Best Dispersed Camping near Prescott Valley, AZ

I was very skeptical about visiting this campsite at first, because I felt the information that I could find online was minimal. After visiting, however, I would definitely recommend this campsite to anyone. It was spacious enough to spread out from other campers. It was lovely to be right in the middle of the forest. I'd recommend driving further in to be away from the noise of the highway. I saw some reviews saying the gate was closed, but it was open when we were there in July 2022. Important things to note: This campground is located in the Coconino National Forest, please follow their rules and fire restrictions. No reservations are necessary for this campground. We found service to be a little spotty, but not impossible. Dogs are allowed. The turn in was pretty subtle, so definitely keep an eye out for it and use Google Maps over Apple Maps, because Apple Maps has no idea where this site is! All in all, I would visit again!

This is a relatively small BLM dispersed camping area. There’s maybe 20 sites depending on the the type of vehicle you drive. There are definitely some high clearance vehicle only areas but we were able to find a nice spot in our Winnebago next to the base of the hills. There are no services here, it is strictly dry camping. There is s cemetery right next to the area, a little weird but they didn’t make much noise. There are plenty of hills to hike around on and there are some old mines in the area but be cautious, there are arsenic warning signs in some and it appears some mining is still going on. Great sunsets and star filled nights.

The Bloody Bath access road was an easy drive (F250 SD with a truck camper). Washboards were easy to navigate but watch your speed on the down hill turns. We initially selected the site closest to Bloody Bath Road but decided to move further back to a site about a 1/4 mile in. The road (trail) back to the final site was a bit washed out (dry) with some deep ruts but again easily navigated in our truck. A 2WD Van or a SUV could easily access the site. The site was quiet. The biggest bummer was the amount of trash and empty beer cans strewn around the site. Real bummer.

We are in a 34 footer! The drive, while do-able, is not necessarily preferable in something 20+ feet long. Narrow dirt road, closer to one lane than two, and no guard rails. We just took it slow and that worked fine for us! It has been pretty quiet (even compared to other BLM sites we’ve visited this month). It’s also January which absolutely plays into the noise/traffic level! It’s chilly but nothing a sleeping bag can’t help! Really pretty walks, and hikes, and lots of room for our pups and kiddos to play. Super easy to navigate, which is always a big plus! We’re camping almost exactly where the pin is dropped. We’ve been able to visit Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and just come back here at night to camp so location isn’t bad either.

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