Empire Ranch Area Dispersed Camping

This place is unreal. It reminds me of African plains. It's a higher elevation grassland that makes you feel like you're anywhere but in Arizona. The area is large. Roads are well-kept. It used to be a huge ranch and now it's owned by the BLM. Cows roam, so be aware. So do antelope and deer.

There's no shade to speak of. You can visit the old ranch headquarters and somtimes there's a doula there to give you a tour. It's interesting for the history.

You can get water at the headquarters and they have bathrooms there, but you cannot stay there overnight.

Just south of this area is Sonoita, famous for its wineries. You can hit some of the wineries or breweries and do some tasting.

The area is just stunning, and the elevation is higher than Tucson so if you're looking for some cooler temps, you'll find them here.

Big sites spread out. There are not many places and that's ok. Looks like local weekenders come with ATV"s. We found a nice spot at the junction of a couple roads. Past the ranch, not in the group site. Noisy ATVs and the threat of snow made us move away however we would come back and spend several days. Beautiful views, we pent the evening observing the hawks hunting.

Perfect little spot if you're looking for a place to get away from the city has vault toilets also there is water available at the actual empire ranch foundation

Really neat spot. Have been here two days so far and so far only two people on horseback on the road. Road should be ok, just take your time. Plenty of firewood and a nice “fire ring”..