Redington Pass - Dispersed Camping, near Tucson, Arizona, offers a rugged escape into the Coronado National Forest, perfect for those who crave a bit of adventure. This area is known for its stunning views and proximity to Saguaro National Park, making it a great base for exploring the iconic desert landscape.

The location allows for campfires, so you can enjoy evenings under the stars, but be prepared to bring your own firewood. Visitors have noted the beauty of the area, with one camper mentioning, “The views more than make up for some of the shortcomings of the site.” However, it’s worth mentioning that the sites are right off the dirt road, which can get busy with traffic, especially from ATVs.

While amenities are minimal—no drinking water, toilets, or trash services—many campers appreciate the freedom of dispersed camping. Some have found secluded spots further up the road, enjoying a peaceful atmosphere away from the crowds. Just be cautious of the rough terrain and arrive before dark to avoid any surprises. If you’re looking for a scenic getaway with a bit of a wild side, Redington Pass is a place to consider.

Redington Pass - Dispersed Camping

Near Tucson, AZ — with the city dividing the national park in half — visitors and residents can find some of the best camping in the state. Saguaro National Park is named for the large desert cactus that decorates the Arizona landscape. Along with camping among the gigantic cacti, you can explore the Tucson Mountain District, follow trails to petroglyphs created by the ancient Hohokam from your campsite, and enjoy stunning sunsets and starry night skies in the Rincon Mountains. Campgrounds accommodate RV and walk-in campers. Visitors can also find roomy cabins near Saguaro National Park to stay in comfort.

Saguaro National Park

The Best Camping Near Saguaro National Park, Arizona

Stayed: 10/8/2020- FREE

Site: 32.256182, -110.659613

Vehicle: Hyundai Rogue

Equipment: Tent

This was an absolutely beautiful site above the city of Tucson! Definitely a popular spot. On the satellite view on maps, it seemed like there were a lot more sites than there are. We pretty much took the first open spot that we found (coordinates above). \*See photo\* Photo is looking west (top of pic) to east (bottom), as you travel UP Redington Rd.

We had a nice area to park the car and a second area to setup our tent. There was even a third area beyond that, for another tent or a second spot for a campfire fire. Overall, it was a huge site, if you’re pitching a tent. I uploaded a video that shows the entire site. The video is shot between the 1st &amp; 2nd areas. Parking to the left, and we pitched the tent next to the fire pit you see. The person walking toward the camera on the far right is coming from the 3rd area!

Directly across the road (Redington Rd), were a bunch of cacti. We hung out over there for a bit during sunset and got some really cool pictures. Awesome views of the sun going down over Tucson were available on both sides of the road. \*See photos\*

There was a lot of trash, which was disappointing. I filled up the one bag that I had, and barely made a dent. As other reviews say, there is quite a bit of noise. During our one-night stay, there were tons of 4x4s and dirt bikes passing quite often. Definitely a heavily trafficked road.

Pretty easy to get to. I just plugged the coordinates in and it was easy to find. Would absolutely stay again. You can’t beat these views for a free nights’ stay!

AT&amp;T: 1 bar 5G

Sprint: 2 bars LTE

Beautiful views, but noisy!

Didn't look like it'd be very comfortable to pitch a tent on the ground, probably best for small RVs and camper vans. The road up is twisty and bumpy. Mountain biking just up the road. 

Good for small RV or camper van

The directions to this area were accurate. Multiple sites off of the dirt road. Traffic was a little heavy during the day but died down at night. Shooting was allowed after a certain point so gunshots were heard during the day. The site I stayed had a lot of broken glass and random garbage. I filled a couple grocery bags of cans and bottles. The views were phenomenal during the day and even better at night. For a free campground I cannot complain. I would stay here again.  

Peaceful at night 

We tried to camp here on a Tuesday evening (01/19/21) and all of the spots were full, to our surprise. We brought our small tow-behind popup camper up the winding road until we reached the information pull-off, and decided to unhitch there and continue up the road in search of an empty spot with just our car (Subaru Crosstrek). 
The road is very bumpy, with lots of potholes and washouts. I would personally not suggest towing anything up this road, unless you’re an experienced tower perhaps with OHV tires/capabilities.
This would be a lovely spot, had we been car camping. The foliage is beautiful and the view of Tucson is amazing, I’d love to come back here without a trailer. These spots, although they are more like small side-of-the-road pulloffs than campsites, are definitely better suited for conversion vans or truckbed campers, as every space we saw was very uneven and sandy. 

Great for Car/Van Camping, but not Trailers

It’s just past the Tanque Verde Falls trailhead parking lot. Beautiful views and lots of RVs around. Off-road route can be bumpy but worth it. Car camping OK.

Gem Near East Saguaro NP

A lot of ATVs, noise, and trash, but the view is pretty fantastic. Park along the road and set up camp, but there are many prickly friends nearby so be careful.

Wake up next to Saguaros

The path leads up a mountain away from the city lights of Tuscon. It’s just a short drive away. There’s plenty of spots. Watch out for huge ants! We almost camped on a mound. They won’t bother you however. All in all a good spot. It overlooks Saguaro National Park. You can see the many cacti from the ridge. 

Cactus Mountain Vista

I’m browsing for a campsite and, using these coordinates, I don’t see any access to the point

Map shows no access to these coordinates

It is an absolutely beautiful area, and the views more than make up for some of the shortcomings of the site. ￼Our site was more  secluded, and it was very peaceful and serene at times. There was a full moon when we went, but I would imagine the stars are just brilliant out there on darker nights. 

We drove up on a Saturday evening and had to go pretty far up the road before finding a campsite, ￼but there were still a couple available for a weekend in November. As other reviews have mentioned, the campsites are directly off the road so it can be kind of loud with cars and ATVs driving by periodically throughout the day as well as due to nearby shooting ranges. Our campsite also had a lot￼ of trash to clean up, unfortunately. 

Overall, for how scenic and peaceful the area was in the morning, I would absolutely come back again. ￼

Beatiful scenic views

It worked in a pinch and was close to the national park entrance. Unfortunately, I arrived in the dark so be sure to go very carefully up the mountain. It’s very difficult to find a spot at night time because you cannot tell if it’s already taken or not. Sites are not the most level nor very big but it’s comfortable sleeping. When I woke up in the morning, I was walking around my site and discovered there was trash everywhere including clothes and tents and a bunch of other stuff. Felt safe while I was there but if I would’ve arrived at that spot in the daytime, not sure if I would’ve stayed. By about 9 AM, a bunch of people were parking in and around my site to access one of the trail heads in the area. So I ended up heading out early.￼

It was fine

This area is so beautiful it ALMOST makes up for its short comings. The GPS cords of this are wrong btw. It’s up Redington pass after it turns to dirt, follow the road for a few miles and find an open spot. 
Was v busy when my husband and I were visiting. Difficult to find a spot away from others if you are after some privacy. Ended up driving a fair distance up the road before camping d/t the amount of people around. Site are right off the dirt road and people drive FAST up and down it late into the night. Also met some interesting folks that decided to “share” our site with us while they went for a little night hike around 9pm, which they informed us by rudely yelling through the window of our van 🤷🏻‍♀️ All and all it was an ok place for the night but not a peaceful secluded spot if that’s what you are looking for. Road is a bit rough but very passable in most vehicles if you go slow. Best to arrive before it gets dark!

Gorgeous but….busy and noisy 

This is a great place to explore the Eastern side of Saguaro NP. There aren't very many spots, though, and it's pretty busy. We had to drive up a couple of miles to find an area to pitch up our tent. And it wasn't the cleanest. The road is in good condition and you won't need clearance to drive up

Super convenient

The GPS coordinates of this site are way off. Site is at the end of Reddington road. Sites are not far off the road bed. A 2WD car can make it on this road without any issues.


Great views and but meh…

I loved this spot, stayed here for 11 days. It’s up above Tucson so it’s a bit cooler and you catch some breezes. At first I stayed pretty early along the wrong, right past the trailhead parking. There was a lot of people parking next to me and unloading there off-road vehicles in the morning, so I decided to go further up. It was a great decision, I had a nice small private spot, and an incredible view. My photos don’t do it justice as my camera is broken. 

Beautiful View of Tucson

We parked car on dirt road above canyon. We were only ones for a week. Then other young group showed up.

When I was 19, I spent two weeks camping and hiking through canyon on foot.

It was a little rough going up with a travel trailer. I didn’t see the trailer parking to unhook and scout. I found a pull off on the left after mile marker 5. You cannot camp until you pass mile maker 4.6. They have some nice trails too. 
As far as the noise it’s most busy on weekends but where I was it wasn’t constant just people going by on dirt bikes, side by sides and vehicles. Wasn’t that big of a deal to me. 
They actually did come work on the washouts while I was there so leaving wasn’t as rough 

Amazing views 

The spot is right off the Redington Road. It was easily navigated, even at night. The dirt road in is in pretty good shape. Probably 7/10, but there are a few places after Mile 5 or so where it gets a little rough. I wouldn’t recommend going out that far for a vehicle with lower clearance. I was in a loaded 4Runner and had no problems. 
The campsites are right off the road, for the most part. And there aren’t too many of them. We stayed near the Chiva Falls Trailhead (about mile 7-ish). 
My issue with the area and what negatively impacted the experience was the human element. Several of the campsites are used for target practice. There was old furniture, beer cans, boxes, cans of spray paint, and an uncomfortable amount of shotgun shell casings. We planned on staying at this site the majority of our trip to Saguaro NP, but ended up staying one night and leaving early the following morning. Just in time to avoid another shooter getting ready to flood the valley with gun shot echoes and more debris. 

Photos of Redington Pass - Dispersed Camping

Real photos from real campers