Are you planning a dispersed camping trip to Sun City? We've got you covered. Dispersed camping gets you off the grid so you can disconnect from the hecticness of everyday life. You're sure to find the perfect dispersed campgrounds for your Arizona camping adventure.
Annual permit needed to recreate an AZ State Trust Lands.
NO CAMPING First 2 miles and 300 feet on either side of the road/trail VEHICLES MUST STAY ON DESIGNATED ROADS - but past those designated no camping zones, camping is allowed unless otherwise posted. Must have a permit.
This space is very large so it may be best to divide it by the access points. The point I'll be using is Access #3- Forest Road (FR) 10, south entrance: This access point is reached from Apache Junction. From Mesa: Travel 15 miles east on the Superstition Freeway (US 60) to the Idaho Street exit. Follow Idaho Street north 4½ miles to McKellips. Turn right on McKellips and travel ½ mile to the Wolverine Pass Road and turn left. Follow it for 7/8 mile and turn right on Tonto Road. Travel north on Tonto Road for ¼ mile to Cactus and turn left. Follow Cactus to McDowell Road and follow it to FR 10 gate.
$10 - $80 / night
Approximate location. Many sites for primitive camping off W. Courthouse Rd. and W. Salome Rd.
An Individual Permit is $15 and grants a single person access to State Trust land for certain types of recreational activities including camping, bicycling, bird watching, GPS-based recreational activities (geocaching), hiking, horseback riding, off-highway vehicle (OHV) usage, photography, picnicking, and sightseeing. Recreational Permits purchased online will be charged an additional $1 convenience fee. Alternatively, Recreational Permits may be purchased in person at the Arizona State Land Department Office, located at 1110 West Washington Street in Phoenix. The permit is good for one year from date of purchase. Family Permit: A Family Permit is $20 and grants a family unit (two adults and their children under 18 years of age) access to State Trust land for certain types of recreational activities including camping, bicycling, bird watching, GPS-based recreational activities (geocaching), hiking, horseback riding, off-highway vehicle (OHV) usage, photography, picnicking, and sightseeing. Recreational Permits purchased online will be charged an additional $1 convenience fee. Alternatively, Recreational Permits may be purchased in person at the Arizona State Land Department Office, located at 1110 West Washington Street in Phoenix. The permit is good for one year from date of purchase.Small-Group Permit: A Small-Group Permit is $15 and grants up to 19 people access to State Trust land locations for five consecutive days for certain types of non-commercial recreational activities including camping, bicycling, bird watching, GPS-based recreational activities (geocaching), hiking, horseback riding, off-highway vehicle (OHV) usage, photography, picnicking, and sightseeing. Recreational Permits purchased online will be charged an additional $1 convenience fee. Alternatively, Recreational Permits may be purchased in person at the Arizona State Land Department Office, located at 1110 West Washington Street, in Phoenix.Large-Group Permit: A Large-group Permit is for a group larger than 20 people.
Traveler
This is a nice quiet spot with excellent cell service. It's on BLM land, so you are out of the reach of the Arizona Land Permits.
The road is a bit tricky. I got here pretty smooth on my RWD Xterra, so while 4WD isn't necessary, I wouldn't come out here without high clearance and decent suspension. Maybe tie down any loose items as well.
For extra clarification DO NOT go into Bulldog Canyon OHV (You need a permit in this part)! There is a right turn onto this trail right before the gate. Keep going until you see fire pits made of stone.
Guide
Secluded dispersed camping in the woods just outside of the town Crown King. 4x4 is recommended, campsites are not accessible when snowfall has occurred. Beautiful wildlife including deer always nearby.
Ranger
Not too far from I-10, easy to get to from highway. Used Google Maps. Pilot truck stop right off the exit with a few taco stands/trucks. Many roads to get on the BLM land, some more rocky than others. We had a big rock lodged between our 2 back dually tires, but suspect that doesn’t happen often. Some days it was a little windy and with the winds from the west it brought black flies. We had 8-10 flies hang in the van with us after we opened the door a few times. Other than that, plenty of sites very spaced out and neat walking trail up the mountain.
Scout
I have camped at every dispersed camping place within 150 miles of Phoenix. 99 percent are over run by noisy, disrespectful ATV AND DIRT BIKE riders. If they see people camping they like to rev their engines really loud and create big dust flumes to show how nasty they really are. Last year I never saw a dirt bike or ATV in blue point, but this year there's been a lot. Come on guys and gals you have control of every single other spot this was just one place the family could go and have some peace and quiet. NOT THIS YEAR!!! the ATV'S AND dirt bikes have been tearing down the roads making sure they really rev their engines and creat dust when they go by campers. Just be jerks. But besides that, compared to any other place, this is the quietest. Don't park near the gate, the sound from the road can get really loud. 6 am every morning a helicopter comes overhead it's extremely loud, just so you know. Make sure you go to the Tonto national Forest Mesa ranger station and get a permit for bulldog canyon on Ingram street in Mesa. You need the gate combination codes to open the gate and be in there. The rangers do come through and check your permit and ID's to make sure you are the one on the permit. Ive only seen coyotes and wild horses in there.the horses actually came up to my window, it was awesome.you can have fires, but there's no water or toilets. Try to stay away on Friday and Saturday nights. Allot of kids go there to drink and party. One more thing, if you open the gate, close and lock it! I have seen people call the rangers and tell and the rangers came down and took the person's permit away.enjoy!
Ranger
This is pretty much like the reviews say, your basic BLM undeveloped dispersed camping area. One difference are the powerlines overhead that emit a cracking and rattling noise constantly. Not sure of the health implications of those powerlines. As one reviewer mentioned there are washers that could hang up many large and even midsize rigs. This is also a popular ATV area which comes with a lot of dust and noise and rude people. Beware of paths that seem fit for a two wheeled vehicle but were created by ATVs which can often climb into and out of these washes with no problem. I drove through one that almost ripped off the tail end of my 17 foot TT. Don't forget to GOAL, get out and look.
Scout
This is a dispersed camping are close to town.
Traveler
Great little spot for some dispersed camping. It is fun to hike and explore agua fria National Monument nearby.
Legend
Access road is fresh gravel so better than 2024. Large open flat area in middle close to a livestock water and corral, so cow noise and smell. Free dispersed but need the $15 AZ lands permit. Cell signal is very good. No toilets, no trash, no tables...just rock fire rings. Close to the hwy so some hwy noise. Some Campers look to be folks that work in town. The other dispersed camping area a bit to the north closer to town by the cell tower may be another good spot. Only 4.5 miles to the Safeway in town.
Only 2 stars as the area is no scenic and had beat down vegetation, cow crap smell and general vibe is ick.
ScoutEasy to moderate trails throughout the area. Lots of dispersed camping and miles of trails. Heavy UTV use has made some of the trails even more challenging. Lots of fun.
Guide
Nice open dispersed camping area near the trailhead to Vulture Peak. Lots of random washes and remnants of mines to discover. Grocery store is only a few miles down the road near Wickenburg.
Scout
Nice enough place for dispersed camping, but requires a very bumpy drive to get there. Really good cell phone service (Verizon - I got 3-4 bars of 4G, which got me 75+ mb/s download speed)
Scout
Nice location with dispersed camping options. When we were setting up a man came up & warned us that it was a popular spot for Nudists. He was not wrong. Be prepared to run into some interesting people.
GuideFirst time dispersed camping with our 21’ pull-behind and had a great experience. Gravel road leading to the area is well kept and our truck had no issues getting to the area. Awesome views when we setup camp with plenty of space.
TravelerTakes a little 4 wheeling to get there or you can access it from the water. Basic dispersed camping but gets a little warm during the summer months. Views are nice and its a nice pack it in, pack it out spot.
TravelerProbably one of the closest places to camp on the east valley of the Phoenix area. This place is most used by OHVs so it can get noisy on the weekends. I’ve also seen spots that people use for shooting. This area is just for dispersed camping, no services, cell phone coverage is good with Verizon.
ScoutGreat place to Boondock up to 2 weeks.
Guide
Miles of desert and washes to explore with tons of dispersed camping sites. Can get busy on holiday or event weekends but worth it otherwise. Some weekends have horse or Dirtbike events. Nearby washes lead to tons of trails near castle hot springs that can lead to various abounded mine sites (including Anderson Mill). Obviously not ideal camping in the summer but GREAT for the fall/winter/spring months.
GuideWe stayed here in the spring so the weather was great for no a.c. Boondock sites are on the small side and limited. Don't bring a big rig in here. There is a parking lot with a gate code that you need to get from the BLM but you can do that online. Park in the lot and walk in to scope out site availability. That way you aren't stuck trying to turn around. We have a 19' trailer so that wasn't a problem for us but could be for toy haulers, etc. A lot of ATV traffic here so be prepared to hear engine noise but the scenery is beautiful 😀
Traveler
That's right, this is AZ, State Trust land, AKA: FREE camping and parking land—72,000 acres of open dispersed, rough, rugged, off-the-grid life. I've parked here in my converted Skoolie of 36 feet for two years. I DO purchase the $ 15-a-year permit and I DO display it. But in 2 years, I've not seen even one "official" vehicle and have never been asked to see my permit or how long I have parked. It is messy, I like to clean it up at times, please help and please remember, this is your land so do not trash it to the point that we will be kicked off. I've watched this happen all over northern AZ and it does not need to happen here. Pack it in and pack it out. Leave no trace. There are garbage cans 1 mile from this land. A new gas station/convenience store has been erected a mile from Maddock Road. Although Maddock Road is no longer an access point to the lands, there are plenty of other access points. The new gas station has diesel, water dispensing, propane dispensing, and all the conveniences anyone would need. It is a paradise in Winter, believe that. In summer, it is hotter than the dickens. I bounce from Flag to this location yearly, it works well for us nomads.
Legend
Managed by Lower Sonoran BLM Field Office. Free camping, but you have to love the sound of gunshots and love the view of trash everywhere.
There are multiple dirt roads you can take to find spots in Buckeye Hills that run adjacent to Powers Butte Wildlife Area where there is no camping allowed. We stayed here in different spots for 3 days while waiting for mail in Buckeye. The place is filthy! Shooting garbage and illegal dumping is common, in fact one night we woke up and just down the road was a new pile of some illegal dumping.
If you can get used to the constant gun fire, you’ll still have to put up with ATVs racing up and down the various roads. The dirt here is a fine deep powder in a lot of areas so there is lots of dust that gets kicked up when they race by, sometimes just back in forth right in front of where you are parked.
There is not really hiking or biking unless you want to dodge bullets or ATVs. There also appears to be a lot of long time“residents” in the area as well. There are no amenities here so pack in and pack out though it is obvious not many do. We picked up trash and about 7 lbs of casings around our spots we stayed in. Besides the noise and physical pollution there is also light pollution from Palo Verde and Buckeye.
1-2 bars Verizon& ATT, streaming with pauses for buffering
ScoutHuge area to disperse camp with an actual bathroom. If you dont mind occasional off road vehicles driving through during the day, its a good spot with plenty of room.
Ranger
Mesquite Wash is located approximately 20 miles northeast of Fountain Hills, Arizona. Follow the Bee Line Highway, SR 87, a few miles past the Four Peaks turn off. Watch for the Mesquite Wash sign. The main area is on the west side of the highway and is used primarily by off road vehicles. The east side of the highway is quieter and has several pull offs available for dispersed camping.
There are no facilities; no restrooms, hookups, or trash. Pack it in, pack it out. The best time to go is in the winter months but with the weather being pretty fair it’s not too bad. You can have a fire but it depends on fire danger for the day. Pretty much if it’s hot and or dry, you won’t be able to have a fire.
It is free and first come first serve, although there are plenty of spots to go around!
All that being said, this is one of the most beautiful spots in the Sonoran desert! There are so many amazing views! Great for hiking or off roading.
Side note: Please clean up after yourself! Forest Service has put so many restrictions on this area because people leave their trash out there.
Legend
Stayed here for the past 2 years overwinter. 6 months, $15 pass, 36 foot skoolie with zero issues. Close to everything you need as a boon docker/nomad.
GuidePerfect spot for boondocking. The dirt road is decent, people are spread out, it's peaceful. Bit of a drive to get gasoline...fill up before you get here!
GuideThis is one of my favorite areas to boondock in the southwest winter season. The views are phenomenal ! To my surprise I thought it would be crowded here this year, but no. As soon as you turn off of W Salome Hwy on to W Courthouse rd you’ll find at least 9 or more entrances that lead up towards the mountain. Some better than others, meaning they can be very rocky, so be careful of tire damage. Like any time your looking for a site, park in a safe place and search by either foot or in my case ebike. I have found the last couple roads in on the far west to be the smoothest, but they are also more populated. Sites here can accommodate the big rigs, but the smaller you are the more options you have. This BLM, 14 day maximum.
Traveler
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.
GuideIt was a great area to boondock camp, roads are rough but worth the trip. Cellphone service is spotty. Lots of ATV on the weekends. Be prepared to get stuck in the mud if it rains. There's a great lil gem you can hike to called Mudd Spings, it's super small natural spring.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Sun City, 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 explore the stunning desert landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Sun City, AZ is Old Airstrip Camping & Staging Area with a 4.1-star rating from 18 reviews.
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