Searching for a dispersed campsite near Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument? Find everything from dispersed backcountry camping to boondocking with The Dyrt. Search nearby dispersed campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Dispersed camping near Why, AZ in the Sonoran Desert.
Scout
Nice place, plenty of Sitzes, yet only few neighbors. Getting there is bumpy (unpaved road) but with any passenger car doable.
ScoutAstonishing place in magnificent landscape! Plenty of sites, spacious and large distance to neighbors. Only a handful of other campers. Absolutely clean and easy to access with and car/van
Traveler
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. 
TravelerBeautiful area, great spot to enjoy the desert.
Anyone looking for a drone?
Traveler
We stayed in a 40' motorhome for a couple of nights. Easy access even for bigger rigs. Huge spaces to find a spot. The area was pretty clean - only one trashy-looking camper. No amenities at all! Short drive into town for gas, food, and restaurant. Verizon & T-mobile worked great.
Guide
Nice area with room between campers yet still opportunity to say hi and wave as you walk by. Some noisy atvs but not overwhelming. Close proximity to Ajo with plenty to do there. We will come back. The further back you go, you will loose cell signal completely.
ScoutFirst time camping near Ajo. We turned onto the scenic loop drive off Darby Wells Road and quickly found a large flat spot down off the road. Very little traffic and no neighbors. A new favorite!
TravelerStayed a couple of nights 
RangerQuiet besides the main highway traffic. You can go further back away from the road. Would come back.
GuideSpacious galore! Wonderful! Easy to find, and can park right off the road if desired! Lovely cactus… all around! What a blessing!
RangerWould stay again. Watch out for the broken glass and old rusty metal.
GuideStopped here for the night on the way back to Tucson and loved it. Hope to go back and explore the town a little more next time!
LegendStayed here for a night in mid April 2022. I arrived around 5:30 PM and was able to get set up and collect enough wood for a fire. I found a level spot with an existing fire ring. There were a few other campers around but this place has a lot of space so I didn’t notice the neighbors. It was cloudy and a full moon but I could imagine the skies get super dark here. I would stay here again.
LegendBig open area with some shrubs, cacti and washes. There is LOTS is space here so plenty of room to spread out but bc of the low nature of most of the plants there isn’t a ton of privacy. You prob won’t be alone but you won’t need to be right next to someone either.
Mostly level area, great roads. Everyone around was quiet and respectful. Saw a few coyotes while we were here and heard them yipping throughout the night. Very peaceful and close to Organ Pipe National Monument.
TravelerPacked in. Dozens or hundreds of trailers these first 2 weeks of February. Sunny, but not overly warm weather. Road noise that is not overwhelming, just a steady din in the background. Tent campers having some trouble this time of year as the wind increases sharply in the afternoon.
TravelerArrived an hour before sunset. Far enough from the road to be nice and quiet. Plenty of company but very spread out. Clear night and the stars were awesome.
ScoutClean and quiet camping area Plenty of room
LegendThis 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.
LegendThis camping area is next to the County roping arena. There was some kind of grid RV area in distant past but now the entire area is neglected and rundown. There are a couple derelict RV trailer camps and some trashy campers that need to be booted out. This is a free 14d area and seems the County will come by and issue you a free permit. Cell signal is very good but no water, no trash, no tables and the old toilet by the arena is locked. Overall just a neglected Pima County park resource.
RangerWe were on a transit from Phoenix to northern Nevada and decided a little detour through Ajo would be nice. In spite of the warnings about sketchy activity at Darby Well, we gave it a go. We had to go farther down the road than we planned to find a site that we felt we could navigate in our rig. The roadside berms closer in were bigger than we wanted to attempt.
We found a good, level spot with neighbors reasonably spread out and walking distance to the well so we decided to stay a couple of nights instead of our original plan of just one since we had enough cell signal to get some work done, the area was quiet, and the neighbors respectful.
The wind the first night was hefty and kept us huddled inside. Picture two adults, large dog, and a motorcycle in a tiny toy hauler! But by morning it easy to enjoy working and exploring outside. And, obviously, being a desert with no large trees around and lots of sun, we were able to keep our action up and running with solar power.
While there, we did see a huge caravan of border patrol vehicles come and go but we had no issues or negative encounters at all. We did, however, have a Colorado Cane Toad hop through our site. Imagine our surprise when my partner said“That rock just jumped!” I was able to break out my biggie zoom lens and get some shots without disturbing it.
[Side note: On our way into town, we did the walking tour which is very engaging if you’re into history and understanding the places you travel through. There is RV parking in town behind the main square but you’ll have to watch your clearance if you want to pull out through the square. We were too tall so we had to maneuver around a bit to get back out.]
ScoutI've been here twice, the last a few days ago. I was the only person there and at night felt like i was the only person on earth or moon. Completely quiet. Many fire pits and as another review said, lots of glass everywhere. Lots of cans with holes in them.
LegendWithin just 20 miles of the Organ Pipe National Monument, Gunsight Wash allows dispersed camping up to 14 days. There are enough flat parking areas scattered throughout the BLM area to accommodate hundreds of rigs. You should be able to find a quiet spot, though it's unlikely that you'll have the place all to yourself.
As with most dispersed camping areas managed by the BLM, there are no services for bathroom, water, or trash. There is a day-use rest area across the highway, but please do not dump your trash there (AZDOT will charge the BLM to dispose of this trash, and that will mean that the BLM will have to start charging us -- so be a good neighbor and dispose of your stuff in the nearby town of Why).
The main road between Why and Sonoyta (Mexico) is very busy during the days.
However, the border crossing is closed at night so being parked near the pavement isn't going to keep you awake all night. However, we found that getting further away made the hanging out around camp more pleasant.
There are many hiking and biking opportunities available just a short drive away into the National Monument. The Visitor's Center is also worth a visit, and the NPS campground is super cute and offers all the usual amenities of developed campground in the NPS. The town of Why is within 2 miles of the Gunsight Wash turn off, which offers a gas station and convenience store. Further up the road lies Ajo, AZ, which has more in the way of restaurants and grocery stores.
ScoutStayed 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.
LegendI have found that this is a nice location. If you want to visit in this area, it is very conveniently located about three miles from the Organ Pipe National Park. There is a campground in the park. It offers paved parking and barbecue grills, but it still dry camping. Since this is free I find it a lot better for dry camping. It is close to a town called Why, that has gas, and a restaurant called Grannies that has the best burritos this area has to offer. Can also get ice and propane at the gas station there. I chose to Camp close to the road, because I don't mind the noise from traffic, I feel it is a little soothing at times personally. The BLM area goes back several miles and if you don't mind driving in a little farther in, it is much quieter. I really like this area BLM land and I'm sure to come here again and again.
LegendPrimitive and far from civilization. Right next to highway 85, so there is a lot of traffic noise. Since this is dispersed there are not any facilities, but surprisingly there is little privacy. Several RVs,but no hook ups. Very close to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
LegendIt 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.
TravelerDarby 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is Gunsight Wash BLM Dispersed camping atea with a 4.3-star rating from 15 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 5 dispersed camping locations near Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, with real photos and reviews from campers.
