V15E12: Campsites and Featured Places

A very spacious clearing in a popular, but not-too-crowded boondocking area in Coconino National Forest, only a ten minute drive into the village of Oak Creek, Arizona. Accessible by any vehicle with great views of the valley to the south and great T-Mobile cell service. A great place to set up basecamp in a van for a week if you’re a digital nomad, and only a short distance into Oak Creek or Sedona for dining or adventure. This spot is fairly exposed. There is a stone fire ring here, and you’ll likely have neighbors at other nearby sites, but they aren’t uncomfortably close.

A small campsite with a small stone fire ring on a bed of red dirt. This campsite is near the end of a long, fourteen mile primitive track that demands four-wheel drive with decent ground clearance. It is very quiet, peaceful, and secluded in Prescott National Forest, just a short distance from some rock formations, ancient cliff dwellings, and the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness. Some trailheads are nearby offering scenic hiking opportunities. Poor cell service. Enough room for one or two vehicles, good privacy, and some shelter offered by the junipers. Lovely spot.

At the end of a six mile, rigorous, primitive forest road in Kaibab National Forest, this campsite sits on a canyon rim, overlooking a sprawling red rock valley to the south. The road in is rocky and demands four-wheel drive with decent clearance, and careful line-picking. The area looks high-traffic and heavily camped except for this campsite at the very end, which is tucked away and features a neglected fire ring and an outstanding view. It’s very close to a recently burned section of forest. The ground is rough, so it’s not great for ground tents, but it’s reasonably flat with enough room for one or two vehicles. Privacy is good, and there is some shelter from vegetation. Cell service is decent. Great view!

These cliff dwellings are extremely remote, in Prescott National Forest. Four-wheel drive required and they will take the better part of a day to visit. Not visible from below, and some scrambling required to access. I found these cliff dwellings by accident, and I don’t believe they are very well-known. If you decide to visit this location, please treat this archaeological site with the utmost respect, to preserve and protect this place for future generations.