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Camping

Established Camping

Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument

Bonito Campground, near Flagstaff, Arizona, is a fantastic spot for those looking to immerse themselves in nature while being close to the stunning Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. With spacious campsites nestled among tall pine trees, you'll find plenty of room to set up your tent or RV and enjoy the great outdoors.

This campground is known for its clean facilities, including well-maintained bathrooms with flush toilets. Visitors rave about the friendly campground hosts and the peaceful atmosphere, making it a great place to unwind after a day of hiking or biking. One camper noted, “The campsites are very generously spaced so that you feel like you have a place to yourself.”

For adventure seekers, Bonito Campground is perfectly situated for exploring the surrounding area. You can hike through the unique lava fields or take a short drive to Flagstaff for more urban activities. Many campers appreciate the proximity to both Wupatki National Park and the breathtaking views of Humphreys Peak.

While there are no showers or electric hookups, the campground allows fires and pets, making it a cozy spot for families and friends. As one happy camper put it, “This place is great for hiking and biking.” Whether you're just passing through or planning a longer stay, Bonito Campground offers a serene escape into nature.

Description

National Park Service

Coconino National Forest

Overview

Bonito Campground is located 18 miles northeast of Flagstaff, near Sunset Crater/Wupatki National Monument. Elevation is 6,900 feet. Bonito Campground is named for the Bonito Lava Flow which oozed across this high desert plain some 900 years ago. That river of liquid rock, now frozen forever, is just one of the many remnants of volcanic activity which lend an otherwordly appearance to this starkly beautiful place.

Recreation

Hiking, sightseeing, wildlife viewing are popular activities.

Natural Features

Beautiful tall Ponderosa pines are abundant throughout the campground and across nearby ravines and hillsides. Bonito is a restful place to simply relax and enjoy nature.

Nearby Attractions

Also nearby is Wupatki National Monument. The centerpiece of this area is a four story masterpiece of Native American stone masonry. Construction of that stone-age condominium began in about 1120 A.D. At one time it contained as many as 100 rooms and housed as many as 125 people. Both Sunset Crater and Wupatki have visitor centers and feature self-guided as well as interpreter guided. The entrance to Sunset Crater National Park is adjacent to the campground. The Visitor's Center provides much information on the geological history of the area. You can enjoy learning about the Native Americans who populated the area as you wander through the nearby Walnut Canyon National Monument. The historic downtown section in nearby Flagstaff will provide a glimpse into the early days of the city's past.

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (928) 774-9671.

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Location

Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument is located in Arizona

Detail location of campground

Directions

Drive 12 miles northeast of Flagstaff on US 89. Turn east (right) on FR 545 (toward Sunset Crater) and drive 2 miles to Bonito Campground. Campground entrance is just before the entrance station of Sunset Crater National Monument

Address

BONITO CAMPGROUND FR 545
Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Coordinates

35.370429 N
111.543602 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Hike-In
    Backcountry sites.
  • Boat-In
    Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Good
  • Verizon
    Unknown
  • AT&T
    Unknown
  • T-Mobile
    Fair

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group

Features

For Campers

  • Market
  • Trash
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Big Rig Friendly

Drive Time


Reviews

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5.0

out of 5

12 Reviews

Reviewed Jun. 1, 2024

Wonderful surprise!

I reserved this spot last minute as I changed my route from Page to I-40 and I'm so very glad I did. Breathtakingly beautiful. There is a charge to enter the Monument as it's separate from the campground, but it's totally worth it. Lovely visitor's center and kind staff. Be sure to take some of the hikes through the lava fields. The camp itself was clean with well-spaced lots. No fires allowed when I was there, but that was not a problem. It was cold even in May, so come prepared. One of my favorite campsites.

Site#28 Bonito Campground
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Donna H., June 1, 2024
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Donna H., June 1, 2024
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Donna H., June 1, 2024
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Feb. 17, 2024

Closed in the winter!

Looks like a great place, very pretty. It is closed when we came through mid-February.

Month of VisitFebruary
Reviewed Jun. 13, 2023

Great place to stay!

This campsite is a gem! It’s located about 2 hours from the Grand Canyon, and only about 15-20 minutes away from Flagstaff! Campsites were very clean and had lots of tree coverage. Costs about $30 a night here. The campground managers were extremely kind and very friendly. Awesome staff here! No showers but there are clean bathrooms. However please note that there is NO CELL SERVICE here until you leave the park (if you needed any at all). Other than that it was a great campsite!

Site06
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Oct. 22, 2021

Great for a one night stopover

Clean restrooms, well spaced paved spots. Convenient to the highway but no road noise. Several generators running when we pulled in, but shut off at a reasonable hour.

Site21
Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Cathy C., October 22, 2021
Reviewed Jul. 19, 2021

Relaxing!

This is a beautiful place right across the street from Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. The campsites are very generously spaced so that you feel like you have a place to yourself. The campground host is very friendly and helpful, bathrooms have flush toilets and are very clean. Plenty of shade under lots tall pine trees. I arrived at about 1 PM on a Saturday afternoon and there were plenty of spaces to choose from. Sites 1- through 22 are reservable and 23 through 44 are first come first serve.

Site44
Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed May. 12, 2021

Pine Tree Delight

Large well dispersed campground covered in pine trees with no undergrowth. Excellent road biking and off-road biking options. Really cool volcanic formations.

Site93
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by John H., May 12, 2021
Reviewed Oct. 26, 2020

Quiet camping next door to Sunset Crater

This first come first serve campsite was $27 per night (Cash, no cards) and had about 6 spots open out of 44 as we pulled up 3 pm on a Sunday.  Hosts were kind and accommodating.  Every site had a concrete table, fire pit and grill and all sites are close to a real bathroom, no pit toilets.  Very quiet and peaceful just a short drive from Flagstaff, we will be back!

Site17
Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Allison L., October 26, 2020
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Allison L., October 26, 2020
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Allison L., October 26, 2020
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Jun. 10, 2020

Possibly our most favorite place in AZ!

Tucked right in off the 89 20 miles from Flagstff - you're in a great place with being right by both Wupatki National Park and you can hike right there and also up to O'Leary's Peak. Also have amazing views of the massive peaks of Humphreys peak right in view to the West.

This place is great for hiking and biking.

Deep in the trees always seeing wildlife. Also as a bonus you see lava feilds everywhere from the volcano activty that occured hundreds of years ago.

Bathrooms are very clean - you obtain a spot on a first come basis - cannot reserve.

All in all we've camped in this place several times over the summer for the last 8 years. The grounds support all types of camping and does provide water. It's a VERY special way to enjoy the pure beauty that the summertime in Flag brings out..!

SiteThey are all good!
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Brad B., June 10, 2020
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Brad B., June 10, 2020
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Brad B., June 10, 2020
  • (9) View All
Reviewed Feb. 14, 2020

Lava Flow Gallery

We wanted to visit Sunset Crater and we found this campground just across the street from the crater. 

In addition to being able to see this beautiful sunset cone, there are underground lava flows everywhere in this area. We were able to chat with a ranger and explore one (wear layers, it is COLD in them). 

The campsites are large enough for a group of people (8 people) and they have wheelchair accessible camping and picnic tables. 

There is water on site and they have flush toilets in clean bathrooms. We didn't spend much time at the campground itself due to all the exploring we wanted to do, but it worked great and was very quiet for our crew.

  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Hayley K., February 14, 2020
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Hayley K., February 14, 2020
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Hayley K., February 14, 2020
  • (8) View All
Reviewed Jun. 21, 2018

Cleanest Campground Ever!

Thoroughly enjoyed our weekend at Bonito.

The sites were huge and the bathrooms were the nicest/cleanest I’ve seen at any campground.

We brought our two dogs and they loved it but the volcanic rock did start to bother their paws a few days in so I recommend booties.

The rangers came by each day to invite us to whatever program they were running that evening. Nice touch.

Star watching was excellent, even with some light pollution from nearby Flagstaff.

Will definitely be back.

Site29, 30
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Kimberly A., June 21, 2018
  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Kimberly A., June 21, 2018
Reviewed Apr. 5, 2018

Cool temps, big trees in seasonal (May-Oct) campground

I’ve stayed here a number of times and it has been very pleasant. Flies can be a problem, probably due to people dumping dishwater at the sites. Generators can be run any time except 10 pm to 6 am & there are always a couple of generators going and spoiling the tranquility. It is $24 a night, a bit pricey for the facilities but Senior & Access passes get you a 50% discount. No reservations, dry camping, flush toilets. Rigs up to 42’ fit and it is very nice for tent camping. All the details can be found here:https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coconino/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=55072&actid=29

Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Aug. 29, 2016

Bonito-sunset crater

We have camped here often. Large sites in a developed campground under ponderosa pines. Always clean and quiet. Firewood is available onsite from host. Higher elevation just northeast of Flagstaff means cooler temperatures during the warm Arizona summers!

  • Review photo of Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument by Carrie  D., August 29, 2016

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the max vehicle length at Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument?

    Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument allows vehicles up to 42 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument does not have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is unknown, AT&T is unknown, and T-Mobile is fair.

  • How hard is it to get a campsite at Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument?

    Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument, try setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

  • Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument?

    There are 44 campsites at Bonito Campground — Sunset Crater National Monument and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts