Forest Road 525 Dispersed Site - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

Corroborate the most recent reviews. Giving it a 3 becuz we've had such gr8 times there and last time showed up at nite to discover all the spread out dispersed sites were now mining claims but we stayed anyway. Not all the sites have signs stating (as of Aug 22) the mining claim, but are blocked off by rocks. Def a hassle to park so far away from where u would wanna camp. Obvs ur own discretion. Did prompt some reading on mining claims on federal land blm land and it seems pretty screwed. Jus the thought they might be destroying this beautiful location for whatever mining purpose, also not good cuz it's so close to ancient cliff dwellings. Truly still wildin in the west when it comes to mining.

If yes, than this is the place for you! Public lands my arse - all sites are now closed off and about 4 pull outs for everyone to pile into. Want your dog to run and have fun? fagetaboutit.

This place use to be epic. Now all the dispersed sites are closed leaving 4 big rv lots. No camp fires. You’re better off camping in a Walmart parking lot.

They have closed dozens of individual tent campsites with large boulders, restricting access to them. This road now has a total of 3-4 large RV camp sites. Not worth it.

I stopped here on my way through Sedona after seeing other sites completely full. It did afford the space I was looking for from other campers, which was great.

There is a fair deal of highway noise coming from nearby 89A, and unfortunately a good deal of trash. The site next to mine was completely trashed, and honestly non-discernible from a camp site or a long-term resident site.

The area is fun to mountain bike or off-road vehicle ride.

We found two decent sites here. One had really great views but was pretty windy and dusty. The other one had a ton of trash and cigarette butts. Lots of OHV noise. Close to Sedona, but we found Sedona to be very overrated. Some pretty hiking but very crowded, expensive, and touristy. Definitely would not return!

We stopped here for the night after spending all day in Sedona.  Sedona turned out to be incredibly crowded and busy when we were there, and there was no room for us anywhere even to pull over and park somewhere.  Definitely not the mystical healing relaxing place I'd heard so much about.

We thought at least if Sedona was a disappointment, hopefully the surrounding dispersed camping land would be beautiful.  However, all the Forest Service land surrounding Sedona that we thought would be great to boondock on had roads that were way too rough and rutted for us in our 26ft motorhome.

So we stopped here at this spot for the night, at the very beginning of FS Rd 525 (Loy Butte Rd), along with lots of other RVs and vans and busses, and left first thing in the morning.  The area was really crowded, but we were pleasantly surprised at how quiet and respectful everyone staying here was. 

Good cell reception.

It is dusty in the area however, it is super quiet and close to Sedona. There are amazing views especially when a storm is coming through. 360 panoramic views. One side is sunny and the other stormy. Occasional hot air balloons float the area. Quite the sight. Lots of pull off places for all sized rigs.

It's dusty, but quiet, remote, beautiful and you will never be alone. This place is very popular with van life, RV life, you name it. 2nd night here, if you're exploring Sedona, it's a free place to camp for 14 days.

Great roads and whatnot sadly they closed a Ton of really nice spots. Space for a 40ft bus right off one of the access roads. Not too bad.

This area has many places to park just off the main road. We have a skoolie and could avoid the bumps and holes to get a spot. There were about 15 other vehicles in our spot and we could see others along the road. Pros. Beautiful views, close to a main road, convenient to Sedona and state parks Cons. Crowded, lots of off road vehicles and trucks going too fast and covering you with dust while sitting at the fire, no trash and or anything else, it makes sense but people pulled in after 10pm and some left at 5am so it’s not super relaxing. Overall, it was safe and an easy way to visit the area if you need a place to sleep.

This place is very convenient to being just outside of Sedona. Lots of places to pull off. Certainly will have plenty of fellow dispersed folks. It's maintained well enough you have large campers, so if you want to get away a bit more I'd suggest going deeper down 525 after it splits.

The road is easy and gets a little rougher the further you go back. We camped way back at the red canyon lookout. We tried to get to the Bradshaw Ranch but the road got to rough for my sprinter 4x4, I would have done it in my jeep. Once you get to the hill before the "Red Canyon Look Out", I probably wouldn't try it unless you have some clearance and at least all wheel drive.

Whenever my boyfriend and I don’t want to spend the time looking for another campground or need one to fall back on, this is the place! We have camped here multiple times during various seasons. Very open, free, breath taking views. The beginning is easy to get into but the deeper you get on the road I would recommend 4WD.

Spent the better part of a week at a group site near the beginning of FR525. Road access near the highway entrance is fair, but gets significantly rougher the farther north you head. Rigs with lower clearance proceed with caution. Verizon cell service was low to fair, with some periods of no service. Sites overall were fair, with more group sites towardsthe entrance and more individual sites farther north. Not extremely level in most places, but leveling blocks help. 15 minutes from downtown Sedona and a bunch of great hikes. If visiting the area in the future I would stay again.

Wake up to hot air balloons floating in every direction. There are two main roads that have several pull offs along the way and a roundabout for scoolies, larger RVs or groups. Lots of ATVs also use this land. Apple Maps said the road was closed, but as of December, that was not the case.