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It is labelled as East Pocket on a map, but known to locals as “The End of The World,” the perfect nickname to describe this climactic viewpoint. Flagstaff sits upon a lofty plateau carpeted in high-elevation pine forest, but just south of town, the bottom drops out. Below a craggy rim of volcanic rock, the land takes a precipitous plunge into an entirely different world of red rock and sandstone towers. This is the realm of Sedona, and End of The World overlooks all of it.
Camping outside of campgrounds is allowed in many parts of the Prescott National Forest, but camping on the forest near the City of Prescott is limited to designated dispersed sites and has a 7-day stay limit per 30-day period. Camping outside of the Prescott Basin is limited to 14-days in a 30-day period.
Dispersed camping is camping outside of developed campgrounds. In contrast to camping in developed campsites, dispersed camping is more primitive, and generally has no amenities such as trash collection, water or toilets.
The Prescott Basin is an area immediately south and west of Prescott, Arizona and encompasses approximately 59,000 acres (about 4% of the Prescott National Forest).
Prescott Basin has a high percentage of wildland-urban interface, a mixture of undeveloped and developed land. The popularity of the Prescott Basin, has contributed to resource impacts such as accelerated soil erosion, damage or loss of vegetation, displaced wildlife, increased fire risk, and accumulation of trash and human waste.
To help prevent unacceptable resource damage from dispersed camping, Forest Service resource managers have designated sites, established stay limits, and limits on building and maintaining campfires.
This spot is located in the Prescott Basin. The Prescott Basin is an area immediately south and west of Prescott, Arizona and encompasses approximately 59,000 acres (about 4% of the Prescott National Forest). Dispersed camping is camping outside of developed campgrounds. In contrast to camping in developed campsites, dispersed camping is more primitive, and generally has no amenities such as trash collection, water or toilets.
Dispersed camping is permitted off of FR 618 on FR 689 prior to FR 645A (see Motor Vehicle Map)
Guide
Dirt road in but very drivable. Lots of available places to pull off and camp. Beautiful scenery. In sight of I17 but no sound from it at all. No available shade but my solar set up needs full sun, so it's perfect for me. Will definitely come back
Guide
As soon as I got there, I got the dog out and what do we immediately find? Used drug needles littering the ground around a fire ring. Definitely not somewhere I'd feel comfortable staying the night.
Scout
Got in late and while driving around trying to find a spot, we encountered some strange people. One man half dressed walking around with a flashlight, wondering what we were doing. There may be some campers but there was a large number of homeless people when we went. Very crowded area. Ended up moving on to different spot.
ScoutApproachable, very good spot near the highway, also with a camper van.
Guide
At the start of the road there are a couple of large areas where there were multiple vans parked but we kept going further down until we found a spot on our own. It was flat and we had a nice quiet night.
Guide
Lots of room all rvs except little ol me, but only for a couple weeks.
Guide
Paved road right up to the site. A little noisy from the traffic, but doable. Good flat ground, fire ring, and plenty of available fire wood.
Scout
My dog was laying in cigarette butts. At least it's free
Traveler
Keep driving down the road and space will open up wider. We parked right past the little grate after you get to the more open space. Quite a few others but we weren’t looking for too much room or privacy. Got there right at sunset.
Scout
10-21-2024 Went to site. No camping signs now posted. Road is now a designated OHV trail known as "Outlaw OHV Trail".
Scout
We camped there for several days in Oct.2024. Road was rough but solid. Most any size rig could access this site. Good Verizon signal. Our biggest disappointment was the red dust. It got into all our rigs and is a mess to clean up. Overall it's a good site.
TravelerGreat spot 5G Verizon service quiet and alone can have fires.
Traveler
Easy to find off Beaver Flats rd. The camp areas are pretty spread out which was nice. Decent shade from some Juniper trees and we could barely hear the road from our campsite. Some of the sites are pretty clase to the road though and are probably fairly noisy. I’m guessing there are about 7 sites total. It’s not the type of place for a big motor home or a big trailer.
Traveler
We left late from Phoenix on the Senator Highway from Meyer and we should’ve stopped while we were ahead. We ended up at the North end just outside of Prescott in the dispersed sites. Disgusting. Every single site looked like this one. We’ve got a RTT so thankfully it was a quick set up for the night and we’re outa here. If we’d have had adequate trash bags (a dumpster would’ve been ideal) we’d have spent the next few days cleaning up. If you pack it in pack it out. It’s real easy. That all being said- if you’ve got a large group with sxs and you enjoy the Senator, this is definitely the perfect spot.
Scout
We arrived around noon on Friday, and within an hour or two there were two others who arrived--but thankfully turned around to find another spot. The views were extraordinary as we parked the Land Cruiser with the Roofnest in the ideal spot to not just soak up the afternoon and evening views, but to be blessed by a great sunrise from inside the tent.
The stars... I mean, wow! The starry sky at night was one of the best we've see anywhere, just stunning.
Felt very safe in the area for our 3 year old boy to explore with us, so if you expect any sheer cliffs or dangerous drop-offs, they aren't really there. There were gradual declines from the top, and they aren't immediately near where you'd park.
We will be back--this was a real gem... but expect wind throughout the night being this exposed!
Guide
We stayed here for a night and it was great. It was busy but the main reason we picked it was because it was close to Sedona so it was nice and easy for us to go in for a sunrise hike. We stayed in the first pull off lot on the left hand side that didn't have no camping signs (past Surprise), it had a porta potty which was definitely nice to have. Seems like they must block off sites every now and then because some of the ones marked on dyrt were blocked with rocks but still lots of space!
ScoutDirt lot, good for Rv's. Super windy and the grounds too hard for tent stakes, a single tree in the middle. Its a place to sleep. Portapotties available
Scout
Great experience, great camping spots. Although you need to make your own fire pit. When we were there there was a very loud group. Almost like an outside club happening. Music didn’t stop until 3 am then started again at 6 am.
Guide
Pretty exposed. No shade. Lots of fire ants so I wouldn’t suggest tent camping here. I have the option of car camping. So that works. And there’s a nearby rest area on I-17 to use the restroom, though it’s a bit of a drive. Right near montezuma’s well which is one of my favorite monuments. It’s hot. Be prepared.
Guidebeautiful views! super duper underrated and conveniently close to sedona access: 3stars (for my car, yours will do way better lmao) easy to find on the map! not a difficult road (at first), but gravelly for sure. i drive a 1995 ford f150 2 wheel drive and found that after 2-3 miles in, the road up to the overlook becomes too steep and rocky for my truck to climb, but a 4x4 definitely can do it! if u have a car like mine take it nice and slow and you will do just fine :3 business/safety/people: 5stars! not a SINGLE other camper here and i arrived on a friday night! its like i have the whole desert to myself. all you hear are crickets and very very distant highway sounds. maybe its because i came in early september but this is by far the most quiet of blms ive ever been to sites: sites are easy to back in and most come with rock firepits! in the site im at, people left piles of firewood close to the pit which was an amazing help bc i arrived so late
the only con that i can think of is that there r a lot of bugs (ants and moths especially), which doesnt bother me at all but for some it could be a little annoying. if you have full cover (tent, rv, camper, van, etc) then do not worry at all, but i camp in the bed of my truck so its a lil different for me.
if u want solitude come check this place out !
TravelerWent here over Labor Day weekend and really enjoyed it. The road from the I-17 entrance was well maintained and can be driven on with any vehicle. I had my Chevy trax (front wheel drive) and made it fine. There are plenty of pull off trails we explored. Some of them you’d definitely need a high clearance vehicle to drive down, but plenty you don’t. Lots of fallen trees so if you have a chain saw, all the fire wood you need. It gets windy up there often but in our tucked in spot, it didn’t really bother us. Exact cords of pic 34.88807, -111.68092
Guideeasy to navigate! i arrived past midnight and only had to drive 3/4 mile from the i-17 to find a spot! ive heard that the west (sedona) entrance is way rockier, but from the i-17 it was very easy to drive and i have a 30 year old car. very peaceful at nights, all you hear are distant cars and the occasional airplane, plus most spots come with a firepit for you! a lot of groups here but not noisy at all and we all have our space and peace, very safe and family oriented in my opinion :3
Traveler
Area is marked and needs permit as well. As a foreigner I can't buy the permit online since only US address can be entered and will be reverted for the credit card payment so no way to stay there legally.
Maybe going in person or call them can get me a permit but yeah not this way.
Anyway the spot is nice and levelled if it would be usable 🙂
Traveler
Went down here mid August and it was a beautiful view. Thick tree coverage which hid us from the winds that day / night and the rim was a 200 foot walk away. Able to get there in my Chevy Trax which is front wheel drive only, without any problems. There are there are plenty of spot to pull off into on that forest road. If you don’t get this exact spot just keep driving the road and you’ll find something in no time. A lot of dead trees laying around for firewood, but did need axe and hacksaw to cut size them down. Area had a lot of pine needles on the ground.
TravelerPlenty of space. Drive deeper in (after the forbidden signs) you will see a big tent sign with an arrow pointing left (see pics)
It's called "Surprise"
TravelerI went on a Sunday and there was hardly anybody there. So many spots to choose from and lots of wildlife. It was beautiful. Easy drive-in.
TravelerNo problems except for the people on drugs. Be careful and lock up before you leave to go anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Cordes Junction, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Cordes Junction, AZ is Bloody Basin Rd / Agua Fria NM Dispersed Camping with a 4.4-star rating from 14 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Cordes Junction, AZ?
TheDyrt.com has all 131 dispersed camping locations near Cordes Junction, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
