Tucked up the Arizona high nation, Flagstaff is prime camping area for both regional Flagstaffians and out-of-towners.
In fact, throughout the summer season, the forest surrounding Flagstaff is one of the top outdoor camping destinations for folks getting away Phoenix and its blistering desert heat. Flagstaff is likewise a center for regional travel, functioning as a leaping off point for checking out the Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon, the Petrified Forest, and far more.
Whether your taking a trip from throughout the country (or the world), directing the hill from somewhere hot, or just a local trying to explore more, here’s the low down on the outdoor camping spots at hand around Flagstaff.
Related Read: 17 Finest Arizona Swimming Holes to Hit This Summertime
Flagstaff’s Finest Campgrounds
Camping areas are your best option if you want amenities like on-site water, pit toilets, etc. If you’re searching for camping sites where you can schedule in advance, leap down to the Pinegrove Camping Area and Fort Tuthill County Park Camping Site– they’re the only 2 on the list enabling bookings.
If you want to use recreational vehicle hookups, Fort Tuthill is your only option. Of course, the regional KOA provides appointments and recreational vehicle connections too, but I can’t bear to include it.
If you’re not into camping areas and would like to know about dispersed camping choices near Flagstaff, scroll down to the next area.
1. Bonito Camping area
: Chill amongst Ponderosa Pines and ancient lava streams, with simple access to Sundown Crater & Wuptaki. Appointments accepted: No Best season: Spring, summertime, fall Camping site type: Camping tents, Recreational vehicles Recreational vehicle hookups: No While the Bonito Camping site is run by the Coconino National Park, it lies literally best outside of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
. A well-kept, paved-access camping area, Bonito is tucked under a canopy of old-growth Ponderosa Pine, keeping the camping areas mostly shaded from the summertime sun. The surrounding landscape is considerably defined by the close-by cinder-cone volcanoes and night-black lava circulations. This location is so out-of-this-world that astronauts used to practice for moonwalks out here.
For those that like to move about on foot, the 1.7 mile-long Lava’s Edge Path connects the camping area to the monolith’s primary hikes: Lenox Crater Trail and Lava Circulation Trail.
Otherwise, the park is quickly available by automobile, although parking can be a problem on busy summer season weekends. The adjacent Wuptaki National Monument and its ancient ruins is a mere half-hour drive away, while its simply over an hour to reach Desert View at the Grand Canyon South Rim.
While, reservations aren’t accepted at the Bonito Campground, the surrounding O’Leary Group Site can be booked beforehand.
2. Canyon Vista Camping Area
: Pleasant mountain views with direct access to hiking, mountain cycling, and rock climbing. Appointments accepted: No Best season: Spring, Summertime, Fall Camping site type: Tents, Recreational vehicles Recreational vehicle hookups: No Of the camping sites located off Lake Mary Road south of Flag, the Canyon Vista Camping area is the closest to town. It’s a fantastic
area if you want to keep your options open between exploring Lake Mary and Ashurst Lake while staying within a half-hour of Oak Creek Canyon’s upper reaches. Hikers and mountain bicycle riders will enjoy access to the close-by Sandy’s Canyon Trail, which connects to the Arizona Path and ultimately leads to the gorgeous Fisher Point. For rock climbers, the nearby Vista Loop Trail accesses a climbing up location called Le Petit Verdon aka the Pit.
Fisherman will have to drive to get to water, but it’s a mere 10 minute drive to reach Upper Lake Mary.
The camping site itself is well-developed, sits amongst the cool Ponderosas, and offers great however far-off views of the iconic San Francisco Peaks.
3. Lockett Meadow Campground
Why you ought to camp here: Stay high up on the San Francisco Peaks with incredible views and access to exceptional hiking. Appointments accepted: No Finest season: Spring, Summertime, Fall Campground type: Tents, Little Recreational Vehicles Recreational vehicle hookups: No Locket Meadow is one of the most amazing settings for a camping area in all of Arizona. Perched in an alpine basin at 8,500 feet above water level, you’ll camp among Quaking aspens and blended conifers with up-close views of the four greatest peaks in Arizona. While the Locket Meadow Campground itself is incredible, so is the hiking. The neighboring Inner Basin Trail weaves through the most spectacular aspen grove and climbs up higher up into a lot more mountain majesty. Many good ideas come with a cost, and for Lockett Meadow, it’s the drive in. The narrow dirt roadway hugs a high mountain slope without any guard-rails. It’s not for the faint of heart, and high-clearance automobiles are advised.
This camping area is “dry”, so be sure to bring plenty of water for drinking, cleansing, and putting out your campfire. The forest straight south and east of the meadow were torched by the 2010 Schultz Fire, started by an incorrectly snuffed out campfire, a terse suggestion to put yours dead out.
Come ready with a plan B, specifically on summertime weekends as this little camping area fills quickly.
Associated Read: 12 Best Hikes in Arizona, From Desert to Tundra
4. Lakeview Camping area
Photo: Coconino National Forest Why you need to camp here
: Walkable to Upper Lake Mary and a brief drive to other lakes too. Appointments accepted: No Finest season: Spring, Summer Season, Fall Campsite type: Camping tents, little Recreational vehicles RV hookups: No Located just across the highway from Upper Lake Mary, the Lakeview Campground is the closest you can camp near Flagstaff’s largest
reservoir. And if you don’t desire fuss with getting back in the car, access to Lake Mary is walkable by means of the half-mile long Wood Memorial Path. If you wish to have a look at the lakes further out, its only a 20 minute drive to Ashurst Lake and a 50 minute drive to Kinnikinick Lake. The camping area itself is strong, car-friendly, and has water on website. This is the ideal Flag-area camping spot if you’re searching for practical lake access not too far from
town. 5. Ashurst Lake
Photo: Coconino National Park Why you ought to camp here: Choose from two lakeside camping sites
- with mountain views far from the bustle of the
- city. Reservations accepted: No Best
- season: Spring, Summer,
- Fall Campsite type: Camping tents, Recreational vehicles
RV hookups: No Ashurst Lake offerings a pair of campgrounds (Ashurst Lake Camping Area and Forked Pine Camping Site) in the woodlands of Anderson Mesa.
The environment is a little drier out here, so the forest here is dominated by the shorter Pinyon pines and juniper tree, enabling excellent views of the San Francisco Peaks in the distance.
Dirt roadway gain access to indicates that fewer folks venture by doing this, so it’s quieter out here, specifically because power boaters aren’t enabled on this lake.
It tends to be breezy out this way, making wind-surfing a viable activity the majority of the time. Otherwise, Ashurst is just fantastic area for fishing and settling back to delight in the surroundings,.
The roads are generally okay for sedans so its still available to nearly everybody.
6. Pinegrove Camping site
- Why you need to camp here: Gorgeous outdoor camping in the pines just a brief drive from the lakes. Appointments accepted: Yes Best season: Spring, Summer Season, Fall Campsite type: Camping tents, RVs RV connections: No Positioned in a beautiful grove of old growth pines, this is probably the most beautiful camping area south of
- : Forested digs close to town, convenient if you’re
- going to a performance at Pepsi Amphitheater. Reservations accepted: Yes Best season: Spring, Summer Season, Fall Camping site type:
- Trembling aspen in fall along the Kachina Path//
- Image: Jake Case Why you should
- camp here: Rugged outdoor camping on the southern slopes of the San
- Francisco Peaks
- Image: Coconino National Forest Why you need to camp here: Camp in Ponderosa pine forest just above the Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks. Reservations accepted: No Best season: Spring,
Flagstaff. It’s also the one just one that takes advance bookings, so it’s your best bet if you want to confirm strategies ahead of time, particularly on hectic weekends. While the Pinegrove Campground doesn’t have direct lake access, its just a 10 minute drive to Lake Mary and a 20 minute drive to Ashurst. With simple, paved access nearby to Lake Mary Roadway, and big, spaced out camping areas, this is a terrific choice if you’re not interested in having walkable access to the water.
Reserve Now
7. Fort Tuthill County Park Camping Area
Picture: Coconino County Parks & Recreation Department Why you should camp here
Camping tents, Recreational vehicles Recreational vehicle hookups: Yes( 8 sites)The long time home of the Coconino County Fairgrounds, Fort Tuthill progressed overtime into far more than that. In recent decades the park has included tracks, the camping area, and the Pepsi Amphitheatre show location.
This is the largest camping area in the Flagstaff location, using over 100 websites among towering Ponderosa pines. However, the websites are spaced very close together, specifically compared to the Forest Service camping areas noted above.
Hikers and mountain bikers will delight in the convenience of the regional path network. Out-of-town performance goers coming in for multi-day festivals will like staying on website too, specifically considering that outdoor camping for a couple days is way cheaper than even a single night in a hotel room on a summer weekend.
Fort Tuthill is located on the southern edge of town, making it the closest in of anything besides the regional KOA, great if you’re preparing a great deal of activities in Flagstaff itself or trying to make an excursion to Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon to the south.
Dispersed Camping Near Flagstaff
If you actually wish to get out of the city and experience what the forests have to provide, dispersed outdoor camping is the way to go. In truth, there’s an unbelievable amount of dispersed camping possibilities if you want to check out the dirt roadways outside of Flag.
I’m not willing to quit particular information on my favorite dispersed websites at big, however here’s information on a couple of areas particularly setup by the Coconino National Forest for dispersed camping. These areas normally have designated websites with an established fire ring, but no on-site water, camp hosts, or any other facilities.
Just remember to camp in already developed campgrounds, clean up after yourselves, and put your campfires dead out. Likewise note: during times when Coconino National park is under Stage 1 or Phase 2 fire constraints, campfires are prohibited at dispersed camping sites.
8. Freidlein Meadow
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near the renowned Kachina Trail. Appointments accepted: No Finest season: Spring, Summertime, Fall Campground type: Camping tents, Little RVs Recreational vehicle hookups: No Freidelin Prairie Roadway’s rugged dirt track is the gain access to point for the Kachina Path’s lower trailhead. One of the most beautiful hikes on the peaks, the lure of the Kachina Trail has actually attracted campers to this area for many years.
If you’re not looking to hit the road, there are easier and more accessible places for dispersed outdoor camping. However if you’re wanting to explore the aspen groves and mountain views of the Kachina, this is a great place to create your online.
9. Pumphouse Wash
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Summertime, Fall Campsite type: Tents, Little RVs Recreational vehicle connections: No If you want to stay as near Oak Creek Canyon as possible without camping in one the camping areas down there, Pumphouse Wash is your best choice. This forested set of camping areas is broken into fours locations, each of which loops off from the dirt roadway (FR237). So its basically set up like a campground, however with no features besides fire rings.
While this location makes for a practical drive to access Oak Creek Canyon to the south, don’t sleep on the close-by off-trail hiking in Pumphouse Wash and Kelly Canyon– however it’s not for the experienced so bring your wilderness navigation skills if you venture out.
Related Read: 9 of the very best Places to Camp Near Sedona, Arizona
10. Marshall Lake
: No Marshall Lake is a little, marshy” lake “atop Anderson Mesa. When it has water in it (most of the time), it’s equipped with trout and produces a great mellow fishing hole. The views of the San Francisco Peaks are undervalued here, and it’s a bit more under-the-radar than the close-by Canyon Vista and Lakeview Campgrounds. As such, it can be an excellent backup option if you don’t score a first-come first-served website at one of the huge camping areas.
The Arizona Path passes right next to the dispersed sites, so Marshall also makes a practical home for day hiking.
11. Cinder Hills OHV Area
Image: Coconino
Dispersed camping is allowed throughout the Cinder Hills OHV Area. Simply make certain to stay on designated paths, and regard OHV closures in the neighboring Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Strawberry Crater Wilderness. Get a totally free copy of Coconino National park’s Automobile Usage Map and stay legal.
12. Wing Mountain
Image: Coconino National Forest Why you ought to camp here: Massive dispersed outdoor camping choices near the Lava River Cave, Kendrick Mountain, and the western slope of the San Francisco Peaks.
- Reservations accepted: No
- Finest season: Spring, Summertime, Fall
- Camping area type: Camping Tents, Little Recreational Vehicles
- RV connections: No
This is your best bet if you want to simple to access camping near the popular Lava River Cave, the Kendrick Mountain Trailhead, or the Humphreys Peak Trailhead.
Coconino National Forest describes this as a series of “camping corridors” where there are no signed websites, but large open websites by the roadsides near Wing Mountain. This map highlights these passages laid out in red along FR222, FR171, and FR222A.
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Tucked up the Arizona high nation, the Flagstaff location offers outstanding camping in the gorgeous pine forests.