Your best bet if you are looking to visit Chiricahua National Monument and Bonita is full. This is the closest in proximity from what I could tell. Obviously no bathrooms, but Chiricahua visitor center does have a bathroom. It’s not practical for every bathroom use, but maybe worth it to poop 😅 otherwise, good dispersed sites. They don’t start for a mile or two after entering Coronado NF. Sites on the right side of the road tend to have more shade then on the left. Sites have rock fire pits and good shade. We heard turkeys, had a nightly skunk visitor who was pretty un-afraid of humans and definitely was looking for food. We locked food in covered truck bed to prevent too many visitors.

We had previously stayed in a back country yurt in the summer months, this time we decided to stay in a cabin in the front country for NYE. It was quiet, especially considering it was NYE (no wild parties, noisy neighbors, etc) which was nice and what we were hoping for. The cabin is stocked with firewood for the stove, has a small table and two chairs, and a queen sized mattress/pad and a bunk bed with mattress pads. Some of these cabins are renovated, but the one we stayed in was not. Still found it to be comfortable. Note that you do have to bring your own sleeping bag/bedding. The lodge had bathrooms, including showers, flushing toilets, and two sinks. There are pit toilets outside but I went inside to use the bathrooms (they are open 24/7). The lodge opens with staff in the morning and there is free coffee/hot chocolate for those staying/camping at AZ Nordic Village. You can also rent snow shoes or cross country skis here during the day in the winter. I enjoy staying here, both front and back country are great.

This spot has great views since half of the sites are directly along the Mogollon Rim, but ultimately it can be tough to grab a spot since first come first serve and it’s a very well known, free campsite. The first time we visited and wanted to camp here all spots were taken. There are other spots in the area to camp in the event you don’t get a spot, you just don’t get the view of being on the rim. (See my reviews if you want to know more about FR 84 in the event you don’t get a spot at FR9350.)

The second time we came up we managed to grab a spot on the rim side of the road, spot #30, around noon. We saw one or two vehicles drive up and back the dirt road with gear in the back searching for a spot within minutes of grabbing the site, so how we managed to nab it I’m not sure—the previous campers must have left minutes before we arrived.

Because some of these sites are next to the Rim without any barrier between you and the drop off, this site may not be for those with young children or pets that wish to roam. If you do come with young kids or roaming animals it may be best to look for a spot on the far side, or the side that is not directly on the Rim.

This site has two pit style toilets at the entrance; however, we bushed it. Some sites have a picnic table but some do not— if you are not in an RV or camper and require a camp table, it is best to bring one. (Our site did not have a picnic table when we visited but we did pack a camp table and were happy we did.) In addition, it sometimes has a camp host; I did not notice a camp host the first time we drove thru but there was one there the second time when we got the chance to camp here. We did not encounter any noisy neighbors while we were here. Depending on when you visits, weather may be unpredictable. While weather was perfect during our visit in early July, I have seen and heard weather can change quickly on the Rim. It is also good to know this campsite can be very dusty; so I highly recommend bringing a pack or two of baby wipes and any allergy meds you might need. A headlamp is a good idea too since you always want to be able to see at nighttime being so close to a large drop off. Last, I have Verizon and got service at our campsite.

We stayed here over Labor Day weekend 2019. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the most remote yurt, Morning Glory. Morning Glory has great views and several people (staff and other visitors on the trails) mentioned that Morning Glory is the best yurt to stay in since it is both remote and it has amazing views of the San Francisco Peaks. Additionally, Morning Glory is also placed in the middle of a field with a nearby bench which is also really nice and makes this particular yurt feel serene. Arizona Nordic Village, previously known as Flagstaff Nordic Center, has a lodge, front country cabins and yurts (which are all within a few hundred feet of the lodge and nearby the highway), as well as back country yurts that range 1-3 miles away from the lodge (Morning Glory is a back country yurt). For the back country, AZNV offers gear shuttles at an extra cost of $40. However we packed all of our belongings in since we were not staying for more than a few days. Yurts and cabins come with a battery operated light inside, a propane grill and stove next to the cabin, porta potty a few yards away, nearby picnic table, 2 twin sized sleeping mats, and 2-4 folding chairs (2 in small yurts; 4 in large yurts), a small trey table, and stove (and stove brush and pan to clean ash out), and a fire ring. From what I can tell they also give you some firewood and a 7-gallon jug of water to put out your fire. For an additional cost you can purchase additional wood, which I did since I was unaware they would supply some firewood, but we hardly used this since we did not require the stove in the cabin since the weather at night is in the 50’s. We did try the stove out and found that 4 pieces of wood heated the cabin up a considerable amount within the span of a few minutes. After booking you get a confirmation email with details for your trip. The day of check in I got a courtesy call and was told I could stop in the lodge at check in for a nap and more info. The staff we encountered were all super friendly. We were told there is a black bear that roams the area but we did not see it and heard the bear usually does not make its way up to Morning Glory. Additionally, while vehicle are not allowed in the Forrest, Morning Glory is near a Forrest fire road which had some vehicles on it; I’m not sure that this is common— may have been due to the long holiday weekend. Additionally, I believe AZNV has one or two trucks and ATVs they use to help transport gear. Overall, I had fun and would go back. I don’t love paying for camping (We usually do free dispersed camping and pitch a tent), however this area is fun enough I would go back. The yurt experience was on par for what we are used to when it comes to camping, but it was nice not having to pitch a tent, blow up an air mattress, etc. Lastly, they do haul out your trash for you. I do recommend bringing baby wipes since the trails are dusty, and a headlamp for at night.

Cell service: I have Verizon and had four bars at the Morning Glory yurt and service at the lodge— however, service between the two was spotty.