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Approximate location. Many sites for primitive camping off W. Courthouse Rd. and W. Salome Rd.
This 63,200-acre wilderness lies in southwestern Maricopa County, 12 miles east of Gila Bend and 20 miles southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. It contains a 10-mile section of the Maricopa Mountains, a low-elevation (1,000 to 2,813 feet) Sonoran Desert range, and extensive surrounding desert plains. The North Maricopa Mountains are a jumble of long ridges and isolated peaks, separated by bajadas and washes. Vegetation includes saguaro, cholla, ocotillo and other Sonoran Desert plant species. Desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, coyotes, bobcat, fox, deer, Gambel's quail and raptors inhabit the wilderness.
The wilderness provides outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation, including hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, camping, wildlife observation and photography. The Margie's Cove and Brittlebush Trails take you through the heart of the North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness.
According to info found online:
To enter the BLM area you drive down Ghost Town Road until it turns to dirt. Approx. 1/4 mile down the dirt road you’ll see a green sign to “Pioneer Cemetery”. Turn right onto this road and you are in the camping area (you’ll see small signs listing 14-day camping permitted). The camping area stretches from the beginning of this road to a dead end near the back (probably only around a mile or so further down) with several dirt roads off to the sides leading to smaller sites.
This 63,200-acre wilderness lies in southwestern Maricopa County, 12 miles east of Gila Bend and 20 miles southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. It contains a 10-mile section of the Maricopa Mountains, a low-elevation (1,000 to 2,813 feet) Sonoran Desert range, and extensive surrounding desert plains. The North Maricopa Mountains are a jumble of long ridges and isolated peaks, separated by bajadas and washes. Vegetation includes saguaro, cholla, ocotillo and other Sonoran Desert plant species. Desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, coyotes, bobcat, fox, deer, Gambel's quail and raptors inhabit the wilderness. The wilderness provides outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation, including hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, camping, wildlife observation and photography. The Margie's Cove and Brittlebush Trails take you through the heart of the North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness.
Annual permit needed to recreate an AZ State Trust Lands.
State Land Trust - free camping but permit required. See permit link.
Guide
Lots of room all rvs except little ol me, but only for a couple weeks.
Traveler
Area is marked and needs permit as well. As a foreigner I can't buy the permit online since only US address can be entered and will be reverted for the credit card payment so no way to stay there legally.
Maybe going in person or call them can get me a permit but yeah not this way.
Anyway the spot is nice and levelled if it would be usable 🙂
TravelerNo problems except for the people on drugs. Be careful and lock up before you leave to go anywhere.
Guide
Nice spot, pretty clean. Pretty easy to get to. There is a dirt road leading up to it. I think most size rigs could make it.
Traveler
Camped for one night on my way from NM to LA. Arrived at night and it was easy to find. Awoke to a beautiful sunrise at the foot of the mountains. Great rock hunting too! This will be my regular camping spot form now on when traveling the same route.
ScoutCould not Enter. Closed
Traveler
State land trust, good spot for a few nights. Gunshots in the distance, but no incidents/casualties lol. Pulled my 31ft TT back into a spot for a week. Close 10 min drive to stores like WinCo and Safeway and gas stations. Quite weekdays, loud weekends due to motor vehicles breaking the rules. (Not a ohv area but treated as such)
ScoutGreat place to Boondock up to 2 weeks.
Scout
Haven't had the chance to camp at the sites in here. Going to start tonight
Traveler
Beautiful view, a little close to the interstate but quiet enough to sleep. I will stop here again
TravelerWe pulled in late at about 10pm. Wild burros and coyotes set the soundtrack and the cactus shadows looked against the bright night clouds. Absolutely worth the drive! We car camped and the weather was perfect and we slept great. We will definitely be back soon so we can actually pick a site and enjoy it!
ScoutThere are quiet areas and also areas where people run ATVs and dirt bikes
TravelerThis was just an overnight stop. You can get right up next to the mountain if you want. Very rocky though. I made it with a 35' skoolie. Just go slow. It was fairly busy.
LegendOnly stayed for the night but could have stayed longer if we didn’t have someplace to be. Lower clearance rigs and vehicles need to stay closer to the main road. We have a 4x4 class C towing a Jeep so we went through some steep banked washes. The further you get away from the main road the less people. Will stay here again.
Legend
Rough sloped area at crest by cell tower. This is AZ Trust Land so a $15 online permit is needed to be legit. Cell signal is very good. Only a few miles into town and a grocery store.
Legend
Access road is rutted and could be muddy if wet. Large open flat area in middle. 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. Campers look to be folks that work in town, trashy vehicles and industrial setups, not really a RV nomad community area imho, has a sketchy vibe. The dispersed area a bit to the north closer to town by the cell tower may be a better spot
ScoutSaddle Mountain is fun to hike but strenuous. The area is quiet and easy to get to. RV and pet friendly.
Traveler
Great spot plenty of private areas, pretty clean, amazing sunset, great scenery. Watch out for coyotes if you have animals
GuideJanuary Rv 23 fr Cell. Att. 3 bars
This is a great spot that is easy to get to. You can see lots of lights from a refinery or factory of some sort but it didn’t really distract. The 10 fwy is only a few miles away and you can see it but if you are facing the mountains it feels more remote. Take the road further in. Most rv’s or big rigs can get pretty close to the mountain before the road becomes too tough. There are several roads that cut into the camping area from the main highway so you do t have to take the one that the directions here send you to. We were able to stream tv with good cell reception on att. I went on my dirt bike for the r into the mountains Very cool spot.
TravelerLove this Saddle Mtn Campsite! The pin location is accurate but it looks there are multiple different access routes. We really enjoyed it here because you can pull up within 50-100 yards from Saddle mountain and camp right below it. So cool.
We tent camped for about 5 days here, the crowd was minimal, felt very safe. Plenty of trails to walk, can explore the mountain and there are petroglyphs here. We only found a couple, but didn’t look too hard.
Overall loved this place, easy access, safe, fun and some cool views!
ScoutMy experience here was good meet a couple if nice people and mainly everyone keeps to themselves. Conviently close to the new gas station here so made it nice it has been a little cold this time of year so remember to bundle up at night!
TravelerThat'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
Easy access for midsized trailers. Larger trailers need to stick by graded road. Views are spectacular.
Traveler
There is a long access road. Not too rough for our sedan but watch out that you enter the campground at the correct entrance. It's not great but the others are worse. Burros are loud and wander around at night. Don't bother them, they can be lethal, otherwise, they are pretty peaceful.
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.
Guide
As many of the other reviewers noted, it’s great for an easy overnight stop. I don’t see it as a place you’d want to “camp” but easily accessible from the highway. Yes you can hear the traffic but it is quiet enough. There was no one else there when we camped.
TravelerThis area is hard sand, many winding roads with secluded spots to camp and lots of green in between so quite private. However, with all that said, people seemed to want to camp all around ME! BUMMER! There are two cemeteries to explore. An old one with gravestones from liked 1902 and the other is more modern but it still has many old graves. I had cell coverage Verizon 2-3 bars most times but sometimes in and out, especially in the evening. I stayed 12 days. Went to Wickenburg to Fast Mart dump and get water, Safeway for groceries, and West Plaza Green Laundry right across the street from the Safeway and the Fast Mart is just a quarter mile down the road. Really convenient!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Tonopah, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Tonopah, AZ is Saddle Mountain BLM (Tonopah, AZ) with a 4.6-star rating from 18 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Tonopah, AZ?
TheDyrt.com has all 24 dispersed camping locations near Tonopah, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
