Best Dispersed Camping near Coconino National Forest Recreation, AZ

This was our first time boondocking in the forest of Williams, AZ.  A friend told us about the free dispersed camping along Dog Town Rd. which is only about 5 miles outside of the cute town of Williams.  There are many spots available to boondocks amidst the cool pines and forest.  Tent camping, RV's, 4x4s, were everywhere.  We give this area 4 stars only because recent logging in the area left some areas with ugly burn piles and stacks of burned wood.  Otherwise, it was a great location.

Close to the Grand Canyon, Bearizona, Route 66, Dog Town Lake, Coleman Lake, Flagstaff, Lava Tubes Cave, Deer Park

We stayed at dispersed camping spot number 8. Very secluded with a hiking trail right off of it. Easy to get to with our van. Very private spot.

As of May 1, 2023 the Coconino National Forest Service has closed down many dispersed camping areas around the city of Flagstaff. This area is included in that. You can still drive off-road and explore during the day when the Walnut Canyon National Monument is open, but no camping and no camp fires are allowed.

This is a good dispersed camping spot with lots of sites and vegetation to keep you hidden. Flat level terrain.

Just a nice dispersed camping spot, easy access off the main road, and not too far out of Sedona. Loved this spot!

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.

This was one of the quickest and easiest dispersed camping spots I've set up in.  In the morning, it's super easy to get back onto the road, hit the trails, or head into Flagstaff.

What an awesome area with an endless amount of spots to set up camp at. Like others my wife and I drove way past the turn to the dispersed camping area and made our way down to the water. But like Boss Ross always said, that turned out to be a happy mistake because it was so beautiful down there. We felt like we were in Colorado. We went to the end and turned around and ended up finding a camping spot in a very secluded area that over looked the cliff. Also, I did not know the Arizona Trail goes right through this area. RAD!! Over all, an epic spot and we will be back. Next time we will try and find that overlook spot of the view of the reservoir.

We opted to come up Schnebly Hill Rd from the west side (downtown Sedona). If you take this approach, a 4x4 with high clearance is a must. Bonus if you have some off-roading experience. There were some pretty gnarly rock patches that required some skill to traverse safely (thanks to my husband!) We camped at two different spots along the road on consecutive nights. Both nights were relatively quiet with only a few vehicles passing. Secluded, quiet, beautiful, flat - overall the perfect dispersed camping spots! If you drive in from the I-17 side, the spots get really sweet about 5-6 miles in. Not suitable for RVs but perfect for RTT or tent camping

Dispersed camping down a long, dirt road overlooking beautiful canyon and Sedona red rock. Rock fire rings at some sites, but signs indicated camp fires were not allowed. This is a very popular camping spot, so arrive early or try to camp during the week. Off-road vehicle recommended. We encountered many mosquitoes and bees, so bring big spray.

Great dispersed camping spot close to Sedona!

Heads up we camped a little further down on Beaverhead Rd where there were more open spots and an easier dirt road to drive onto. Plenty of spots to choose from which was surprising on a holiday week (Christmas to New Years). The camping was a lot quieter than I expected even though there were a bunch of other campers. Everyone seemed to be able to find a spot far enough from another to have a secluded space.

The location is super convenient from Oak Village and downtown Sedona. There is even a back way on highway 89 if you find yourself in West Sedona and don't want to drive through traffic to get to highway 179.

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.

Okay so I prefer free camp spots and places that are quiet and tucked away. This place is great. It’s not too far off the paved road but the road does get a bit bumpy once you’re off the paved road. I stayed in site #4 and it was perfect. I did have to pick up some trash left behind but very little. Came here to avoid the heat in Phx and it was still warm but nothing like the valley. And cooler at night which was wonderful. You do hear traffic from the road above but it’s not too bad. There’s a good amount of space from other camp sites so you don’t hear people very much and everyone was quiet once the sun was down. Overall I really enjoyed this spot. Oh and no bathrooms or water which I don’t mind bc it means less people around. And we did have cell service so that was a plus.

Mostly secluded which is my preference

Shared by boon-dockers

Dispersed camping along this road with a convenient location to Fossil Creek and Wet Beaver Creek trails.  The campsite was clean and had a fire ring, no facilities so pack out what you pack in! The one we picked had a great view and the STARS WERE INSANE

I’m unsure of how it is in summer months but we came March 2nd and it’s fairly quiet. The weather was in the 70s in the day and the day we got her it dropped to 28 and snowed.

The ride in is rocky, I came in very slowly in a Toyota sienna van, just be careful for sharp rocks.

The campsites are all designated free camping with numbers and all have stone fire pits. Lots of spots to explore

We hiked from Copper Basin road along the Prescott Circle Trail and camped the night at one of the Thumb Butte dispersed camping sites. The campsites are large and well maintained. We were lucky enough to get the last open campsite for the day, but the sites are far enough apart from others so the area stays pretty quiet. There are fire pit rings at each site, but a fire ban was in place for the summer already.

About the same as camping on the west side of the hwy. There’s a ton of traffic, no respect from other campers who blast music, trash the forest, fire off guns at all hours, and overall not a great vibe.

Camped here over 2 days and the land, trees and forest are beautiful all around so IF you can find a secluded area you’ll be ok.

NO CELL service so take that into consideration when dispersed camping

Had a great time, dispersed camping, free spot, lots of spots, clean. Just a short drive to some great watering holes. Took a star off because there was no water within walking distance, and not much of a view from our spot. I also took a star off because it was busy and loud.

Well, it's free and its a beautiful part of the Prescott Basin, but our campsite #6, was really dirty. We should have jumped out and looked around before setting up camp. We were just so excited to start our trip. Needless to say, after arriving at 6:00pm we left the next morning.

There was a beautiful stream we could hear from our site, but you had pass over wads of used toilet paper, broken beer bottles and empty propane tanks to name a few. 

Im hoping it's not always like this, and its quite possible that the people staying there before were just careless. Maybe it's to be a little more expected when dispersed camping, but we couldn't enjoy our time there.

In order to decrease the risk of wildfires, the city of Flagstaff has placed a ban on dispersed camping within a certain perimeter near the city and this site now falls within this banned zone. A friendly ranger was parked there to divert campers and help guide to other dispersed camping options

This is a nice spot for a free camping trip. There is no bathrooms, there is no place to get water, and as others have said it does get dirty. That being said most people pick up after themselves so most of the sites are clean and the area is quite beautiful. We used this place after we could not get a camping spot in oak creek canyon, and we did notice that it was quite a bit colder than down in the canyon at night. Designated sites were sporadically spaced out so some were close together but there was generally a decent amount of space for each site. It was a busy weekend and there was still plenty of open sites on Saturdaynight, and it looked like most people packed up and left in the morning, so I imagine there's always sites available.

The only real negative was that the sites where people left trash looked destroyed, animals got into the trash bags and made a mess. There was a big party camping just down the way from us who blasted music until 1 AM, and it didn't bother us--the space is wade enough that the music wasn't too loud--but if you like your nature to be more peaceful then you might run into that problem. There was also some people practicing shooting nearby so we could hear the occasional pop-pop-pop in the distance but the area was for the most part peaceful, just families enjoying nature. 

If you're looking for a quick and FREE option last minute where you dont have to check in and there aren't too many rules and you don't mind the noise other people make, this is a great spot. Just please pack out your trash.