Newbie boondock question

[Dhilbe]

I ended up making a reservation at Pinecove National Forest campground - closer to Flagstaff - I took the advice to go further north for cooler weather. Those National Forest campgrounds in the cooler areas seem to fill up fast.

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by Foiler

I also say go to Flagstaff. Much nicer weather there and only a few miles away. There are several places to camp up in the woods there. Stoneman lake, lake Mary, the cinders, Kelly canyon, munds park, black Bart's RV park,
and just about anywhere in the woods up there.

If you are familiar with some of those places then I assume they are OK, but we have passed some of them by after seeing them.

Black Barts - it is right next to I-40 and, I believe, a large truck stop so we have never stopped there. I always worried that it would be just too noisy at night to get any sleep.

Stoneman Lake - is there actually any water left in it? When I looked at it using Google Maps it looked like it was dry, or almost dry, and it seems to be a fair piece from Flagstaff.

Lake Mary - We passed that some years ago on our way to Flagstaff from Payson and it did look nice. We had thought to stop at Mormon Lake but it was almost dry due to the lake draining into a sinkhole of some kind. At least that is what we were told.

There are plenty of camping locations near Williams, AZ and that is not too far from Flagstaff. In fact we plan to go there next week to get out of the heat here in the Phoenix area.

There are also some campgrounds around Sunset Crater although I am not sure if they are open, due to closures of the NP and NM campgrounds.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by Dhilbe

I ended up making a reservation at Pinecove National Forest campground - closer to Flagstaff - I took the advice to go further north for cooler weather. Those National Forest campgrounds in the cooler areas seem to fill up fast.

We've stayed there. You chose a nice one! Our other favorite is Bonito national forest campground at the entrance to Sunset Crater.

[Foiler]

If you want to boondock in that area there are several places you can go for free. The areas I listed above are all free boondock areas except black Bart's which is not a truck stop as the previous person mentioned. There is TONS of boondocking around that campground

[Foiler]

I know this area very well. If you really want a couple of cool boondock camp spots shoot me a PM and I will give you some coordinates.

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by Foiler

If you want to boondock in that area there are several places you can go for free. The areas I listed above are all free boondock areas except black Bart's which is not a truck stop as the previous person mentioned. There is TONS of boondocking around that campground

I did not mean that it was a truck stop. I said that we drive past it frequently on our way to Utah and I thought it was next to a truck stop. And it is right next to I-40 and has to be pretty noisy at night with all of the trucks on the Interstate driving by. That does not bother some people but we are both sensitive to noise and want someplace quiet so we can get a good night's sleep.

[Mirgeler]

I don’t boondock much and have Never stayed in that area but I like to watch RV clips on U Tube. The one hazard I can think of is that this time of year, Arizona is subject to “Monsoon” storms that can cause flash floods and wash out roads. I would evaluate roads with those hazards in mind.

[StepandWolf]

Hello,

There area LOT of boondockers that have channels on YouTube. One group I follow has land north of Williams/Flagstaff and it got way too hot even there for them.

They just went to Flaming Gorge in UT seeking more elevation and cooler weather.

Another guy is traveling from central TX to Eagle Next, NM, elevation around 8000.

I live in NM at a mile high and it was 95 today, 102 yesterday. If you want a comfortable day and night, look for elevations over 7000 and preferably in the 8000-9000 range.

[twogypsies]

Flagstaff is 7,000' EL The hottest is 80-85... sometimes. There's no humidity. Every times we've been there it's been very pleasant and definitely cool at night.

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

Flagstaff is 7,000' EL The hottest is 80-85... sometimes. There's no humidity. Every times we've been there it's been very pleasant and definitely cool at night.

There are some quite nice boondocking sites a little north of the city off of US 89 on the west side of the highway. We were just there coming back from Bryce Canyon National Park and the area was almost empty of campers.

You could also look at Walnut Canyon National Monument a little east of Flagstaff and right off of I-40. We have not camped there but did drive by to take a look.

[ByeTheWay]

3. I’ve read that this boondock area can get very busy during spring/fall. Supposedly July/Aug are slower months. So I’m hoping the camp areas will be a little more open, less Jeep tours, etc. if not, I might as well stay at the RV Park. Any thoughts on how busy this area might be in July?



I was through West Sedona boondocking area on Wed Jul 15, temp was 105. This pretty well runs people out.

[Reed Cundiff]

RV.net has a thread almost 15 years long on defining @what is boondocking?”

[StepandWolf]

The people I have been following like to have a high of 80 and as I said, they left the Williams area as they thought it was too hot. They are boondocking and don't want to have to air-condition so they want sub-80s for a high temp.

Even if the popular areas get filled up, there are miles and miles of roads with pulloffs on BLM land for those who want isolation or out of necessity if the main areas are filled up.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by AJMike

There are some quite nice boondocking sites a little north of the city off of US 89 on the west side of the highway. We were just there coming back from Bryce Canyon National Park and the area was almost empty of campers.

You could also look at Walnut Canyon National Monument a little east of Flagstaff and right off of I-40. We have not camped there but did drive by to take a look.

You can't stay in Walnut Canyon NM but there are places in Coconino Nat'l Forest nearby that are nice.