FS 609 - Dispersed Camping

We pulled into our stop as the sun was setting. Drove back about a quarter mile ona 4wd road. Had a few gun shots and elks during the night.

Hard to find if just looking for signs. Great scenery

The roads are very rough from the beginning. Lots of spots to pull off and camp. Better to drive in during the daylight.

Really beautiful, convenient camping area off the side of the highway. (Lots of elk by the road, so keep your eye out for that on the drive.) Lots of campers in tents and with fires. Would have been perfect but I was in my Prius and the road was very uneven. I've taken my Prius on dirt roads a lot, but this one was just way too uneven for a low-clearance vehicle. Def dinged up the bottom of my car a little bit.

I was very skeptical about visiting this campsite at first, because I felt the information that I could find online was minimal. After visiting, however, I would definitely recommend this campsite to anyone. It was spacious enough to spread out from other campers. It was lovely to be right in the middle of the forest. I'd recommend driving further in to be away from the noise of the highway. I saw some reviews saying the gate was closed, but it was open when we were there in July 2022. Important things to note: This campground is located in the Coconino National Forest, please follow their rules and fire restrictions. No reservations are necessary for this campground. We found service to be a little spotty, but not impossible. Dogs are allowed. The turn in was pretty subtle, so definitely keep an eye out for it and use Google Maps over Apple Maps, because Apple Maps has no idea where this site is! All in all, I would visit again!

Looks like a cool spot, but there's currently a gate across the road. 2/3/2022

Cool little place right off the highway. Road keeps going back with more and more areas to disperse camp. If you plan on going deep, definitely recommend a 4x4 as the road gets really rough.

Car camped with the dog. The area was nice and the spots had fire rings. Maybe a little rocky for tent camping so bring a rake. The dirt road was too uneven for a sedan, would recommend some clearance. I have T-Mobile and had full bars of 5g.

I was very surprised of how easy it is to get here. Just right off the highway. The road is overall pretty easy to drive. There are some spots that I would only go over with a truck or higher clearance vehicle. We have a traverse and it did just fine. Lots of places to camp!

Camped out here for a night. Very easy road to drive on and there are plenty of options to pitch a tent! Surprisingly not crowded at all. I would go back!