Location is near Park Link Drive - S. Cattle Tanks Road BLM

Cactus Forest Dispersed

We were surprised on the number of people who ventured out to this BLM spot off Park Link Road in the Cactus Forest over a rainy weekend in Tucson. 

The first dozen dispersed spots were full with camper vans, small trailers and trucks. We continued to drive down the gravel dirt road to a more secluded spot. We didn’t see anyone in our one-night stay beside a mountain biker in the morning. 

Even though It was raining in the area for about 24 hours before we travelled to the campsite, we didn’t have any issues navigating the 1.5 miles down to the site  we chose. The truck has some mud in it and the 4x4 wasn’t needed (but made it easier). I would recommend a high clearance vehicle to reach the further back spots. Also, the road was narrow, our F250 brushed a few bushes on the way. 

Most dispersed sites had a fire ring (check locally fire conditions first). I’d suggest bringing in fire wood unless you just want to burn the few fallen twig and limbs. It’s a cactus forest- so the terrain is mostly saguaros, chollas, Palo verde trees and shrubs. 

Our site had a beautiful view of the sunset and a view of Picacho Peak in the distance. We visited in February and the weather was nice (on the chilly side) for our roof top tent. I wouldn’t come here in the summer unless we had a rig with air conditioning. Impressive view of the stars at night. Some traffic noise from I-10. 

No water, toilets, or trash. So be prepared to take out what you bring in. We had 2 bars of LTE slcell service with T-Mobile. 

It’s BLM land close to Tucson, so locals use the area for gun target practice. We heard gun shots until the sunset and starting again the morning. It was basically non-stop. If you want a place to shoot, this would be a good spot to camp. 

🌵 Saguaro Facts: Saguaros can live to be 150-200 years old and grow as tall at 40 feet. A 10 year old saguaro Is about 1.5 inches tall (please watch where you drive, park and step). At 80 years old, it’s around 6 feet tall and starts to bloom. The best time to see saguaro blooms is mid-May through mid-June. At age 95-100, it’s around 15 feet tall and starts to grow it’s first arm. 🌵

Feels secluded, but close to I-10 and Tucson

My only advice here is that it’s not fun for dogs. (And maybe not fun for kids either?) It’s incredibly prickly everywhere. Imagine that, prickly in the cactus forest? You’ll want to avoid wearing sandals too. (I found myself with a piece of a cactus stuck to my foot and then when trying to remove it I got my hand stuck to the cactus that was stuck to my foot. Tools were required. Pain, lots of pain.) Seriously, NO SANDALS. 
But! PROS: the saguaro cactus are huge and impressive. We really enjoyed driving through this area at sunset and seeing all the iconic cactus. But then our overnight of camping on this random BLM land was just hours of dodging prickles.  It’s quite an interesting place, but fair warning, is prickly. Act accordingly. 

Adults only?

Really cool place tucked away felt like a cactus tunnel and you can't beat free. Cell service was spotty to non existent. 

Cactus forest indeed

We stayed here in January 2021 during our visit to Saguaro National Park due to previous good reviews. Classic BLM-style camping, meaning no amenities, dispersed, and pack out all waste. 

This campground’s name is quite apt; it is indeed a cactus forest, and a beautiful one at that. However, watch where you step AND where you drive!!!! Some places are hairier than others, but we were very careful for our own safety and for the livelihood of the Saguaros, as young ones are quite tiny and need to be protected. We were traveling with our cat, and we usually let him walk around campsites with us, but decided it was not worth the risk at this campground. I would avise against dogs roaming here as well.

This is a great campground if you are just looking to get away for the weekend or want a quaint, quiet campground amongst incredible Saguaros. However, I personally prefer the BLM Pipeline campground to this one, as it’s more spread out, has less opportunity for cactus stepping, and has a much better proximity to Saguaro NP (especially the East park/Tucson Mountain Park). 

Secluded BLM Camping

Okay BLM site. Campsites are scattered along the dirt road. I have no idea how far the little narrow dirt road goes, but as long as you can find a place to park, I think your good. Quite dense with cactus and many of the sites are kind of pull throughs. Biosphere II is about 28 miles to the east, so it was a good spot to camp at for free and then drive to my tour in the AM. 

Peaceful & Quiet evening.

This is dispursed camping carry  in carry out very remote dirt roads. Would be very difficult for a large Class A or larger Class C. Mostly small campers and tents.😎😁

Dispursed BLM camping among the cactuses 

It’s a nice spot plenty of places to setup. You will probably feel better having a gun as we heard coyotes from 3 directions of us.

Lots of Coyotes

Had no issues finding the place, you can see the campground signage off the paved road when it turns off into the dirt road. A few campers were present on a weekday, had to drive a ways down to find a spot for my trailer, but I did find a great pull through. Only concern is lack of turnaround for big rigs and trailers, and loose sand pockets on some parts of the road which seems to get worse the farther you go. Make sure you power through that sand at speed if you are in a front wheel drive. Scout ahead for turn around. Very quiet night, coyotes abound, as well as cactuses and insects. 

Great Secluded Desert Camping

This dispersed camping area is actually on the Cattle Tanks road south of Park Links road.  The side two- track sandy roads are very narrow and bordered by dense chain fruit cholla plants.  This area is not a good choice for dogs and their owners. Also shooting is in the background like everyday.  Access for TTs down narrow side roads would be risky. 

Dense cactus..bad for dogs!

Beautiful stay. Great views. It is dispersed camping for miles! We were able to find a spot really quick. The coyotes came out at night and people were shooting all day/night by the mountain range but it didn’t bother us! Definitely coming back! :)

Beautiful stay 

It is indeed a cactus forest. I pulled in late 10pm. There were a handful of campers before arriving at an empty space. 20 foot tall cacti were silhouetted against the horizon. There were a few times I could her bursts from automatic rifles but they were pretty far away.

Is what it says it is.

We came out here yesterday to camp but a big storm rolled in. We scouted the area and a lot of the spots have pretty soft sand. If it wasn't starting to storm we would have stayed but with the type of sand there... we were pretty sure our 24 ft TT being pulled by our 2wd truck would have gotten stuck. Besides that it looked beautiful, wish we could have stayed, saguaros and cholla EVERYWHERE as you drive down the road. Looks awesome!

-Youtube: Likely Lost

Looked promising

So incredibly beautiful! Easy to find with the coordinates, roads are tight and you need to drive slow, but you could get in even with low clearance to the spots near the front, you’ll need higher clearance if you keep going down the road.

Incredibly gorgeous, it feels like you’re on another planet. 

Stunning!

It's great to come here and spend some time relaxing and hiking. This area is about 30 minutes away from Rilloto for supplies. Picacho Peak State park is 20 minutes away for hiking. Overall, it is a quiet area with beautiful views.

You turn off a paved road onto a dirt road. The dirt road is well maintained and any kind of camper should be able to navigate. There are plenty of large sites as well as just areas to pull a vehicle through. Tent camping would be great here with all the saguaros. 

The road goes back for about 2 miles and the sites are spaced well. The dirt road was great for a morning run or bike ride. 

There are no services. Pack in, Pack out. Verizon service was good.

Beautiful and relaxing area 

Plenty of space and very quiet. Best for small RVs/Campervans
Gorgeous scenery and Mtns 

Cactus Forest - BLM land

Beautiful Cactus all around. Mountains in the distance. Road a little narrow but I saw great spots all around.

Cactus every where. 

If you want saguaros this is the perfect place for you. Awesome dispersed camping. Watch out for jumping chollas and keep your furry friends close. But breathtaking view all around you!

Saguaro Cactus Wonderland

Beautiful desert spot. Lots of gun fire during the day. Fantastic desert sunsets 🌇. 

Beauty and gunfire. 

For a girl born in the Midwest, this campground was amazing to wake up to. Saguaros everywhere! Plenty of sites big and small, decent road, fire rings, plenty of privacy. 