Searching for a dispersed camping spot near Leupp? Dispersed camping is an excellent way to get away from it all and to disconnect. Find dispersed campsites you've visited before, or discover new spots from other campers.
Please check the website for the most up to date information about closings and bans.
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.
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
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.
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.
ScoutAs 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.
Scout
This is a good dispersed camping spot with lots of sites and vegetation to keep you hidden. Flat level terrain.
Traveler
Just a nice dispersed camping spot, easy access off the main road, and not too far out of Sedona. Loved this spot!
Guide
Nice dispersed camping spot just off the AZT. Plenty of room and nice spots, flat with awesome views north of the San Francisco Peaks.
Traveler
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.
Traveler
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
Traveler
Road is well maintained, plenty of dispersed camping spots. We have a 26 ft class c RV and there was plenty of spots for us. There were a lot of ATVs and dirt bikes which were pretty noisy but other than that this place was great. Verizon and ATT both have cell service. 1-2 bars of LTE.
Guide
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.
Ranger
Nice national forest dispersed sites with many level camping areas most with firepits. Very busy In early Aug. Quiet In The pines. A fair amount of trash at several sites: folks enjoy the free sites but pick up your trash!(and other peoples if you see it)
ScoutHad 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.
RangerAbout 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
ScoutIn 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
TravelerThis 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.
ScoutCamped here for two nights in two different spots. Both were great, plenty of distance between me and other campers, quiet and peaceful. There were some motor bikes and ATV’s over the weekend but nothing crazy. Good free camping that is easy to access and peaceful!
Traveler
We love this area for dispersed camping. Easy access from I-17, beautiful views, wildlife, nice weather!
Traveler
Good dispersed camping. Found a spot with a fire pit left from previous campers. Plenty of room to spread out, quiet and mostly tidy.
GuideWe were in Sedona Thanksgiving weekend.. either not the brightest idea or Sedona is nearly a tourist trap at this point, despite it being a magical place of beautiful landscape and kind people. After being swarmed by campers at Coconino Forest Dispersed Camping Area, this place is a breath of fresh air. Located in a forest of pine trees. We are pretty much the only people here. We’re allowed a fire. It’s quiet. It’s free. It was only 2 minutes instead of 20 minutes down a rocky dirt road. Thumbs up.
Scout
Great spot to park for dispersed camping, quiet and easy to get in/out and turn around. Nice hiking, great wildlife, minimal noise.
GuideAwesome place nestled in the woods. Tons of open area for dispersed camping. Short drive to town in case you want to grab a bite to eat or forget something.
Scout
Dispersed camping we pulled into late, but met our purpose with campervan. Added bonus next morning to find we were so close to Sunset Crater National Monument. Well worth the time to visit!
Guide
We went through Flagstaff and past Snowbowl to a dispersed camping area. Found a great site with a cleared area containing a rock campfire ring. Lots of level spots for tents. Plenty of shade from the tall pine trees.
Ranger
The campground is made up of only dispersed camping areas, and offers some awesome views. However, because it is so close to the city, we found that all of the spots off the dirt road were occupied. People were almost everywhere, so if seclusion is what you’re looking for we don’t recommend :( We arrived there around 8pm so maybe it has something to do with that, but we have never seen this many people in an dispersed camping area. After searching for awhile we ended up settling into a spot, and were met by some unpleasant people (who looked like they had too many drinks) telling us that they were planning on camping there. Overall we ended up finding a spot to put up our tent and we left as soon as the sun rose. Great area, not such pleasant people.
ScoutIt was supposed to be a fairly hard to get to spot. Navigation takes you the long way traversing a rocky dirt rd with a small stream crossing and a dry river bed. The Rd went on for about 3 miles when the dispersed camp sites came into view. The signs stated no campfires but there was plenty of evidence of fires. We picked our spot, looking for the most level area. None of the campsites were full but everyplace you were in plain view of others. There was a lot of traffic on the dirt rd which a previous review I read said no low clearance vehicles. It turned out that the other end of the Rd came out onto intestate 89a about a mile from where we were and any vehicle could make it to the campsites. Overall we enjoyed our 2 days there but would've preferred the quite some other reviews had suggested it was.
Ranger
If you like dispersed camping, this is a great area. Loads of hiking, tons of animals (elk, deer, coyotes, foxes and more). Roads in are pretty well maintained, this spot can accommodate large trailers/RVs but as it is first come/first serve, they fill up fast. More spots further down FS124 if these are taken.
Scout
Boondocking camping. Cell phone and let data works here.
LegendPicturesque forest boondocking not far from Flagstaff off of highway 180. Turn onto Forest Road 222 and take the first road on the right. Plenty of "campsites" with existing fire rings and places to park and set up a tent.
There were less than 10 groups in this entire area over Memorial Day Weekend.
Got a little cold at night since it's at decent altitude.
Would definitely stay here again
GuideUse the coordinates given to get you to Schenbly road. But continue on that road until you find a camping spot you prefer. Would recommend an AWD vehicle if you want a spot closer to the vista. The road gets much bumpier and rugged. We got there around 4 pm on a Saturday and got one of the last spots with a pretty good view. The spots are secluded enough you don’t see or notice your neighbors when you farther down the road. Good fire rings, cell service available, and space around the campsites to roam and explore the area. Awesome camping spot! Definitely recommend.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Leupp, Arizona, where you can immerse yourself in nature without the constraints of traditional campgrounds. With a variety of options available, you can find the perfect spot to unwind and enjoy the great outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Leupp, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Leupp, AZ is Walnut Canyon Rd Dispersed Camping - CLOSED UNTIL 2025 with a 4.4-star rating from 34 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Leupp, AZ?
TheDyrt.com has all 62 dispersed camping locations near Leupp, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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