Pumphouse Wash (Forest Road 237) is\_\_a popular dispersed camping area in the ponderosa pine forest\_\_along SR 89A, midway between Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona. The area is\_\_conveniently located near\_\_Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Flagstaff, Woody Mountain Road, Lake Mary, and a variety of recreation sites. It is a popular alternative to traditional campgrounds for visitors to Oak Creek Canyon and the Flagstaff area.There are four campsite loops, each containing\_\_between\_\_11 and\_\_26 signed and numbered sites. The site offers\_\_excellent camping opportunities for large groups as well as families and individuals.\_\_Most sites offer partial to full shade beneath towering ponderosa pine trees, and are generally flat, making it easy to set up tents or campers. Each site has parking and a campfire ring. There is no trash service, so if you pack it in, pack it out. There are no restroom facilities. Portable toilets are highly recommended.FR 237 and the camping loop roads are well maintained and suitable for passenger cars.\_\_[Photo tour from this site \[Flickr\]][1].[][2]

[1]: https://www.flickr.com//photos/coconinonationalforest/sets/72157653609006366/show/
[2]: https://www.flickr.com/photos/coconinonationalforest/albums/72157653609006366

Pumphouse Wash (FR 237) Dispersed Camping Area

This one is pretty popular for those who know. Our Boy Scout Troop stays here several times a year. For a group as big as ours, one of the leaders goes up early to claim one of the larger sites(first come first served). It is easy to get to in just about any vehicle. The Forest Road is well maintained from the 89A side. Google may try to take you all the way through from I17 on FR237...suggest going past to exit 337 and coming back down 89A. The campsites are all on that end of the FR anyway. (Pics are from 2 different trips)

Great location, close to FlagX & Fort Tuthill

**Campground Review**

Pumphouse Wash is a dispersed area with over 80 individual sites in 4 different loops. The campground was primarily pine trees with rock fire rings. The roads on the way in were dirt but well maintained and could have been easily accessed with a car. There is no facilities, trash, or water so be sure you come prepared. The sites are a bit closer together than I prefer but when we were there on a Friday night in April only every 3rd or 4th site was occupied so it wasn’t too bad. You could tell that quite a few of the sites hadn’t been used in quite some time so I’m assuming it is rarely full to capacity. We did walk through our loop and found that most sites had trash (bottle caps, pop tabs, straw wrappers, etc) left throughout camp. We picked up roughly an extra half a trash bag worth of debris.

We stayed in site 203 in the second loop. It took a few times to find a place level enough to setup our pop-up trailer but with the help of a few pieces of 2x4 we were able to make it work. If you have a longer setup (like a 5th wheel or RV) you can make it work in about half of the spaces. The fire rings were made of very random rocks. Some sites had very large pits and others were very small but 2 or 3 rocks wide. Just be prepared to doctor your fire ring if you are planning to have a fire. The tree coverage was nice. There was shade throughout most of the day but it was relatively open. There was little piles of toilet paper behind almost every tree so don’t be surprised when you see white patches outside of camp.

This campground is within half an hour of Sedona which is full of hiking, vortexes, and other red rock adventures! (be sure to get a Red Rock Country map if you venture into Sedona so that you know when you need a Red Rock Pass or other fee) While we stayed here we ventured into Griffith Springs (just a few miles North of the campground) which has a free day use area and a little over a mile long loop trail. There was a picnic table and single vault toilet (which was trashed).

**Product Review**

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time – on this trip I tested the [Renogy E.FLEX10 Portable Solar Panel with USB Port](https://www.renogy.com/renogy-e-flex10-portable-solar-panel-with-usb-port/). I do want to make mention that they have updated the design just slightly since I received these but I was told by support the functional specifics are the same but the new panel dimensions are a bit smaller than the ones I have.

This panel has quickly become one of my favorite camping accessories. The panel itself is not much larger than a piece of letter paper when open and then it folds in half and is not much wider than a piece of cardboard except the USB port. The panels are rigid except for the hinges that are actually fairly stiff but slightly flexible (like a reinforced fabric). The panels charge just as well as a charging block plugged into a wall unit when in full sunlight. When the panel is in indirect sunlight it will still charge just not as quickly. I had a bit of fun testing this with my cell phone and seeing the “estimated time until fully charged” change within a few seconds as I would change the amount of sunlight the panel was exposed to.

Each panel comes with 4 removable suction cups so that you can mount it inside a window on your car (or outside the window when you are parked) as well as 2 carabiners so that you can hang it from a tent or on a backpack while hiking. There are small cutouts on each corner of the panel that you can place the suction cups or caribiners through. I’ve been using the panels primarily around camp. I’ll hook one up to my cell phone and the other up to a battery pack (that can then charge the small electronics when there is no sunlight). I’ve also used it in the dashboard of the car when travelling to the campsite. If you do this, I suggest you get a non-slip type grip pad so you don’t have it sliding across the dash when driving around corners.

Overall, I’m really happy with the E.FLEX10\. It is so lightweight and very compact. Since receiving it I’ve had it in my overnight bag, my hiking bag, and an emergency bag in my Jeep and it still looks brand new while being a super useful tool around camp. I’d strongly suggest you get one (or two) of these if you want a little added security for an emergency pack or if you plan to be in the woods for a few days and would rather not risk killing your car battery charging your portable electronics.

Ranger Review: Renogy E.FLEX10 Portable Solar Panel with USB Port at Pumphouse Wash (FR 237) Dispersed Camping Area

If you are looking to get out of town and not be bothered by many other campers, this is the place for you.

Each site has lots of room! The trees are beautiful and the scent of pine is lovely. There are no facilities, so be prepared for that! No toilets, showers, water, electricity, etc.

The place is really beautiful though and I can't wait to come back.

Spacious and Wild

Perfect campsite for last minute camping trips. I always stop here before heading to flagstaff for snowboarding. Great campsite to see. Make sure you take out your trash and don’t leave it on the ground. Other then that a beautiful campsite with tons of the trees. 

Great campsite 

Campground Review: 

Couple things to say about this campground... it's dispersed but in numbered lots and unless you have a high clearance 4x4 you must enter from West (89A). The road continues through to I-17 but crosses a few washes that would be rough for anything shorter than a stock 4runner. (Mine has a 3 inch lift). No big rocks to climb; just big tire swallowing ruts. 

Product Review: 

First time owning or using a neck gaiter. I'm on the bigger side so is not likely I'll wear it when I'm not actually using it. When I was using it for dust control it was great. Out on the trails I get passed by side-by-sides all the time. My 4runner can go almost anywhere but on the slower side. So I'm frequently sucking  side-by-side dust. I'm not upset enough by it to roll up my windows. (Can't miss out on the smell of the mountains.) The neck gaiter helped me cut down on the dust I inhaled while still enjoying the crisp air. 

Ranger Review: Banner and Oak Neck Gaiter at Pumphouse Wash 

This is a nice spot for a free camping trip. There is no bathrooms, there is no place to get water, and as others have said it does get dirty. That being said most people pick up after themselves so most of the sites are clean and the area is quite beautiful. We used this place after we could not get a camping spot in oak creek canyon, and we did notice that it was quite a bit colder than down in the canyon at night. Designated sites were sporadically spaced out so some were close together but there was generally a decent amount of space for each site. It was a busy weekend and there was still plenty of open sites on Saturdaynight, and it looked like most people packed up and left in the morning, so I imagine there's always sites available.

The only real negative was that the sites where people left trash looked destroyed, animals got into the trash bags and made a mess. There was a big party camping just down the way from us who blasted music until 1 AM, and it didn't bother us--the space is wade enough that the music wasn't too loud--but if you like your nature to be more peaceful then you might run into that problem. There was also some people practicing shooting nearby so we could hear the occasional pop-pop-pop in the distance but the area was for the most part peaceful, just families enjoying nature. 

If you're looking for a quick and FREE option last minute where you dont have to check in and there aren't too many rules and you don't mind the noise other people make, this is a great spot. Just please pack out your trash.

Convenient and free

The spots are spacious and forest is nice but the amount of trash is unreal! We left as it was more like a toilet with paper and trash absolutely *all over* and trash even hammered into the trees. Such a shame and disregard for the space and others. Add constant gunshots and this campground is a huge no-no. 
Pics from on of the  “cleaner sites” .

Filthy — Like camping in a toilet  

Wayyy to many sites with trash and toilet paper everywhere. You can’t walk away from your site without seeing lots of trees surrounded by toilet paper. Freekin disgusting. 

Nice place but.........

Just a nice dispersed camping spot, easy access off the main road, and not too far out of Sedona. Loved this spot!

Quite and scenic

Perfect location. The Oak Creek canyon below here and Flagstaff just above!  Lots of spots and a nice canyon area below most of the campsites. It seems more like a campground with marked spots but as of yet we have not had anyone near us. There are no facilities and the use of the hillsides for “toilets” is obvious due to the litter of white everywhere you look. The pump house wash currently has water in spots which is nice. Peaceful but sure wish people would pick up after themselves better. 

Dispersed campground 

There were plenty of spots when I pulled in at 11 pm. Not too far off the road, designated sites, but I don't remember toilets being available. I was only there 1 night and could gave missed them entirely? Will go back again. 

A pleasant surprise

Wasn’t my favorite place. There wasn’t a lot of trees to separate camping spots. But it was still good. Quiet and beautiful. Just watch out for the cows that are open range and graze near the tents! 

Space was wide open

spaced out, definitely seems to fill up towards the end of the night. easy access, dirt roads, super forestry so it’s shady in the morning and evening. definitely will come back. 

super awesome

About the same as camping on the west side of the hwy. There’s a ton of traffic, no respect from other campers who blast music, trash the forest, fire off guns at all hours, and overall not a great vibe. 

Camped here over 2 days and the land, trees and forest are beautiful all around so IF you can find a secluded area you’ll be ok. 

NO CELL service so take that into consideration when dispersed camping

Eh, there are better

Take FR 237 off of hwy 88A south of Flagstaff.  Many relatively level spots.  The access road is quite rough but fairly short.  I found a beautiful spot in the 400 loop for my 38' class A.  Unfortunately I saw one spot that was totally trashed with piles of garbage and a few spots that had been overused. 

Beautiful Dispersed Camping

After deciding to tent camp last minute, this was the only place we could find. It was the first cooler weekend of the season &amp; was a Saturday night. It was pretty packed, but we managed to find a spot further back past the first cluster of sites. The road is pretty bumpy but it was nice &amp; dry so I was able to get my Ford Mustang back there with no issues - just had to go really slow. So any car should be able to navigate back if I was able to lol. We had no issues with noise, a couple camp sites over someone was playing music but the campground was pretty silent by approx 11pm ish. Camp sites are large, and offer a lot of privacy. You can hear your neighbors at night if someone gets out of a tent to go to the bathroom or something but that could be me being a light sleeper. I’m a solo female camper &amp; didn’t feel unsafe or anything. There definitely could be better camping if you have time to plan your trip, but overall a really solid last minute spot.

Good last minute camping 

Loved it was relaxing and we had a lot of places to choose on Friday-Saturday 

Nice

Stayed one night car camping at Pumphouse Wash. It was incredibly serene. Marked/numbered sites have fire pits. No bathroom facilities are available. More traffic in and out than I expected, but it was still a great, free stay. 

Pumphouse Wash

Lots of campsites available and a good location between Sedona and Flagstaff. It tends to fill up quick, at least in the summer months. Privacy can be an issue, especially when you have to use the bathroom. Cows walk through the site though! 

Fun Spot

This camping spot is so calm. It was easy to find. Lots of spots open. Lots of space between camping spots. It can be a little noisy but that is kinda nice to me. There are a lot of cows roaming around and they did wake us up kinda early but I didn’t mind.

Private and calm

Had a great time, dispersed camping, free spot, lots of spots, clean. Just a short drive to some great watering holes. Took a star off because there was no water within walking distance, and not much of a view from our spot. I also took a star off because it was busy and loud.

Great first trip with the kids.

We showed up late afternoon on a Thursday and there were plenty of spots. In fact, there were only 5 other spots taken on our loop. 

The ground was level, there was shade, and we had a great night. I can imagine it gets warm in the summer, but it was perfect weather. There were some mosquitoes, as it had recently rained a lot. 

The road is a little rough but there were trailers and motor homes. There also were more little pieces of trash (cut zip ties, bottle caps, etc.) on the ground than I’m used to in dispersed spots. 

We would definitely camp here again.


Great spot in the pines

It was supposed to be a fairly hard to get to spot. Navigation takes you the long way traversing a rocky dirt rd with a small stream crossing and a dry river bed. The Rd went on for about 3 miles when the dispersed camp sites came into view. The signs stated no campfires but there was plenty of evidence of fires. We picked our spot, looking for the most level area. None of the campsites were full but everyplace you were in plain view of others. There was a lot of traffic on the dirt rd which a previous review I read said no low clearance vehicles. It turned out that the other end of the Rd came out onto intestate 89a about a mile from where we were and any vehicle could make it to the campsites. Overall we enjoyed our 2 days there but would've preferred the quite some other reviews had suggested it was.

Pumphouse wash was a wash

Road wasn’t bad coming in. I have a mazda and i had to go slow and swerve around the large rocks and holes. Sites are marked, and there was plenty of room. For the most part people were respectful and quiet. It started getting full around 7pm. I would stay here again. 

Organized Dispersed

My kids and I absolutely loved our tent camping experience at site 405!
The only issues really is if you are looking for space without other campers and the noises (babies, dogs, generators, loud music that may not be your ideal lol, etc) that block out the sound of the wilderness, then you may want to pick a more dispersed location. We didn’t mind the noises, and everyone pretty much kept to themselves other than the occasional hi when passing by camp, everyone was very people. 
*Biggest recommendation from me especially if you have kids and you are tent camping, BRING YOUR OWN PORTAPOTTY and something to provide p￼rivacy!
Also the temperature drop from daytime to night, is huge… BRING EXTRA BLANKETS!
*yes the cows 100% are free range, they don’t interact with people and they also keep to themselves (instead of in anyone’s camping supplies), but the do adorably migrate through camps 🫶. 
*we were able to have a fire for warmth and for cooking, and it did sprinkle multiple times but the rain didn’t last long, was beautiful compared to the heat my kids and I came from.
*I am a 41 year old single mother, this was my first camping trip using this app and without another adult, absolutely couldn’t be happier with my and my teenage children’s and our 2 puppies
almost 4 day experience! 
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO TOOK THE TIME TO CREATE THIS APP AND ALL THE INFORMATION PROVIDED, VERY IMPRESSED?

My first experience with dispersed camping as an adult

plenty of spaces but not much privacy. nice and quite and peaceful. 

Nice camp grounds 

This was my first solo car camping trip with my dogs and I really enjoyed it. Not too busy, but still plenty of other people around. I felt really safe without being on top of anyone else. People ride ATVs at night (it was an amazing full moon), so don’t plan on quiet at all times. Temperature drops at night are huge so definitely prepare for that. I would definitely come back! 