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There is no RV, car, or front country camping in the park. There is no boondocking, dispersed or “primitive” camping, or just pulling off into a parking area.
There is only backpacking/hiking into the designated Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area to spend the night in the park, at least a half mile from your vehicle. Please be prepared for this adventure! Remember to LNT.
The backpacking wilderness permit is free. You may obtain it in person from either visitor centers on the day that you want to backpack. Each vehicle must have a permit. The permits are available until 4:30 pm.
There are private campgrounds throughout Navajo and Apache Counties, in and around Holbrook, Sun Valley, St. Johns, Joseph City, and other communities.
Groups
Group camping is limited to 8. Because of the fragile soils and landscape features, minimum impact camping is very important. This includes limiting the number of people within an area.
Scout
Got here at night and found it quite easily. Not the most scenic as the lake is dried up and the highway is visible (and audible). Trash cans were overflowing with trash, and a few of the sites were trashed as well. I also think I saw human poop by the bushes. At around midnight some guy came by our tent asking if we knew where the portopotties went, and said the site we were at is where he usually stays…
Scout
If you love the sound of trains, this is the spot for you. There must have been a dozen trains that ran past my site (although I thought some may have been going through my tent). I didn’t sleep a wink. Then, the sprinklers started at 5:15 am. But at least it was free!
RangerGreat, great free camping. ~20 sites, most official sites have concrete pads & trashcans but a few more primitive spots just have driveways & rock campfire rings. Great Verizon Service. WINDY. Pretty, too.
ScoutStaff at the visitor center are very friendly and helpful. Overnight parking is allowed; however, the size of the lot will decrease significantly as they are building a new library in the dirt lot where campers were allowed to park in the past.
Scout
Easy to find and park, lots of campervans and RVs set up, slabs, picnic tables , seemed like 30 watt power outlets but didn't work when I tried to plug in (makes sense, it's free!) Store opens in the am with bathrooms, big dumpster, beautiful stars
RangerLocated right outside the park. It’s free!!!
LegendStayed here for a couple nights towards the end of May. There were a few other people camping while I was here but it was very quiet. I would estimate there are about 10 sites. Most appeared to have garbage cans. There were two port o potty’s that were not too bad. There were lots of cattle free range grazing around the lake. I was able to find fire wood around for a fire but it was a little challenging finding larger pieces of wood, I would probably bring some wood of my own if I ever returned. Overall it was a great place to stay for free especially since there aren’t lots of campsites in this area. Directions were accurate.
ScoutGreat for a night belote pétrifiés Forest
TravelerFreedom.
TravelerFreedom.
ScoutFree, what more you want?
GuideVery grateful that Winslow allows overnight camping. This is a large parking lot at the welcome center. Best for a quick stopover. This spot is adjacent to a train station and large strucks were also parked. It was very loud until about 10pm and then it started up again around 6am
GuideReviews say this place is clean but it is Disgusting. The porta potties aren’t even worth trying to use and there was garbage EVERYWHERE. I would still almost give it 4 stars because when I was there it was nearly empty, but the one other person who was there blasted loud music all day and night and was clearly on drugs. Not great, not bad. Would I stay here again? Yeah I guess so. Definitely a mixed bag.
GuideRunning with the Route 66 theme, this area is really cool! Sleep amongst the dinosaurs and teepees and cruise the rock shop in the morning! Located at the entrance of the Petrified Forest, this is a quiet spot at night. There were four other campers and each of us had a picnic table. We were on the gift shop side but the museum across the street also has spot and theirs have electricity (they have locks on them but I think you go into the museum before 5pm to have them open them and pay for the electric?).
LegendDirt lot with about 20 spots for RVs, trailers, campervans, or any other self contained camper. They don't allow tent camping because there are no bathrooms available. Dumpster was in the lot for trash. Reading other reviews they mentioned no electric, at this site, but there are boxes next to each campground with 30amp outlets. My camper doesn't use shore power, so I wasn't able to test the boxes. Attached a photo of what the outlet looks like if anyone wants to give it a try. There are paid sites across the road specifically for anyone who needs an electric hook up.
Overall was quiet, but we also went on a day in December and there was noone else at the campground.
LegendThis is very close to park. Quiet place to stay. Picnic tables. No electric. There is a campground across the street that has electric.
LegendThis is a large parking lot in the middle of town. Not much else to say
GuideA free spots a free spot! There were about 8-10 spots to pull in to with picnic tables. Only one bar Verizon and att. We got there around 6 and got the last picnic table spot. Dumpster onsite which is nice! Right outside the petrified forest entrance so great if you are going there.
TravelerBig shout out to Winslow AZ visitors center for allowing us to overnight. In exchange we spent money in town.
LegendThis is an old dirt lot with several sites for overnight RV parking, which the gift shop allows for free for a night as long as you are self-contained. No tent camping or sleeping in your car allowed (because there are no restrooms available).
Each spot has a picnic table and a few have a shade structure as well.
The other side of the street has more sites available for $15/night and they include power hookups. No other amenities available here.
These lots are just outside the Petrified Forest NP south entrance and it’s so convenient to stay here if you’re going to be visiting the park. We stopped at the gift shop to make sure we were good to park here for the night and also to make an obligatory “thank you” purchase. They have lots of jewelry, petrified wood pieces (ranging from cheap to crazy expensive for the large polished pieces), clothing, gifts, stickers, etc. They also sell beer for $3/can but all they have is Budweiser.
Good-ish cell reception here. AT&T had 3G, Verizon had LTE, and T-Mobile was roaming as always.
LegendI always appreciate when cities allow overnight parking in town. As boondockers, it’s hard to explore a city and then go out to the outskirts to find a place for the night, so it’s always a treat to stay within walking distance of a town with things to do.
This is a large paved lot, adjacent to an even larger paved gravel lot, where overnight parking is allowed. We arrived on a Saturday late morning and left the next morning. The visitor center was never open for us to go in while we were there.
There was plenty of space for us to put out our slides. There is a dumpster in the parking lot but no other amenities. Good cell service here for both ATT and Verizon.
It’s a few blocks from the fun and kitchy part of town with all the “Standing on the Corner” things, plus some other interesting things to see and some good places to eat.
** VERY noisy trains all night long. Not just trains passing by, but some kind of dramatic CLU-CLUNKing going on pretty frequently. We'd stay here again just for the convenience, but we'll bring ear plugs next time.
LegendWhat a wonderful place to stay for a few days and close to the Petrified Forest! Plus it is FREE!
It's not much but if you are Boondocking for a few days or just wanna stay overnight, this is a great place to stay! I'd say get there before 5pm-ish as it starts to fill up due to people leaving the park. There a few spots that have covered picnic tables and the rest are out in the open. It's a gravel/dirt base for the most part and leveling is pretty easy!
FYI, there are NO hookups of any kind here. So be prepared ahead of time. The associated campground across the street has "electric only" for$15, if you need it.
GuideRight outside the South Gate of the Petrified Forest National Park. They offer free camping with no hookups for self contained rigs. Water is available at city hall if needed. They even have a dumpster so getting rid of trash is easy.
TravelerThere are two gift shops with camping areas here. The Petrified Forest Gift Shop on the left heading into the park, has 10 sites with 30amp electricity and a picnic table. $15.98/night. The Crystal Forest Museum on the right has free RV camping. Each site has a picnic table. The owner of the Petrified Forest Gift Shop just purchased the Crystal Forest Museum (which is still closed) and is still allowing free camping on that property. Fires are not allowed in either campground.
GuideThis is simply a place to park overnight that allows for great access to the national park. The owner was a bit short when I checked with her about the spot, but other than that, no issues. There's no power, water, or anything else, so you'll need to be self-contained. They do have covered picnic tables at each of the spots, which was nice. I'd recommend this to anyone visiting the park!
RangerStopped here prior to visiting the petrified forest. What a clean, quiet, gem. The lake was frozen over which made for tons of fun for us throwing rocks and listening to the ripple. I’d say there is at least 10 spots. Port-o-potty there and trash so please continue to keep this clean free site just that way!
ScoutIf you want to be close to the petrified forest national park this is it. You can see the gate to the park it is an old event park that went under and now you can use for free. There is a paid area where you can get electricity but it is just a parking lot
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Petrified Forest Natl Park, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Petrified Forest Natl Park, AZ is Crystal Forest Museum and Gifts with a 3.8-star rating from 25 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 7 dispersed camping locations near Petrified Forest Natl Park, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
