Best Dispersed Camping near Prescott, AZ
Searching for a dispersed camping spot near Prescott? Dispersed camping is the perfect way to get off the grid. Each dispersed site offers quick access to one or more of Prescott's most popular destinations.
Searching for a dispersed camping spot near Prescott? Dispersed camping is the perfect way to get off the grid. Each dispersed site offers quick access to one or more of Prescott's most popular destinations.
This spot is located in the Prescott Basin. The Prescott Basin is an area immediately south and west of Prescott, Arizona and encompasses approximately 59,000 acres (about 4% of the Prescott National Forest). Dispersed camping is camping outside of developed campgrounds. In contrast to camping in developed campsites, dispersed camping is more primitive, and generally has no amenities such as trash collection, water or toilets. A map of the area can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3797787.pdf
Dispersed camping is camping outside of developed campgrounds. In contrast to camping in developed campsites, dispersed camping is more primitive, and generally has no amenities such as trash collection, water or toilets.
The Prescott Basin is an area immediately south and west of Prescott, Arizona and encompasses approximately 59,000 acres (about 4% of the Prescott National Forest).
Prescott Basin has a high percentage of wildland-urban interface, a mixture of undeveloped and developed land. The popularity of the Prescott Basin, has contributed to resource impacts such as accelerated soil erosion, damage or loss of vegetation, displaced wildlife, increased fire risk, and accumulation of trash and human waste.
To help prevent unacceptable resource damage from dispersed camping, Forest Service resource managers have designated sites, established stay limits, and limits on building and maintaining campfires.
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.
This spot is located in the Prescott Basin. The Prescott Basin is an area immediately south and west of Prescott, Arizona and encompasses approximately 59,000 acres (about 4% of the Prescott National Forest). Dispersed camping is camping outside of developed campgrounds. In contrast to camping in developed campsites, dispersed camping is more primitive, and generally has no amenities such as trash collection, water or toilets.
This spot is located in the Prescott Basin. The Prescott Basin is an area immediately south and west of Prescott, Arizona and encompasses approximately 59,000 acres (about 4% of the Prescott National Forest). Dispersed camping is camping outside of developed campgrounds. In contrast to camping in developed campsites, dispersed camping is more primitive, and generally has no amenities such as trash collection, water or toilets.
The Prescott Basin is an area immediately south and west of Prescott, Arizona and encompasses approximately 59,000 acres. Camping and campfires are allowed only at Designated Campsites, and in developed campgrounds, within the Prescott Basin. During fire restrictions, campfires are not allowed in these designated dispersed camp sites.
This place is gorgeous the sites are spaced well . Unfortunately there's been a lot of homeless and left behind trash when we stay we always leave with bags and bags of trash. We can complain about the problem or be part of the solution.
Stayed 3 nights. Easy access to/from town, recently graded road as of this writing, and (kind of) level sites. Quiet during the winter season at least and plenty of wildlife. Like most dispersed camping, kooks leave trash everywhere.
Great dispersed camping spot close to Sedona!
Heads up we camped a little further down on Beaverhead Rd where there were more open spots and an easier dirt road to drive onto. Plenty of spots to choose from which was surprising on a holiday week (Christmas to New Years). The camping was a lot quieter than I expected even though there were a bunch of other campers. Everyone seemed to be able to find a spot far enough from another to have a secluded space.
The location is super convenient from Oak Village and downtown Sedona. There is even a back way on highway 89 if you find yourself in West Sedona and don't want to drive through traffic to get to highway 179.
Had a wonderful time white tail deer walking thru the campsite. Plenty of sites to choose from. The only problem we ran into were the wild pigs trying to open our tote (no food in the store ) board games and camp kitchen utensils.
The road is totally doable in a minivan or the likes if you have some experience driving on rougher terrain, but only if you are coming in off of hwy 17. If you are in Sedona and decide to take 89A because you don’t want to drive out to hwy 17 like we did you will be met with a side by side trail. It is not a road. We barely made it in a 2025 Subaru Outback wilderness. If you have 4x4 and a solid 12 inches of ground clearance then go for it cause it is fun but damn. We took hwy 17 the rest of the days we camped here and it was a breeze. Beautiful views!
Beautiful camping surrounded by ponderosa pines and boulders. Rich in wildlife.
We were pushing the envelope with a 30 ft camper. Would strongly suggest motorhomes and longer RV's not consider this location. Our family were the only campers during our stay. Lots of activity in and around Crown King. Gas and water available in town. Due to roads, add an hour to any estimated drive time if pulling a trailer.
Decent dispersed spot, the road in is old asphalt with some big dips and holes but mostly avoidable. Bunch of rocks sticking up in the dirt as you drive around the loop of the campsite but my truck was fine. Stayed here a couple times, first time was almost a week and second time was a few days. Can hear a little bit of highway noise but mostly white noise which I did not mind.
Quiet and calm vibe. Found some random deer hooves at my site which is a little strange but otherwise it was perfect
The area was really beautiful. I had a pretty strange experience, however. I arrived late at night and once I finally found a camping space, there was a truck that pulled up after me, parked about 10 feet away and the person just sat in the truck without ever getting out. At first I thought, they're just Sharing the space, but then I started to feel very unsettled- like they were watching me or something. As a single female, this is something that was fairly uncomfortable. They sat there for at least an hour, never moving and finally drove away. The next morning I saw this elk skin was draped over the fence behind me and hooves along the fence as well.
The road in is a little rough, but ok. Two week stay limit, but that's pretty standard for BLM properties. There's no facilities so be prepared. Good level land and plenty of room. Wild burros wander through occasionally, and coyotes make their presence known as well. Fantastic views and quiet atmosphere, so far. Been here two nights and plan to stay for at least another week.
Dirt road is a bit washboard but very manageable by any vehicle.
Spots line the road to the left & right as you travel down the road. cell Service can be excellent or poor depending on site you choose (avoid the ones in the dips/valleys if its a concern for you)
No facilities, just good ol’ convenient Arizona boondocking.
I came in mid December and there were only a handful of others.
The climb from Sedona was a bit torturous for my poor 3” lifted Tacoma. The road has intentionally been unmaintained to make it spicy for the paid ORV tours. Around dusk, I saw a guy come in from 17 and start dropping down towards town. He had Honda Goldwing strapped in the bed of his pickup. He made it a few hundred yards down and decided to go back the way he came.
I enjoyed the creek view and the springs, but the lack of campsite wifi is too much to give this campground my approval. The lack of wifi, especially when there is no cell coverage, is unbelievable. Had FHU, but again the connectivity is not existent, even being close to Sedona.
Edited by slope game 2 days ago
There’s some sweet spots and some not so sweet spots. There are ports potties which are nice. Bad part is no campfires allowed. A few did it anyways but it was pretty dry. Not the best, but not the worst. Very good jumping off point for MYB though.
Pretty decent selection of sites. Some are right on the road, but others are tucked away quite nice. Less than 10 mins from town, but you wouldn’t know it. Roads in are a breeze with only a few sites where having more clearance might be nice. Enjoyed our stay other than one night where our neighbors got a little wild. Sites aren’t that close but at 100 decibels it doesn’t matter.
This was not an easy place to find. We came through Jerome and took 89A S all the way through. If you get to Potatoe Patch campground you are very close, but make a left off 89A South to get to these spots instead of a right (where the fee site Potatoe Patch campground was closed)
All the individual locations are blocked. You need to stay in group dispersed camping areas. If you get there later, good luck finding a spot. If you like neighbors, this is for you. The views are very nice in morning. Expect tons of red dirt everywhere.
Dirt road in but very drivable. Lots of available places to pull off and camp. Beautiful scenery. In sight of I17 but no sound from it at all. No available shade but my solar set up needs full sun, so it's perfect for me. Will definitely come back
As soon as I got there, I got the dog out and what do we immediately find? Used drug needles littering the ground around a fire ring. Definitely not somewhere I'd feel comfortable staying the night.
Got in late and while driving around trying to find a spot, we encountered some strange people. One man half dressed walking around with a flashlight, wondering what we were doing. There may be some campers but there was a large number of homeless people when we went. Very crowded area. Ended up moving on to different spot.
Approachable, very good spot near the highway, also with a camper van.
At the start of the road there are a couple of large areas where there were multiple vans parked but we kept going further down until we found a spot on our own. It was flat and we had a nice quiet night.
Paved road right up to the site. A little noisy from the traffic, but doable. Good flat ground, fire ring, and plenty of available fire wood.
My dog was laying in cigarette butts. At least it's free
Keep driving down the road and space will open up wider. We parked right past the little grate after you get to the more open space. Quite a few others but we weren’t looking for too much room or privacy. Got there right at sunset.
10-21-2024 Went to site. No camping signs now posted. Road is now a designated OHV trail known as "Outlaw OHV Trail".
We camped there for several days in Oct.2024. Road was rough but solid. Most any size rig could access this site. Good Verizon signal. Our biggest disappointment was the red dust. It got into all our rigs and is a mess to clean up. Overall it's a good site.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Prescott, Arizona, where nature meets tranquility. This area offers a variety of spots for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle while enjoying the great outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Prescott, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Prescott, AZ is Senator Hwy Dispersed Camp Site with a 4.1-star rating from 9 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Prescott, AZ?
TheDyrt.com has all 100 dispersed camping locations near Prescott, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring