Best Dispersed Camping near Gila Bend, AZ

Recent Dispersed Reviews near Gila Bend, Arizona

75 Reviews of 19 Gila Bend Campgrounds

• 

  Greg L.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 19, 2022

  Sonoran Desert National Monument Camp

  Free dispersed BLM exit #140

  This is a free dispersed camping area in the BLM Sonoran National Monument. Take Interstate 8, Exit #140 and take gravel road to south. The gravel road is rough washboard first section, then gets narrower and just rough. Camping areas seem to be just within less than a mile of the Interstate so truck noise will be an issue. No services for 30 mi back to Gila Bend or 20 mi back to Stanfield. No water, trash, tables. Cell signal is excellent on all carriers. This area is more difficult to access with a TT or RV due to the rougher narrow roads, compared to the Vekol Rd camping area at exit #144.

• 

  Greg L.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 18, 2022

  BLM Sonoran Desert National Monument - Vekol Road Dispersed Camping Area

  Vekol Exit 144 free BLM dispersed

  This is free dispersed camping on the BLM Sonoran National Monument. At Interstate 8, Exit 144 go south. BLM starts in about .6 mile. Note that the gravel road then will pass thru some pvt land that the Dyrt does not show, before the BLM again at the road fork to the Vekol Ranch (2.1 miles in from hwy). See attached screenshot from the BLM monument map. Lots of sites scattered along the main graded gravel road. There is an info kiosk at junction of road going to the Vekol Ranch. Most of the campers seem to be in this area to avoid interstate truck noise. Excellent cell signal on all carriers. No water, marked sites, tables, fire rings or trash dumpsters. Nearest services are in Sanfield (poor), Maricopa (best) or Gila Bend (fuel, RV stuff) so come prepared. Maricopa has a Fry's Market and gas. Sanfield has a Family Dollar and Circle K gas. Gila Bend has most services but not a major food market. Not much Sonoran cactus vegetation by the kiosk sign in in this area, no cholla and very few Saguaros, area is just a wide flat creosote palo verde sandy plain.

  Update: if you go another mile or two south (uphill) on the main road you can camp at the #8007b and #8007c road spurs and #8045 spur. More Sonoran vegetation there and very scenic...lots of Saguaro cactus to camp with on flat open desert pavement. Farther away from the hwy noise is a plus!

  If you are concerned about potential safety issues from illegal smuggling warnings, then staying down close to BLMat the .6 mile mark is likely best.

• 

  Greg L.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 22, 2022

  BLM Sonoran Desert National Monument - Road #8042 Dispersed Camping Area

  Overlander High Clearance only

  This BLM dispersed camping area access is about MP 147.5 in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 8. This is a two track road that leaves the highway and goes thru a gate, and EXTREME CAUTION is advised slowing down and leaving the freeway due to no off ramp or signs here to alert traffic behind you. Not recommended for RVs or TTs due to the risky access off the interstate. Best suited for Overlander types and high clearance trucks/vans. This area was a pleasant surprise and the access road #8042a is best due to good gravel surface and interesting camping areas. Suggest going on #8042a for 1.2 miles to the abandoned windmill/tank area. There is a large rock borrow pit midway if you are a shooter. This windmill area is behind a ridge from I 8 and reduces the highway truck noise.

  Free dispersed camping, no water. Info kiosk at pin location. Note that this area is isolated with little traffic and other campers and would not advise solo camping due to warnings about illegal smuggling. Go with buddies and go heavy.

• 

  Greg L.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 30, 2022

  BLM Sonoran Desert National Monument - BLM road 8035 access

  Overlander access only

  This is a two track road that leaves Interstate 8 at about MP 124. There are no signs and EXTREME CAUTION is advised trying to access these BLM roads from the freeway without an exit ramp. No TTs or RVs are recommended. Road goes thru a gate out into the flat desert. Dispersed camping areas are scattered around but since this is close to Gila Bend there is evidence of dumping in this area. Cell service is good. No water, toilets, tables, fire rings or trash bins.

• M

  Michael W.

  Traveler

  

  Jan. 4, 2025

  Vekol Valley Road

  Great views!

  We chose to keep going until we hit actual BLM land, maybe one mile from the highway. The views were phenomenal and very little noise. The moon and stars were beautiful too.

  It looked like there was BLM land on the North side of I8, which we’ll check out the next time we pass through here.

  Even though the road is a little bumpy, any rig and trailer can make it!

• 

  Jamie C.

  Ranger

  

  Mar. 23, 2023

  Saddle Mountain BLM (Tonopah, AZ)

  Clean, Quiet & Easy to get to

  Not too far from I-10, easy to get to from highway. Used Google Maps. Pilot truck stop right off the exit with a few taco stands/trucks. Many roads to get on the BLM land, some more rocky than others. We had a big rock lodged between our 2 back dually tires, but suspect that doesn’t happen often. Some days it was a little windy and with the winds from the west it brought black flies. We had 8-10 flies hang in the van with us after we opened the door a few times. Other than that, plenty of sites very spaced out and neat walking trail up the mountain.

• 

  Greg L.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 28, 2022

  BLM Sonoran Desert National Monument - BLM road #8032 access

  Overlander types recommended

  This two- track BLM road leaves from the westbound lanes of Interstate 8. EXTREME CAUTION is advised and TTs and RVs are not recommended for these unmarked two tracks along the Interstate.

  You go thru a gate and this area is to west of the wilderness area and is not restricted by the wilderness buffer road issues. The road splits in a couple tens and there are several camp spots along the way, but best to get farther away from the freeway truck noise. On the map this #8032 roads goes all the way to hwy 238 between Gila Bend and Maricopa. No facilities, no water. Cell signal was couple weak bars but ok for txt email.

• 

  matthew H.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 13, 2024

  Ajo BLM Dispersed

  Beauty, ease, quiet

  Fairly easy approach with my overcab camper setup, and family of 4. beautiful saguaro and ocotillo country, yotes yipping at night, owls, wrens and a ton of wildlife. Maybe be careful of pckrats and leave your hood propped up with a light. Otherwise one of our favorite dispersed camp sites ever!! LOTS of space to explore. 

• 

  Vanessa M.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 26, 2021

  Ajo BLM Dispersed

  Calm and isolated

  It is absolutely amazing here. Plenty of space for disperse, primitive camping. This seems like a popular place for primitive camping, but it is so easy to find a quiet private spot. The Ajo MTB trails are here and there is OHV.

• B

  Butch K.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 18, 2022

  BLM - North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness

  lots of desert

  This is pretty much like the reviews say, your basic BLM undeveloped dispersed camping area. One difference are the powerlines overhead that emit a cracking and rattling noise constantly. Not sure of the health implications of those powerlines. As one reviewer mentioned there are washers that could hang up many large and even midsize rigs. This is also a popular ATV area which comes with a lot of dust and noise and rude people. Beware of paths that seem fit for a two wheeled vehicle but were created by ATVs which can often climb into and out of these washes with no problem. I drove through one that almost ripped off the tail end of my 17 foot TT. Don't forget to GOAL, get out and look.

• 

  Mike S.

  Traveler

  

  Jan. 3, 2021

  Darby Wells Rd BLM Dispersed

  Great dispersed camping. The farther from the highway, the better it gets.

  Great dispersed camping 🏕. The farther from the highway, the better it gets.

• 

  Greg L.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 28, 2022

  BLM Sonoran Desert National Monument - Road #8030 Access

  Overlander only recommended

  BLM road #8030 leaves Interstate 8 in westbound lanes. No signage at the freeway, EXTREME CAUTION is advised trying to access these unmarked two track roads from the Interstate hwy. There is a gate to go thru then you pass a couple v- shaped wash dips that would restrict TTs and RVs, hence the recommendation that Overlander truck types would be best here. The road goes past an abandoned corrals/tank and then at the y split you are going to go left and into the wilderness cherry-stem road. This road buffer is only about 50 ft wide so not really good for finding campsites. The road gets rougher and crosses many sandy washes so high clearance 4x4 is a good idea. Cell service was not good here, must be in a hole from the antenna at Freeman road and the cell towers at Gila Bend. Going to the end of the cherry stem #8030 road will likely end at another ranch structure/corral with camping sites (I was not able to get that far in my truck safely).

  No water or any other amenities, and with limited cell signal would recommend access with a buddy vehicle for backup.

• S

  Sarah E.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 11, 2024

  Saddle Mountain BLM (Tonopah, AZ)

  Saddle Mountain

  Great place to Boondock up to 2 weeks.

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 26, 2021

  Buckeye Hills BLM - CLOSED

  FREE but Dirty and Loud

  Managed by Lower Sonoran BLM Field Office. Free camping, but you have to love the sound of gunshots and love the view of trash everywhere. 

  There are multiple dirt roads you can take to find spots in Buckeye Hills that run adjacent to Powers Butte Wildlife Area where there is no camping allowed. We stayed here in different spots for 3 days while waiting for mail in Buckeye. The place is filthy! Shooting garbage and illegal dumping is common, in fact one night we woke up and just down the road was a new pile of some illegal dumping. 

  If you can get used to the constant gun fire, you’ll still have to put up with ATVs racing up and down the various roads. The dirt here is a fine deep powder in a lot of areas so there is lots of dust that gets kicked up when they race by, sometimes just back in forth right in front of where you are parked. 

  There is not really hiking or biking unless you want to dodge bullets or ATVs. There also appears to be a lot of long time“residents” in the area as well. There are no amenities here so pack in and pack out though it is obvious not many do. We picked up trash and about 7 lbs of casings around our spots we stayed in. Besides the noise and physical pollution there is also light pollution from Palo Verde and Buckeye. 

  1-2 bars Verizon& ATT, streaming with pauses for buffering

• 

  Lynn W.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 11, 2021

  Saddle Mountain BLM (Tonopah, AZ)

  Peace and Quiet!

  Perfect spot for boondocking. The dirt road is decent, people are spread out, it's peaceful. Bit of a drive to get gasoline...fill up before you get here!

• G

  George K.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 9, 2021

  Saddle Mountain BLM (Tonopah, AZ)

  Great Dispersed camping

  This is one of my favorite areas to boondock in the southwest winter season. The views are phenomenal ! To my surprise I thought it would be crowded here this year, but no. As soon as you turn off of W Salome Hwy on to W Courthouse rd you’ll find at least 9 or more entrances that lead up towards the mountain. Some better than others, meaning they can be very rocky, so be careful of tire damage. Like any time your looking for a site, park in a safe place and search by either foot or in my case ebike. I have found the last couple roads in on the far west to be the smoothest, but they are also more populated. Sites here can accommodate the big rigs, but the smaller you are the more options you have. This BLM, 14 day maximum.

• 

  Kevin C.

  Ranger

  

  Jan. 10, 2025

  BLM Sonoran Desert National Monument - Vekol Road Dispersed Camping Area

  Nice desert campspot

  Basic boondocking in the desert. Lots of room and others campers keep their distance.

  Beautiful views of mountains with lots of birds.

  The road in is about two miles of dirt road. Not too bumpy and appropriate for most cars and trailers. No end of room to turn around.

• 

  CC C.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 17, 2022

  Saddle Mountain BLM (Tonopah, AZ)

  Saddleback- peaceful camping

  Great spot, lots of camping spots well spaced out, many with established fire pits. Very little road noise at night, and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. T-mobile , 2 bars 5G service.

• J

  John

  Traveler

  

  May. 29, 2024

  Saddle Mountain BLM (Tonopah, AZ)

  Quiet and beautiful stop over

  Camped for one night on my way from NM to LA.  Arrived at night and it was easy to find. Awoke to a beautiful sunrise at the foot of the mountains. Great rock hunting too! This will be my regular camping spot form now on when traveling the same route.

• 

  Greg L.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 2, 2022

  Darby Wells Rd BLM Dispersed

  Scenic area but poor cell

  This is a dispersed BLM area behind the old copper mine tailings and a wide washboard dusty road goes back into the area. Scenic Sonoran desert vegetation due to the cactus diversity but some areas have been trashed by past use during the mining days. Cell signal was mixed to poor, only TMobile worked barely for me. Close to Ajo but no water, trash, or tables. Access road can be dusty and washboard.

• 

  Chris J.

  Traveler

  

  Jan. 26, 2021

  Darby Wells Rd BLM Dispersed

  Good flat campsites.

  Darby wells Rd. Has some good dispersed campsites right off the road. With flat cleared out areas. There isn’t a lot of traffic along the road either. So I would recommend this for an overnight.

• M

  Mike

  Scout

  

  Mar. 17, 2021

  Darby Wells Rd BLM Dispersed

  Good free dispersed boondocking

  Stayed here for three nights with the wife and kids in a tear drop type camper. It has a good amount of spots that are flat. We have never camped in the desert before, but it is still too cold for the woods. We enjoyed it and it really piqued our interest in desert camping. We did a short overland hike with no trail. We didn't see any hiking trails, so be careful you don't get lost. Ajo is real close and it has a couple little stores, gas stations, and like two restaurants. It does have a museum that was closed citing Covid. The mine museum was still open and very interesting. It even interested the three kids (6, 8, 11 years old). 

  On our last night I saw bombing practice at the Goldwater bombing range. Just aerial flares and flashes from FAR away. I was surprised by it. It was NOT detrimental to our stay. 

  May be our fall/spring camping spot.

• 

  Greg L.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 23, 2022

  BLM Sonoran Desert National Monument - BLM Rd #8029 dispersed camping

  Overlander High clearance only!

  This BLM road just leaves the Interstate in the west bound lanes..there is a 4" drop off from pavement and then a steep short dip. NO RVS OR TRAILERS OR LONG WHEEL BASE VANS recommended! The BLM road goes into the wilderness as a "cherry- stem" and vehicles are allowed. However the wilderness buffer along the road looks to be only about 50 ft total so very limited camping until you get into the Big Horn pond area (3.5-4 miles). Road is rocky high clearance and sandy in spots and gets rougher as you go in farther. 4x4 is nice to have.

  Note that the exit from the interstate is very risky and EXTREME Caution is advised...check your rear before you slow down to lv the interstate pavement. Same risk when you return to the pavement...extreme caution is advised as the interstate traffic cannot see you and do not expect vehicles from the side access.

  Great cell signal and a cool primitive road bounded by wilderness makes this road an Overlander dream camping area, imo.

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 21, 2021

  Ajo BLM Dispersed

  Close to Town, Lots of Space

  Managed by Lower Sonoran BLM Field Office 

  Very quiet so much glass and old rusted tin cans, possibly from when mining was active here. Lots and lots of shards of broken glass, it’s part of the landscape almost.  There are open mine pits, some fenced off, some not so be careful especially if you let your pets run free. Constant sound of planes overhead from the nearby AFB, with occasional low flying jets. Overall a nice place if you can get past all the broken glass, some areas worse than others. 

  Not too many chollas but there are some road in. Alley Rd was flat and level, some washboarding, ok for any rig just take it slow. Coming off of Alley Rd to pull out spots could be tricky for bigger rigs. There were a few nice looking spots that we didn’t attempt in our 26ft Class C because the road up was too steep.  Deep dip on Alley Rd coming in, about 1.8 miles from where the paved road ends, we scraped our bike hitch both coming and going. At around 32.355867,-112.884902. Any rigs longer than about 26ft probably can’t make it further in than this spot if coming in from the north, or you can enter from the other side of the loop and come in that way.

  Good verizon 4bars on 4GLTE, ATT had 2-3 bars on 3G, very slow.

• 

  Greg L.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 20, 2022

  BLM Sonoran Desert National Monument - Road #8011 Overlander Dispersed camping

  Tough exit to find from I8

  This is an obscure BLM road #8011 that just leaves I8 to south from the east bound lanes. There is a old bldg that you can look for to turn at. No camping by the old bldg. An unlocked gate takes you on a narrow gravel road about 1/4 mile to another flat area by some old bldgs, this seems to be where the best camping sites are. There is a wide deep sand wash crossing that keeps most from going farther. This area is best for 4x4 Overlander types,. TTs not so much. Hwy noise is an issue. Cell service is very good.

• G

  George K.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 3, 2021

  Buckeye Hills BLM - CLOSED

  Nothing to write home about

  Not a place you’d want to drive out of your way to. Theirs not much for scenic views except for some mountain range in the distance. Just a lot of creosote bushes, trash and Atv’s kicking up the power in the area. I thought it would be a good place to wait for package I had delivered to in Buckeye. Thank goodness it only took a couple days because the shooting out here is out of control, even at night. You also have low flying military aircraft during the day. Apparently the Regional park is closed, at least from the BLM side which it surrounds

  So if this is a place you have to see for yourself or just need to stay in the area for a day or two. As you come in on Robbins Butte game road take a left at the Y in the road. You’ll start to see sites along the road. If they are all filled, don’t worry, the farther you go the more small roads branch off and sites will open up. The road is washboard but goes on for a few miles.

• 

  Dustin N.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 12, 2025

  Saddle Mountain BLM (Tonopah, AZ)

  Beautiful Spacious Views

  Amazing campsite setting nestled against the Saddle Mountains. Beautiful Sunsets & Sunrises. Stargazing is spectacular. You won't regret it!