fire pit fits, with 3 ft cleared. Idaho's Stage 2 bans a "campfire (wood or gas fueled)". Cibola names only a "stove or grill". If the order does not name it, ask the ranger district first.

Is a Solo Stove allowed during fire restrictions?#

Not in any stage checked here, outside a few campground cases. A Solo Stove-style pit or twig stove burns wood and cannot be turned off. Idaho bans wood stoves in both stages outside a building or vehicle. Stage 1 texts in New Mexico, Colorado and California allow wood fires only at developed sites, plus fully enclosed chimney stoves on Pike-San Isabel. Stage 2 bans them everywhere.

Are alcohol stoves allowed during fire restrictions?#

None of the texts checked here exempts them. Idaho exempts liquid petroleum and LPG stoves, and alcohol is not a petroleum fuel. Carson and Pike-San Isabel exempt devices that "can be turned on and off", and a typical alcohol stove has no valve. New Mexico names petroleum-fueled stoves. Carry a canister or white gas stove instead when restrictions are on.

Do you need a permit to use a camp stove in California?#

On national forest and BLM land outside developed campgrounds, yes: a California Campfire Permit. It is free, signed by someone 18 or older, and valid until 31 December. It covers wood fires, charcoal and gas stoves where they are allowed. Eldorado National Forest says gas stoves need it in Stage 1 and Stage 2. Southern California forests set their own rules.