West Sedona Designated Dispersed Camping, near Sedona, Arizona, offers a unique camping experience for those looking to immerse themselves in nature. This area is popular for its stunning views and the chance to camp for free, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious adventurers.

The location is known for its beautiful sunrises and sunsets, with many campers enjoying the picturesque scenery. While the area has seen an increase in visitors, some still find spots that provide a sense of privacy among the trees. As one camper noted, “It was awesome - such a great view for sunrise & sunset with free camping.”

Keep in mind that amenities are limited here. There are no restrooms or trash services, so it's essential to pack out what you pack in. Visitors have mentioned the importance of maintaining the area, as litter can detract from the natural beauty. 

For those who enjoy off-roading, the nearby trails offer plenty of opportunities to explore the rugged terrain. Just be prepared for a bit of dust if you're camping close to the road. Whether you're pitching a tent or parking your RV, West Sedona provides a chance to connect with the great outdoors in a breathtaking setting.

No fires or grills allowed at any time.  Charcoal and wood campfires are prohibited. However, stoves and grills operating solely on liquified petroleum gas that can be turned on and off ARE allowed.

These designated sites are the only areas you may camp in within the west Sedona area. Dispersed camping is prohibited outside of these sites.

This camping area is open 24/7 on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a 14-day maximum stay limit. 

Along FR525, there are 5 designated camping areas:

    Surprise (3.72 acres)
    Windmill (1.41 acres)
    Cockscomb (3.23 acres)
    Greasy Spoon (2.47 acres)
    Nolan (11.85 acres)

Across from FR525 is FR89B, which has 2 designated camping areas:

    Javelina (1.24 acres)
    Angel Valley (1.14 acres)

A short distance down Highway 89A from FR 525 is FR9570A, which includes 1 designated camping area:

    Rockview (10.82 acres)

West Sedona Designated Dispersed Camping

Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Coconino National Forest Recreation, AZ is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Coconino National Forest Recreation is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Find the best campgrounds near Coconino National Forest Recreation, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.

Coconino National Forest Recreation

The Best Camping Near Coconino National Forest Recreation, Arizona

Clean, wide open space. 15 min from Sedonas tourist area. Quiet at night. Several had ATVs so not sure how quiet in daytime.

Ample free camping

Wide open dispersed area. Here are some smaller spots cleared and some larger group areas. Cell reception was decent for T-Mobile and AT&amp;T. 

If muddy or raining/snowing make sure you have adequate supplies or off roaring capability. The mud turns to clay. 

Excellent Sedona Camping

Beautiful, scenic, and quiet. Just outside of Sedona and perfect for camping or boondocking. Go about 4 miles in if you come off 89A. There are some really great views plus large turnouts for RVs. We have a 26 ft travel trailer and a F150 2wd and managed the road just fine. A little bumpy in some parts but go slow and you will be fine. Great cell service for Verizon. We had 4 bars which was needed since my husband works remote. 

Great for boondocking

This is a long road with a lot of dispersed camping sites. 

A lot of dispersed camping

Gorgeous views, incredible location. About 10 minutes south of Sedona and 30 minutes south of the West Fork trail. A little noisy; there are Jeep and ATV tours that drive through a few times per hour. Current fire ban.

Beautiful but a little noisy

My friend from Maryland came to visit me here in Arizona, I told him we had to go to Sedona so we decided to camp, I heard about forest road 525 and it exceeded my expectations, never saw more stars in my life and I couldn't believe how close we were to the mountains!

Friend's Personal Tour Guide

We only stayed one night because of the heavy dune buggy traffic. We stayed on a Saturday night so on the weekends, be prepared for lots of people turning up dust on there Polaris and off roaders! If this is up your alley? This spot is perfect for you. We noticed two OHV trails on the way to our spot. 

I would still stay again but definitely during the week. The trick here is to find a tree because the sun, even in late September, is brutal. The stars at night were amazing and it was quiet after 11pm (due to the weekend) 

It’s about 25 minutes to town where all the shops are. Only 12 minutes to Devils bridge trailhead. 

Very active but nice!

Free campsites off the side of the forest road. Pretty secluded and quiet. Some cars driving past throughout the night. Each campsite is spacious with parking and campfire ring. We experienced big red ants in our site. First come, first serve. No reservations accepted. Forest Service officers collect license plate information to make sure you are not staying beyond the 14 days allowed.

Simple free campsite

Stayed here late august 2020, very close to Sedona with easy access, had no problems with a Honda Civic. Great views, and lots of hiking trails nearby as well!

Easy to access dispersed camping

Great place for sleeping under the stars. Also incredibly quiet and peaceful. Went in early October and slept in a truck bed comfortably (with air mattress, sleeping bags and hats). I was surprised by the lack of critters or insects, apart from a few flies. I didn’t even see one ant. Heard some coyotes in the distance. If you go further in, about 5-7 minutes past where the road turns into Loy Butte, and you find a good spot on the east side... you can catch a wonderful view. Watch both the moonrise and the sunrise, and the balloons flying early in the morning. No shade, so don’t expect to hang out on site between 9am and 5pm. 

Best for Stargazing

The camping out here is exceptional! Fairly easy dirt road that goes for miles. I stopped about 5 miles out from 89. I’m also in a low Camaro and the sun was setting. Highly recommend this area for incredible scenery and unlimited stars! 

Dispersed Camping!

This was a great dispersed site - we showed up just before sunset on a Tuesday night and drove about 5 miles in. All of the pull-offs had a few campers so we just chose the least crowded. 

  

Great view of the rolling hillside, clear skies, and close to all your Sedona adventures.

forest road close to town

If you take a left at the second cattle guard and ride a few miles in.. take your pick of some wonderful open campsites with crazy good views of the cliffs nearby. Sedona is too pretty. Some spots have nice big trees for plenty of shade so do consider that before picking a spot!

My only gripe with this place is that during the day there are lots of ATVs riding by so you’ll hear and see them for sure. The turnouts aren’t that far from the main dirt road. Wasn’t a big deal to me since it only happens during daytime but could be annoying to some folks. At night you could see a ton of stars and it was very quiet. 

Definitely a gem of place if you want to experience Sedona in all its majesty. Hit Creekside plaza for some delicious coffee while you’re there too.

Beautiful view of Sedona cliffs.

A fairly short drive out of town gets you nicely way out of town. RVs and trailers were bunched up near the highway as if this was a KOA spot, but if you are willing to go further up the washboarded, but decent dirt road, you will escape most crowds. The road is dusty and the steady stream of OHVs will make you want to find a spot a little further off FS525. Very doable. About 4+ miles in you will get a great panoramic view of the mountains, so don't be afraid to keep driving. As others have said, great stars, not a sound at night and wonderful solitude. You may be awoken to hot air balloons dropping off tourists at sunrise. That was a surprise.

Leave no trace.

A little break from town

There are great spots all along this road. Road is on the rough side but it's very manageable. Views are spectacular! You must go in at least 3+ miles from the main highway, that's where are the views are at. Tmobile and AT&amp;T work just fine out there. There are a couple dead zones within the first mile or two but then it will pick up again. Kids were able to do homework and we were able to stream live tv and Netflix. 

Absolutely Beautiful

Go to the top and find a site as far off road as possible because road dust is heavy from OHVs an cars. Otherwise, 525 is a wonderful place to chill. Cited between Sedona and Cottonwood, every convenience is less than 10 miles away.

Favorité Place

Awesome camping spot. Rough road to get in, had to go deep down the trail to get a spot but nice place for sure 

Great view

We started van life, and this was our first spot. There are so many places to park, it was perfect! Noise levels were minimum. We had a camp fire almost every night. It’s a 15 min drive into town that has a free RV dump station. 10/10 would go again!

Our first spot

First time out here and one of your favorite spots already. Right by the mountains with incredible views and were able to pull our 21’ trailer in with ease. Close to all kinds of hiking and a short drive into town if you need something. There are a ton of spots so keep driving down the road if they’re taken already.

Incredible Views

Took our van up the 525 forest road to a high point with great views towards the west Sedona mountains and the mountains on the SW near Cottonwood. Stayed two nights in the same site, just leaving our camp chairs to mark our spot. There were fire pit so we had a fire one night in an unseasonably warm evening in December. Great sunrises and sunsets. Cell reception was marginal on both Verizon and AT&amp;T.


Awesome area for dispersed camping near Sedona

The road in from Cottonwood is actually easier than the road from Sedona. We tow a travel trailer with a high clearance pickup and did it fine. Amazing views, beautiful area, breathtaking scenery. Fairly close to Sedona if you need to pop into town for supplies. It IS more crowded than I thought, a local ranger in cottonwood warned us “that place is starting to look like an RV park” and he’s not wrong. Limited space available and the road is very busy with rental atvs ripping up and down the road. But still gorgeous. 

Great dispersed camping, beautiful area 

Peaceful and quite place with amazing views (and superb sunrises). It's the perfect spot to explore the area. Originally I pitched up my tent to stay 2 days and on my second day I decided to spend another night and hit another hike. It was a little more crowded with RVs close to the highway and there was much more solitude 3 miles in. Very good cell reception on Mint (which uses T-Mobile network)

Amazing dispersed camping

Forest Service land allowing dispersed camping...however it is getting overwhelmed by big RVs with generators and other  people leaving their trash, feces behind.  Pack it in. Pack it out people before we lose this convenient spot!!  Have stayed here a few times. Amazing views and 8 miles to Sedona.  3 mile ride/hike to trailheads. Loads of hiking, biking and lots of OHV traffic. If you stay here please respect the land and other campers. 

Convenient to MTB trails. Crowded.

We stayed here for a night over the holiday weekend. We were able to find a spot but were within a close distance to other campers. The road had traffic all through the night and during the day there was a lot of atvs and side by sides. Great for dispersed camping if you don’t mind traffic and dust. 

Heavily trafficked 

Stayed here last night for just the night, decent amount of bigger RV’s when you first pull down the road but if you keep going up the dirt road you can find a great secluded spot to set up camp. I went about 3-4 miles down the road and found a great spot on top of a ridge to have a fire and set up our tent. Beautiful view in the morning, and everyone seemed friendly. Good spot. 

Great Dispersed Camping

Sure theirs some nice views, but you have to take turns viewing them. I’ve never seen so many rv’s in one area in the last 3 years of boondocking. If that’s not enough, the atv’s are stirring up a lot of dust. It’s like a little city out in the middle of no where without any amenities. ￼Then again if you don’t mind squeezed in like a sardine, it is free. 

Crowded ! 

Lots of camping sites through out. We camped 3 miles off road. Couldn't really hear the 89A, quiet and clean. Camp sites are marked and designated. Great for big rigs and trailers. We were tenting but enjoyed neighbors with trailers and still had LOTS of space. Not many big trees, enjoyed an Juniper that was big enough for a couple camp chairs. Road was a bit rough in places but for most part our Dodge Van had no problems.  Closer too the historical sites the road gets really rough and sandy. 

Gorgeous Views!

The best dispersed camping options in Sedona Arizona! There are many options off of the main road. It’s a dirt road that has several potholes so be careful if your vehicle is a sedan or lower to the ground. Many of the sites have fire sites and are surrounded by trees for privacy. This is dispersed camping so it’s free, but there are no amenities. We ran our generator at night and had no issues with neighbors. Only a 10 minute drive from the main attractions in Sedona. 

Coconino National Forest, AZ

Lots of sites, if anything the popularity is the only downside. Road fine for any car,  but was hard to avoid bottoming out getting into my camp spot. Will definitely stay here again.

Lots of sites, easy to get to 

I camped here alone and to be specific this was the site I found 34.907012,-111.912714

which was in a busy section with pink jeep tours and ORV but literally so worth it.  I got here in a Prius.  this spot was a bit exposed there are more tucked away further down Bradshaw.

ORV traffic or not, the views are stunning and worth it

This was one of the best views I’ve ever camped at! Spaces were far between and we went deep in past the second cattle guard (34.9268502, -111.9224094) and had an amazing site. Only reason I give 4 stars is because of how busy it is. Pink Jeep tours coming through, ATV tours, people off roading, and some noisy sites nearby loud enough we could hear them. I would definitely go back!

Amazing Views

We tried to find a spot at 2PM on a Thursday in March. OHV stirring up dust constantly, road closures, RVs with toy haulers everywhere. Sure it’s free, but the view was nothing to write home about. Head towards the red rocks!

SO CROWDED!

Good location for dispersed camping near Sedona. Only about a 15 minute drive to town and the popular hikes. Was very crowded but not bad if you find a spot away from the groups. 

Convenient location 

Primitive dispersed camping right outside of Sedona. It’s right off 89A just south of Sedona. The GPS will want to take you 5 miles down the road but there’s camping all over the place as you go down so don’t feel like you need to go all the way down. As people mentioned before there is a lot of ORV and ATV noise during the day but it’s all wrapped up by 5pm ish. We didn’t have any problem with it but we were out doing stuff most of the day. This isn’t really the best site for someone if you’re looking to kick back in nature all day. No bathrooms or running water either but free is free so it ain’t bad.

Not site related but it’s not only close to Sedona but also close to Jerome which is a cool old mining town up in the mountains. Follow 89A south and even go passed Jerome up toward Mingus mountain. There’s some great views and even a hang gliding take off!

Dispersed Camping Near Sedona/Jerome

We stayed here after exploring Sedona. It’s a short drive away. There are plenty of spots. The only downside is they are tricky to pull off of main road into. Be careful. All in all good views. The starlight here was magnificent. Turn off your lights and look up at night. 

Plentiful Spacious Area

The road in (525) is like a washboard most of the way to any camp sites. There were a lot of ATVs. Great access to Honanki Heritage site.

Close to Sedona and Cottonwood

Absolutely loved camping here because of how remote it felt, yet close proximity to Sedona. Especially Memorial Day weekend when the motels and hotels were full. Beautiful night sky and generally flat ground at campsites. Only complaints are the dust and rough road but hey, I was driving a Honda Civic! Many of the spots are tricky to pull into. Obviously no bathrooms or drinking water so pack it all in but it’s worth it!

Ample room and spots just outside Sedona!

Great place for some free camping. Many different spots in the road and gorgeous scenery of Sedona. Bring lots of water and know that there are no bathrooms for a while. 
Would recommend. Road is rough, but not horrible.

Free and Easy, but Hot

We went during the hottest part of the year but the spots were nice, flat and full of views. 

Quiet Dispersed Camping

Stayed at this spot back in April just for the night to have a full morning of sedona the following day. Many sites, I do think the farther you go on the road the less party/crowded lifestyle people are. High clearance car was a must when I went to pull off to the sites. Would go back again for a free night in sedona

30 mins away from sedona

I took a completely last minute trip and every campsite I attempted to stay at was full. Finally I found this one and as an amazing plus it was free. It's a little dusty and my dog attempted to fight a skunk but the veiw of the moon and stars was amazing 

Great for stargazing 

My wife and I went for our honeymoon..took our Rpod camper and boondocked on 525 for about a week. Soo many hiking trails, amazing weather and absolutely stunning views. The town of Sedona is quaint and quiet, shutting down at 7 every night. Don't worry though, there is a 24 hr spot to fill up your water jugs if you get in late from a visit to the Grand Canyon.  😉 Cannot wait to go back for our anniversary. 

Amazing! 

This has not been my favorite dispersed place.  We had found a spot but then 2 other couples decided to join our spot, which wasn't ideal for us.  There is lots of ORV,OHV from 8am-6pm so expect lots of noise. It has a pretty scenery but that was my only positive about the spot. 

It's loud and crowded

Sedona is crowded so get there early. Found a nice spot just past the fork headed toward the cliff dwellings.  Could barely hear the neighbors, nice view of the mountains. Plenty of privacy. No amenities so come prepared. Only noise at night was coyotes.  During day there are lots of ATVs going past. Good place to sleep tho. No trees for hammocks- need a tent. 

Spread out

Really enjoyed this camp spot. There was a decent amount of traffic due to OHVs and Jeeps, but all the spots allowed you to be kind of tucked away by yourself. The road wasn’t too bad either. Rough enough to keep 90% of people out, but smooth enough that my Subaru Forester didn’t have any problems. 

One nice thing about this campground is that it can fit a LOT of people and yet feel like you are by yourself. It gets a little crowded right off the road, but drive a mile or two and it feels pretty secluded. 

If you are there for MTBing, this might not be the ideal place since you have to drive a bit to get to the major trailheads. 

In the middle of nowhere and yet 15 minutes from town

I only stayed one night while visiting Sedona. While it’s extremely busy, I was able to find a spot late Saturday afternoon. This road is used for Jeep and ATV rides so it’s constantly busy. Road is very dusty so when they fly by, you’ll get dust in your area. Be sure to park your door away from the road. Very quiet other than the vehicles. Stargazing was amazing and had 1 bar of LTE via AT&amp;T. Super close to Sedona and a bunch of shops. I’d recommend for a short stay! 

Busy road day and night 

Amazing space to get dispersed camping.  We drove in an adventure van with AWD and had no issues accessing the campgrounds. 
For internet access,  the best we could get was always sub 10 mbps, so perhaps not the best spot for video conference meetings.

Great dispersed camping

We pulled onto forest road 525 and drove about a little over 5 miles in to a beautiful large camp site that went in deep off of the road. It allowed for multiple visitors and yet still provided lots of space and privacy. 

We showed up around noon on a friday afternoon and was able to find this gem. 

Remember! Whatever you pack in, pack it out ! 

We drove a honda civic and had no problems. Just take it slow. Some turn offs have more of a drop off than others. Just drove a little further and find one that’s perfect for you and yours. 

I recommend tent camping or atleast leaving something to sort of “hold” your spot while you do your day activities. Otherwise, you might have a difficult time finding somewhere to sleep when you come back in the dark.

Everyone is very nice and respectful of your space. 


We had a great time! 

525 is super convenient to access Sedona.  It is busy with lots of campers. Only negative is the ATV traffic on the road and kicking up dust.  Can ride mountain bikes all the way into West Sedona.

Super camping near Sedona

Plenty of spots to pick. Might have some neighbors but it was great nice and quiet.

Great views

Stayed 1 night coming from Phoenix so I could hike two days in a row. The further down the road the closer you get to the beautiful red rock.  The sites are off the main road for ohv trail users so could be dusty but I didn’t mind

Great and close to Sedona 

Drove in well after dark but the road was easy to follow. Pulloffs in the first couple miles were packed. Went in roughly 5ish miles before finding a less crowded pull off. Some camping rings but was too windy to set anything up

Rocky drive but rad view

This spot was pretty cool, popular, but a lot of room to spread out. There were also some hills that you could get a good view at. 

Forest spot in Flagstaff

Plenty of campsites available. It's worth it to drive a few miles.

Convenient location, beautiful views 

I went in a few miles up the road looking for the “end of the world” but it was too muddy to access in my little sedan. Otherwise the unlaced road is fine for small cars to access. 
Found a great spot, within sight of other campers but definitely not too close. Plenty of fallen branches for firewood, a few excitable ATVs in the night but nothing too rowdy. Some trash left by previous tenants, so pack out what you pack in please. 

Spacious and Easy Enough Access

The sides of the road in has been trenched and boulders put in infront of the pull off camp sites. There is a big sign when you pull in that says something along the lines of 'camping operations changed'. No more camp fires anywhere. There are now 4 large pull offs that you can camp in. The first 2 are for larger RVs and people not willing to drive the 4.5 miles in to the last camp site 'noland'. You'll be camping on top of one another so be prepared to not be in a secluded area. We drove the 4.5 miles down the road and there were about 20 other camper vans and tents. There was trash everywhere. It's very clear why the open camping was taken away. There was trash everywhere. If you are the kind of person who can't clean up after yourself and you think it's ok to straight up poop on the ground, leave bottle caps, glass, tp, and whatever else you brought that you think you're no longer responsible for, stay in a crappy motel where you belong. Public land will continue to be taken away if we cannot take care of it. Do your part. If you can't, stay out. 

No more open camping

Agreeing with everything the review below me says. Must have been much better before all of the spots were blocked off. Moved to a different campsite because this one was bombarded. Pretty view. 

Crowded and closed off 

We camped here in early/mid feb 2022 - dispersed camping road was very full - what seemed to be a lot of families with kids with RVs utilizing the OHV trails &amp; many other tent &amp; RV campers. Everyone was camped along the left hand side of the road, some on the right early on. It was awesome - such a great view for sunrise &amp; sunset with free camping.

  

We read the locals concerns of what was happening to the area, especially post covid. We agree there were a TON of campers, everyone seemed to find a spot along the road with privacy from each other, which was nice - yes this affects much more ground area. We also noticed the increase in garbage along Highway, and are glad we didn’t encounter the buckets of human feces…

  

But - the camping that is now allowed come feb 2023 is extremely diminished. It is completely catered to RV’s and not to rent campers. There is zero privacy, and absolutely no where to use the restroom responsibly, even in nature - because you’re on top of each other. The amount of camping spaces available went to such small of a number that it’s basically become a parking lot. They did do a nice job creating the few spaces they did.

  

All in all we really enjoyed camping here previously &amp; think there is a better way to be utilized while still protecting the space.

A lot has changed….

As many people have mentioned this area has been almost ruined. It’s basically a big rig RV park at this point. You can tell the impact of too many humans on the land, it’s quite shocking to see. It also doesn’t mesh with the values that I think a lot of true backcountry and dispersed campers go by. If you get a spot you are packed like sardines next to each other. Which makes for extremely unsanitary bathroom situations. The NF should limit RVs to first come first serve at certain parking lot areas along beginning of road. After a certain point only vehicles and tents. Super disappointing because the view is stunning. I’m sure this will soon become a pay to park type of area in the future.

Now an RV Trailer camp

This is literally just a parking lot for huge rvs ( can you call yourself a camper?)  I’ve been coming to this area for 12 years . It used to be beautiful, peaceful , special. Today it is full of noisy generators , big rigs, atvs kicking up dust everywhere, zero privacy.  I don’t hear coyotes anymore,  and the trees are dying from being covered in dirt.  The road is like a freeway with rigs, cars etc all day long .  Gun shots from the nearby shooting range.  How can they even call this nature 😩

Paved paradise and put up a parking lot 

Camping is only allowed in the big designated campsites, which is not what I thought driving in. It took a bit to find a spot because there are “no camping signs” all over. Once we found a good spot tho, it was awesome. There was a lovely backdrop of the mountains and portapotties. 

Good location, but hard to find a good spot

Overcrowding has ruined this place. 95 percent of all spots were closed off for camping, and the few spots that were available had multiple ppl in them. Would not recommend 

Photos of West Sedona Designated Dispersed Camping

Real photos from real campers