Peralta Road Dispersed Camping

This really ticks me off. One of the more beautiful spots to spend a day has been closed to campers and trail riders.  We were shocked to see all access except to the park and trailhead are closed. I agree a few camping spots were over used but that shouldn't have closed the whole area.  This is shameful and a government power grab!

   The county has closed camping on Peralta road,  signs are up,  and trenches have been dug so no access is available.

Great site - a bit of a drive in

We scoped this area out via Google satellite views and The Dyrt and other review sites, looking for a place to boondock for three weeks.  There's good and there's bad here:

The Good:

• The pull-offs from the main road are fairly easy to get to. 
• It's Arizona...but there's GREEN stuff everywhere.
• Great view of the mountains here.
• Saguaro cacti everywhere.
• I fed some carrots to a horse this morning.
• The main road is pretty good, at least as far as we came in.  (Had the wife scout out a spot on her motorcycle and sidecar.)
• Cell service is pretty darn good.  Was getting about 40mps down with Verizon, but AT&T was definitely better at 35 down, but almost 35 up, too.  Verizon's up speed was maxing out about 18 mbps.  I didn't even get the Starlink out!
• You do have to go through a residential area to get to here, but it's two lanes each side and very smooth.  Just slow down to 35 and 25 during the school zone times.
• The main road (Peralta Road) ends in a trailhead where apparently you can hike.  (I won't be finding out...)

The Bad

• As my subject says, "it depends".  I'm here, boondocking, to get a bunch of audio recording and editing done.
• Was hoping the weekday would be different, but there is a CONSTANT stream of cars, trucks, jeeps, side-by-sides, some loud, some not.  If basic noise doesn't bother you, you'll be fine.  If you're going to be on the phone a lot for meetings and such, you might notice it or need to use your device's MUTE button.
• MOST of the drivers are going WAY too fast. (Watch your kids and pets.)    We're on a double blind curve (hard to see where we are pulling out in the truck to go to town from both ways).  You really better pay attention.
• There are ruts in the pull-offs.  We were lucky that the spot we got into had minimal ruts, but towards both the end and front of our rig, they're pretty deep in some spots.  Walking our dog, she was completely IN a valley-rut several times.  There's a sign posted that seems to indicate they'll be fixing it, but it's state land.  Who knows.  The ruts, at least right now, are indeed dry, but clearly they were muddy.  If you're coming here, you'd best have four wheel drive.  After we got the rig into position, I had to level out some spots with a shovel so the jacks and our blocks would be level when the rig's weight was on them.
• Even though it hasn't been hot and it's been pretty wet, the information when you buy your year-long permit (family is $20, wow!), it says that pretty much any and all campfires are prohibited.  Even though the link they provide to a map system doesn't show any fire bans here.
• The spots, at least on this right side of the road, aren't very wide.  Right out our front door is the adjoining property's fence line.

Good place but crowded, with lots of traffic.

The views are amazing but so is the traffic. But around 9pm it quiets down. Sites are close to the road for the most part unless you have a high clearance vehicle. Lots of hiking in the area. Trail head at end of road gets very busy. Oh also this is state trust land so permit is required.

Drive through the town of Gold Canyon AZ, and you quickly leave behind the sprawl of suburban Phoenix, but embrace the sprawling landscape of the Sonoran Desert which is brimming with life in the spring. The unpaved road leads to multiple pull-offs and side roads where you can find the perfect spot to tuck away and camp for as long as you like.  Embrace the sun and bring your solar panels and plenty of cold drinks -- you'll be rewarded with amazing sunrises and sunsets and all the peace and quiet you can stand.  You may get lucky and find some partial shade under a Palo Verde, too.

Though adjacent to Tonto National Forest and the Superstition Mountains Wilderness Area, the camping along Peralta Rd. is on Arizona State Lands. Use of this land, for any reason or purpose, requires a special individual permit. These annual permits are available online, https://asld.secure.force.com/recreationalpermit/ and cost $20 (plus $1 online processing fee). The permit is good for 1 year (deal of the century!) and allows access to any other Arizona State Lands where a permit is required. 

While there are no services available at any of the camping spots, water, gas, or groceries are a short drive back into town. The hiking, and biking opportunities are amazing right around camp via the numerous and unlabeled OHV trails, or a short drive to the Peralta Canyon trailhead. This Forest Service parking area requires either a Tonto Pass, or Interagency Pass, or$10 day pass (available through a self-pay kiosk) serves as the start of many trails that will lead you into the gorgeous Superstition Mountains. Both the road, parking areas and trails are super busy on the weekends, so plan accordingly. During the popular hiking months, Forest Service Volunteers will regulate the parking area, so don't think that you'll get away without buying a pass. The ticket is more expensive.