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Pumphouse Wash (Forest Road 237) is__a popular dispersed camping area in the ponderosa pine forest__along SR 89A, midway between Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona. The area is__conveniently located near__Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Flagstaff, Woody Mountain Road, Lake Mary, and a variety of recreation sites. It is a popular alternative to traditional campgrounds for visitors to Oak Creek Canyon and the Flagstaff area.There are four campsite loops, each containing__between__11 and__26 signed and numbered sites. The site offers__excellent camping opportunities for large groups as well as families and individuals.__Most sites offer partial to full shade beneath towering ponderosa pine trees, and are generally flat, making it easy to set up tents or campers. Each site has parking and a campfire ring. There is no trash service, so if you pack it in, pack it out. There are no restroom facilities. Portable toilets are highly recommended.FR 237 and the camping loop roads are well maintained and suitable for passenger cars.__Photo tour from this site [Flickr].
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.
Please check the website for the most up to date information about closings and bans.
Dispersed camping has increased throughout the Flagstaff wildland urban interface in the past several years. In many areas, this has caused resource impacts such as soil compaction and erosion, loss of vegetation, increased fire risk, displacement of wildlife, and accumulation of trash and human waste. To help prevent unacceptable resource damage, disturbance to wildlife and reduce fire risk from dispersed camping, the Forest Service has designated 14 campsites along the Freidlein Prairie road for dispersed camping. Camping and campfires are allowed only at designated sites along Freidlein Prairie Road. There is a map in the area showing site locations. All designated campsites along Freidlein Prairie (FR 522) are located on the south side of the road, with the exception of campsite #1 and #3. Signs have been placed along the road when entering and leaving the designated camping area. The designated campsites are marked with a brown vertical fiberglass post with a site number and a "Designated Campsite" decal. Each designated dispersed campsite has a place to park, fire ring, a place for a tent and no fees. Once you have found a designated site you will find another fiberglass sign that reads "Camp within 50 feet of this post to reduce impact to forest vegetation. Please take all of your trash with you and leave only one fire ring." The east end of Freidlein Prairie Road (approximately 1.5 miles) has a seasonal camping closure for campsites 10 through 14. This seasonal camping closure means campsites 10 through14 will be closed to camping from March 1 to August 31 to reduce disturbance to Mexican spotted owls during the breeding season. This area has traditionally been used by Mexican spotted owls for nesting and a pair of owls are being impacted by increased recreational use and are failing to reproduce. Most sites cannot accommodate RV. Seasonal closures or fire restrictions/closures may be in place. During both Stage 1 and Stage 2 Fire Restrictions, campfires are prohibited at this site. Gas operated devices with an on/off switch are allowed.
Open and close dates are subject to change based on winter weather and snowfall. Please check the website for up to date details each year.
This is a dispersed area with campsites scattered around. Please camp where there is a fire ring and please don't make one yourself elsewhere.
While much of the Forest is open to dispersed camping, there are several sites set aside as designated dispersed camping sites, listed below. Pick up or download a free Motor Vehicle Use Map to know where it is legal to drive. See Guidelines for information and policies, and Specific Sites for more details and contact information.
Know before you go! Be aware extreme winter weather or flooding risks can necessitate the closure of forest roads at different times of the year. Many forest roads that lead to dispersed campsites may be closed during seasonal road closures, so please check the Forest Road Status web page for more information about the status of forest roads in each District.
Fire restrictions may be in place. During fire restrictions, campfires, fires, and charcoal fires are not permitted in dispersed camping areas. This includes both Stage 1 and Stage 2 Fire Restrictions. Gas operated devices with an on/off switch are allowed.
$18 / night
THE FOREST BELONGS TO EVERYONE... however, there are some firm guidelines we must all follow out of respect for everyone who owns the Forest, human and animal. You may camp most anywhere on the Coconino National Forest (unless otherwise posted) according to the following guidelines: There is a 14-DAY PER MONTH STAY LIMIT (14 days in a 30-day period - Forest Order #04-99-08-R) on the Coconino National Forest. Please note that there are some exceptions where the limit is less than fourteen days. Using national forest lands for residency for any amount of time is illegal. Groups camping together that number 25 or more people are required to have toilet facilities (port-a-johns) on site. A Special Use Permit is required for groups larger than 75 people, or for any size group which charges a fee to attend an event. Check out our Events/Commercial Permits page. No camping or campfires on the forest within city limits. Do not camp on private property unless you have the owner's permission. No camping within one-fourth mile of a wildlife watering tank/hole. (Arizona Revised Statutes § 17-308: "It is unlawful for a person to camp within one-fourth mile of a natural water hole containing water or a man-made watering facility containing water in such a place that wildlife or domestic stock will be denied access to the only reasonably available water.") Please do not camp in or drive through open meadowland due to the scarring effect it causes. Down and dead firewood may be gathered around your camping area for use at your campsite but it is illegal to load wood in a vehicle to take out of the Forest without a special permit. You may not cut standing trees, nor can you cut limbs off of standing trees. Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the backcountry. Be sure to check if you are in an area with campfire restrictions, which will be listed on Alerts & Noticesand Forest Orders. Use a lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light. Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires. Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand. Make sure to bring at least 6 gallons of water (preferably 10 gallons) and a shovel to completely extinguish your campfire. Burn all wood and coals to ash. Extinguish campfires completely by generously dousing with water and stirring with a shovel. (video) Never leave a campfire unattended. It is illegal to do so--even for a short amount of time. Most wildland fires are caused by human activity, including campfires that were abandoned without being properly extinguished. You could be held liable for any firefighting/restoration costs that result from your abandoned or unattended campfire. Make certain your campfire is dead out, wet and cold to the touch, before leaving your campsite. Read more tips for putting your campfire safety. When dispersed camping (or "car camping") on the National Forest, refer to the designated camping corridors shown on the Motor Vehicle Use Map. In these designated corridors, visitors may drive their vehicles up to 300 feet from the road to car camp (here's a sample of what those designated areas look like on the map). Also, visitors may park alongside any designated road's edge and walk to their campsite anywhere on National Forest System lands, except where specifically prohibited as indicated in closure orders. When parking along a designated road, drivers must pull off the travelled portion of the roadway to permit the safe passage of traffic. These rules only affect motor vehicle use. Forest visitors can always hike to campsites at farther distances from the roads. Always use the pack-in/pack-out method for the disposal of litter to keep your Forest clean. Please use a digging tool to bury all human and pet waste at least 6 to 7 inches deep. Pets are welcome in most areas but must be kept leashed at all times. Always practice Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics. Dispose of all garbage, including any paper, can, sewage, waste water or material, or rubbish either by removal the site or area, or by depositing it into receptacles or at places provided for such purposes. Failure to do so can result in a fine.
Guide
We came in after dark and still easily found the sites. We quickly got settled for the night. Our dog was excited to be able to get out and stretch her legs after spending two days in Death Valley.
Guide
Decent dispersed spot, the road in is old asphalt with some big dips and holes but mostly avoidable. Bunch of rocks sticking up in the dirt as you drive around the loop of the campsite but my truck was fine. Stayed here a couple times, first time was almost a week and second time was a few days. Can hear a little bit of highway noise but mostly white noise which I did not mind.
Traveler
The area was really beautiful. I had a pretty strange experience, however. I arrived late at night and once I finally found a camping space, there was a truck that pulled up after me, parked about 10 feet away and the person just sat in the truck without ever getting out. At first I thought, they're just Sharing the space, but then I started to feel very unsettled- like they were watching me or something. As a single female, this is something that was fairly uncomfortable. They sat there for at least an hour, never moving and finally drove away. The next morning I saw this elk skin was draped over the fence behind me and hooves along the fence as well.
Scout
The climb from Sedona was a bit torturous for my poor 3” lifted Tacoma. The road has intentionally been unmaintained to make it spicy for the paid ORV tours. Around dusk, I saw a guy come in from 17 and start dropping down towards town. He had Honda Goldwing strapped in the bed of his pickup. He made it a few hundred yards down and decided to go back the way he came.
Scout
I enjoyed the creek view and the springs, but the lack of campsite wifi is too much to give this campground my approval. The lack of wifi, especially when there is no cell coverage, is unbelievable. Had FHU, but again the connectivity is not existent, even being close to Sedona.
Edited by slope game 2 days ago
Guide
There’s some sweet spots and some not so sweet spots. There are ports potties which are nice. Bad part is no campfires allowed. A few did it anyways but it was pretty dry. Not the best, but not the worst. Very good jumping off point for MYB though.
Guide
This was not an easy place to find. We came through Jerome and took 89A S all the way through. If you get to Potatoe Patch campground you are very close, but make a left off 89A South to get to these spots instead of a right (where the fee site Potatoe Patch campground was closed)
GuideAll the individual locations are blocked. You need to stay in group dispersed camping areas. If you get there later, good luck finding a spot. If you like neighbors, this is for you. The views are very nice in morning. Expect tons of red dirt everywhere.
Guide
Very nice spot. A little rocky, but the view was fantastic. Very remote and quiet with a beautiful dark night sky. Roads are a little rough getting up but we did ok with our rig.
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.
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
Plenty of sites up this road although not all level. Surrounded by trees. Some traffic up and down the road but that settled by evening. We couldn’t hear the highway. Recommended.
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.
Ranger
I stay here for 3 days while visiting meteor crater. There is a constant background of traffic on I-40 but for the most part it's pretty eventless. Not only is this a ghost town but is a ghost RV park as well. I visited the nearby death caves. Very interesting.
Traveler
The area is beautiful Forrest not far off the highway. We drove well past the initial sites and found a pretty quiet spot with neighbors barely visible. The site nearest was full of trash left behind and processed by wildlife. So sad! The road had some pretty big mud puddles along the way, but were passable. There were some pretty big rigs that made it through. I could hear trains in the distance the whole time through Williams or going to the Grand Canyon. Cell service was good for T-Mobile. Level and spacious sites are easy to find. Beautiful place!
ScoutThis spot was great to stop for the night. It’s close enough to I-40 to be viable for a quick night, but far enough to be quiet. We don’t see anyone. The road was washboards, so getting to it was slow. Other then that it was great
Traveler
This exact campsite is in a nice area, but right across the street from a rock/sand mine of some sort
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
Great area to camp. Lots of roomy campsites and close to groceries.
Scout10-21-2024 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.
GuideAs I came in there seemed to be allot of fellow campers, but the further back I drove the less people I came across. Until I came to a spot with no other campers around. I was looking for peace and quiet and found exactly that. Beautiful view and plenty of open space. I will definitely return.
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!
Traveler
We loved the area. Drive around a few times checking it out easy to find and plenty of space for all kinds of campers. Even my Camry made it out. The lava cave was a decent hike but my two year old and pregnant fiancé made it down and up. Camp ground not crowded but the cave was
Traveler
It’s been a very pleasant stay here. Wildlife of all kinds are abundant. People keep primarily to themselves. Pilot Truck Stop is only 5 miles away. Cell signal is pretty good depending on where you’re located. Lava Tube Cave is only 2.5 miles North of this spot and of free to visit but I’d recommend going during the week, it’s very busy in the weekends.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Flagstaff, Arizona, where nature meets adventure. With a variety of locations offering stunning views and unique experiences, this area is perfect for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Flagstaff, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Flagstaff, AZ is Pumphouse Wash (FR 237) Dispersed Camping Area with a 3.8-star rating from 48 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Flagstaff, AZ?
TheDyrt.com has all 117 dispersed camping locations near Flagstaff, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
