Beautiful and Alone
There are many dispersed areas around Sunset Crater Volcano NM. I stayed off FS road 545B. There was a meadow nearby with a lot of Ponderosa pines. FS 545B is the first road to the left as you leave route 89 heading toward SCVNM. Only one here. If you stop by the SCVNM visitor center, ask the ranger for a map of dispersed camping. Very helpful. Shows lots of options. The FS dirt road is a little challenging, but I got through it in my campervan without going into 4-wheel drive. Might be a different story if it's muddy.
Month of VisitJanuary