Recommendations for dispersed camping near Sedona and Sante Fe

[Peter Kosho]

Planning on driving through the SW in the stock 89 Westy and would love to spend a few days camping near Sedona and Sante Fe ideally in places with decent MTB trails and / or natural hot springs. Will have a very well behaved pup with me. It seems like the places recommended online get every crowded. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

[kamzcab86]

A) It might be slightly cooler than Phoenix, but Sedona is still hot this time of year. If you're planning a summer trip, bring along cooling mechanisms for you and the pup, especially if you're venturing onward to Death Valley. If this a fall/winter trip, no worries.

B) Sedona (gateway to Oak Creek, where Phoenicians go to cool off) is a massive tourist trap today regardless of the season. If you don't like hordes of people everywhere, including on the trails, skip it.

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[rg65]

Camping in NM has become a real challenge from what it used to be for the reason stated. As soon as the typical post of look at my great spot is plastered all over the universe it is no longer a great spot. With that said try to find areas at least an hour drive from Santa Fe or Albuquerque. If possible find your spot during the week. Good places are gone by Thursday evening. Anyplace with natural hot springs is going to be packed. If you do go, go in the middle of the week. Contact the SFNF district office for the area you want go and they are usually helpful on places to go but not always. There are some great places to camp but they are not on the internet, so when you find one please keep it to yourself. Happy trails. Note the bears have been really active this year so practice food storage for bear country.

[?Waldo?]

As Kam said, Sedona is hot this time of year. You might want to aim for the range of 5,000-8,000 feet in elevation, e.g. Prescott, Flagstaff, Williams, etc...

[Pcforno]

I know both places very well I used to live in Arizona and now I live in Santa Fe. There is disperse camping in Sedona on either far end of town. The camping on the north end is west of Aire trailhead. I don’t have the link but you can look up dispersed camping in Sedona. There’s only a few places you can actually go. The area that tends to be less crowded is just south of village of oak creek where there’s also dispersed camping, but it’s a bit longer to mountain bike from there. In Santa Fe around this time of year, your best option is up on the mountain. You should be able to find some if you drive up Pacheco Canyon Road. There are lots of pullouts and if you don’t find anything there, take a left up to Aspen Ranch and Bobby more stuff there. If you want some trail recommendations otherwise feel free to PM me.

[Peter Kosho]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Planning on going in mid October / early November down through the Eastern Sierra through DVNP and then over to Sedona and Sante Fe. I'm an outdoors photographer so will have to be careful as far as personal security.

[TopBud]

There are not lots of places to disperse camp in the Sedona area now. The places that are there are heavily used. If you are Ok with some pay spots Camp Avalon in Sedona (they state it's a religious camp), it's not, just keeps away the partying crowd. On the creek, near trails. The other is dead horse state park in Cottonwood, not in Sedona but close by and you can ride on trails from camp. Check them out. Lots of dispersed camping in the Coconino National Forest, check out the MVUM maps for free on their website.
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[vanis13]

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