Dartmoor National Park in England, United Kingdom - map and visitor information

Research checked: 2026-10-24. Check linked official notices before travel.

Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England, United Kingdom, combines granite tors, open moorland, river valleys, and evidence of prehistoric settlement. Start with a visitor center or a defined walking route if this is your first visit. Overnight backpack camping is possible only in specified areas under a detailed code; it is not permission to camp anywhere on the moor.

Highlights of Dartmoor

• Granite tors: explore the rocky landmarks that define the moor, using a route appropriate to your navigation skills.
• Postbridge: visit the national park center for local advice and displays about Bronze Age discoveries at Whitehorse Hill.
• Historic landscapes: look for evidence of settlements, field systems, and earlier use of the moor without disturbing archaeological remains.

Plan for open moorland and changing access

Fees, hours, and seasonal access

Weather, navigation, and live firing

Carry suitable clothing, water, a map, compass, and flashlight. Check the forecast and daylight before setting out. Choose a shorter walk or turn back when conditions exceed your skills. Mobile coverage is unreliable, so do not depend on a phone alone for navigation.

Before entering a range area, check the current Ministry of Defence firing notices. Red flags by day and red lamps by night indicate live firing. Do not cross the marked range boundary when these signals are displayed. Never touch military debris.

Protect animals and the working moor

Dartmoor’s free-roaming ponies have owners. Do not feed or approach them. Keep dogs controlled and on a leash around livestock and during lambing and ground-nesting bird season. Take litter and dog-waste bags home. Keep vehicles clear of gates, verges, and access routes.

Backpack camping and established campsites

Check the authority’s interactive camping map before choosing a pitch. Only the areas shown for backpack camping allow this activity without prior landowner approval. Map permission does not override a firing-range closure.

The backpack camping code covers small, lightweight tents carried as part of a walking expedition, for one or two nights. Camp out of sight of roads and buildings. Groups must have no more than six people. Do not light fires or barbecues. Remove all litter and avoid polluting streams.

Large tents, vehicle-based stays, campervans, and motorhomes need established campsites. Overnight sleeping in roadside vehicles or parking lots is prohibited under the national park byelaws. Read the full camping code and book a suitable campsite if you need toilets or other services.

Maps, location, and road access

For Postbridge Visitor Centre, leave the B3212 between Moretonhampstead and Two Bridges and follow brown signs into the parking lot, PL20 6TH. Select a destination before following a general Dartmoor map pin. A public road or national park boundary does not grant access to every adjoining piece of land.

Use detailed walking maps that show rights of way and access land. Cyclists must use public bridleways or designated routes on open moorland and common land rather than riding freely across it.

Nearby protected landscapes by road

Tamar Valley National Landscape, on the Devon–Cornwall border, is a practical next stop from western Dartmoor. South Devon National Landscape offers estuaries and coast beyond the park’s southern side. Both have separate destinations and access arrangements; select a particular walk or village before setting off.

Walk, explore archaeology, or visit Postbridge

A defined short walk offers a manageable introduction to the tors and moorland. Longer cross-country routes need navigation skills as well as fitness. Keep cycling to routes where it is permitted.

Use the local route advice at Postbridge to connect a visit to the exhibits with a suitable nearby walk.

Postbridge visitor services and mobility equipment

The Postbridge visitor center provides information, exhibitions, and Tramper hire for a Bellever Forest route. Ask about current forestry closures and equipment arrangements before relying on that route.

About Dartmoor National Park

Archaeology across a lived-in landscape

Dartmoor preserves evidence of prehistoric settlements alongside later farming and industry. The Whitehorse Hill burial discoveries, excavated in 2011, include unusually preserved organic material.

Moorland habitats and grazing animals

Open moorland and river valleys form different habitats within the park. Grazing ponies, sheep, and cattle are part of a working landscape rather than animals to feed. During the March 1–July 31 bird-breeding season, give nesting areas extra space.

Visitor information at Postbridge

Postbridge National Park Visitor Centre, off the B3212, PL20 6TH. Phone: +44 1822 880272. Email: [email protected].