Best remote camping areas in or near Prescott, Arizona? (Camp Verde: lease, insurance)

[tundrawolf]

When I say remote, I mean far enough away so that I do not hear people on their motorcycles, trucks, whatever. But not so far it takes half a tank of gas to get there.

I would prefer to be able to get there in my 2WD van... But not destroys it in the process...

Really enjoy remote camping away from everyone. Hiking in is hard when I need enough supplies for my two large dogs, water etc, for a few days, would prefer to be in my vehicle. I do have a 4WD truck that is in the middle of getting repaired.

Presently have been taking easy access washes, but hearing people tear down the roads and occasionally light offroaders rolling up on me is not so fun. Just want to be left alone for two or three days and reconnect with nature.

Any help/recommendations is greatly appreciated!

[6.7traveler]

Well if you can drive there easily, so can everyone else. Walking in and Tenting it would increase your chances of not seeing anyone. If someone has a super secret spot that can be driven to, they aren't going to post it online.

If driving in is a must, There's lot of forest service roads and ranch roads around. Get a good map that will show you all the roads and public/private land boundaries. Williamson Valley Road after it turns into dirt has some old ranch roads where you may not see many people, Mingus Mountain has lots of forest service roads but is probably snowy up there right now. Lots of stuff to the west of town as well but again snow. Perkinsville road you may find an area or two with minimal traffic. I wouldn't recommend driving down a wash of any kind in a 2wd van.

Go on weekdays if possible too. An otherwise popular scenic spot can be all yours if you choose the right time to go. Cold weather and weekdays are your friend .

Good luck and have fun!

[tundrawolf]

Originally Posted by 6.7traveler

Well if you can drive there easily, so can everyone else. Walking in and Tenting it would increase your chances of not seeing anyone. If someone has a super secret spot that can be driven to, they aren't going to post it online.

If driving in is a must, There's lot of forest service roads and ranch roads around. Get a good map that will show you all the roads and public/private land boundaries. Williamson Valley Road after it turns into dirt has some old ranch roads where you may not see many people, Mingus Mountain has lots of forest service roads but is probably snowy up there right now. Lots of stuff to the west of town as well but again snow. Perkinsville road you may find an area or two with minimal traffic. I wouldn't recommend driving down a wash of any kind in a 2wd van.

Go on weekdays if possible too. An otherwise popular scenic spot can be all yours if you choose the right time to go. Cold weather and weekdays are your friend .

Good luck and have fun!

You are correct! XD

(But they could always PM ME O>O)

Looking into Perkinsville road, thank you very much, think I'll take the BMW out there tomorrow (Or possibly today) to scout it out, thank you so much!

[teddyearp]

Around Prescott it is going to be kind of hard to get the kind of solitude you're looking for in your van. There's just so many folks and the proximity to the valley doesn't help. You could try going south on the Senator Hwy, there's some dispersed camping areas not too far from Prescott, and the Senator Hwy is pretty nice actually all the way down to Crown King. Near Crown King there's Hazlett Hollow campground(s). There's also probably plenty of other places along the way. Perkinsville road has lots of side roads off of it and it used to be pretty remote-ish, but last time I was down it was 15 years or so ago. If you really want to get remote near there, you'll need your 4x4 and head further into the Bradshaws.

I know this is further than you wanted to go, but if you head east some on Hwy 260 out of Camp Verde and then hit the rim road (FR300), ther's a boat load of good forest roads you can get yourself lost from the world in the forest there.

I do not know where someone got the idea that there is snow on the ground, we haven't had any at all. And definitely think about doing a weekday trip.

[Coop01]

If you want remote camping, Arizona State Trust land is the way to go IMO. You will need an annual permit. http://www.land.state.az.us ($15 last I heard) You may camp up to 14 days. Hunting (with a license) is OK. No target shooting though. Here is a map. ASLD Parcel Viewer A lot of the land is leased for grazing and minerals but you can still camp there. They are typically 1 square mile parcels accessible from the highway via a closed gate. If you find a gate closed- leave it closed after passing though. If you find it open, leave it open. If you have to pass though private land to access it, get the permission of the owner.

Bring a good map and a GPS so you know where you are in case you are challenged. Don't disturb the cattle, Leave it better than you found it. Here is a pdf of some general info https://cals.arizona.edu/backyards/s...les/p8-9_0.pdf
I have several places near Prescott that I use. Never ever saw anyone else there except during Elk season.
Most are not exactly resort quality but ................... you will be alone.

[tundrawolf]

Originally Posted by Coop01

If you want remote camping, Arizona State Trust land is the way to go IMO. You will need an annual permit. http://www.land.state.az.us ($15 last I heard) You may camp up to 14 days. Hunting (with a license) is OK. No target shooting though. Here is a map. ASLD Parcel Viewer A lot of the land is leased for grazing and minerals but you can still camp there. They are typically 1 square mile parcels accessible from the highway via a closed gate. If you find a gate closed- leave it closed after passing though. If you find it open, leave it open. If you have to pass though private land to access it, get the permission of the owner.

Bring a good map and a GPS so you know where you are in case you are challenged. Don't disturb the cattle, Leave it better than you found it. Here is a pdf of some general info https://cals.arizona.edu/backyards/s...les/p8-9_0.pdf
I have several places near Prescott that I use. Never ever saw anyone else there except during Elk season.
Most are not exactly resort quality but ................... you will be alone.

Excellent, thank you, this may be what I am looking for!

I always try and truck more trash out than I make, if I can't find trash people have left nearby I will look for some, it's good policy, I hate it when people trash the outdoors!

[keninaz]

There are several areas here to camp.
The Prescott area is busy on holidays but not too bad in the summers.


Here is a website for the local forest service showing several sites here.


https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/pre...67155&actid=29

[grmi66]

Check out the Santa Maria mountains north of town. My secret camping spot to get away from people is up there. Even in the summer never see more than a handful of people up there.

[tundrawolf]

Originally Posted by Coop01

If you want remote camping, Arizona State Trust land is the way to go IMO. You will need an annual permit. http://www.land.state.az.us ($15 last I heard) You may camp up to 14 days. Hunting (with a license) is OK. No target shooting though. Here is a map. ASLD Parcel Viewer A lot of the land is leased for grazing and minerals but you can still camp there. They are typically 1 square mile parcels accessible from the highway via a closed gate. If you find a gate closed- leave it closed after passing though. If you find it open, leave it open. If you have to pass though private land to access it, get the permission of the owner.

Bring a good map and a GPS so you know where you are in case you are challenged. Don't disturb the cattle, Leave it better than you found it. Here is a pdf of some general info https://cals.arizona.edu/backyards/s...les/p8-9_0.pdf
I have several places near Prescott that I use. Never ever saw anyone else there except during Elk season.
Most are not exactly resort quality but ................... you will be alone.

I know this is an old post but I fund a wonderful little spot on state land, so I grabbed this permit just now, I just wanted to tell you thank you for letting me know about this, cheap insurance!

I also built the van up, outfitted it with 240watts solar panels, fridge/freezer, 1kw sine wave inverter, shore batteries/battery isolator, 14 gallons fresh water with sink and electric pump, flush toilet with septic tank, two folding tables i sanded and stained myself, installed a swivel on the captain's chair, installed a large sleeper/topper on top that sleeps up to 6 people, and a 4 foot squared sun deck up top for lounging/nature watching, plus a very large steel removable escape hatch for launching my drone or getting up top outside. Oh, and also MPPT charge controller and 32" swivel TV so I can watch it if I am on the commode or swivel it to the captain's chair for relaxing, and a single cooktop propane stove I converted from a dual burner. I have camped with this setup one time, and it was everything i wanted and more. Oh, and a cell phone signal booster, and 5,000 lb winches front and rear for getting into and out of different spots!

So thank you again!!!

[Coop01]

Originally Posted by tundrawolf

I know this is an old post but I fund a wonderful little spot on state land, so I grabbed this permit just now, I just wanted to tell you thank you for letting me know about this, cheap insurance!

I also built the van up, outfitted it with 240watts solar panels, fridge/freezer, 1kw sine wave inverter, shore batteries/battery isolator, 14 gallons fresh water with sink and electric pump, flush toilet with septic tank, two folding tables i sanded and stained myself, installed a swivel on the captain's chair, installed a large sleeper/topper on top that sleeps up to 6 people, and a 4 foot squared sun deck up top for lounging/nature watching, plus a very large steel removable escape hatch for launching my drone or getting up top outside. Oh, and also MPPT charge controller and 32" swivel TV so I can watch it if I am on the commode or swivel it to the captain's chair for relaxing, and a single cooktop propane stove I converted from a dual burner. I have camped with this setup one time, and it was everything i wanted and more. Oh, and a cell phone signal booster, and 5,000 lb winches front and rear for getting into and out of different spots!

So thank you again!!!

Glad to be of help. Sounds like a nice setup you have. (Love the drone!) As you get more time in the vehicle and look at your battery usage and other amenities, i think you will find that a few more gallons of fresh water would be nice to have. Replace ALL incandescent light bulbs with LED style. Those 12 volt lights drag 12 watts each. You will learn (if you don't know by now) that flooded lead acid batteries are really inadequate for long term camping. I switched over to used lithium cells from hybrid cars. Lots of info on the net on how to do this. My favorites are the Chevy volt and similar types. Break them up to bet the right voltage. (I use a 24 volt set up. There are sellers on ebay that sell good used sets. (in Arizona)
During hunting season, you may have company at your favorite site but you have 9.2 million acres so you're bound to find lots of good sites.

I envy you but I found some land that is close to your description in Apache county near Concho and little or no problems with the county. No permits required unless you need a septic system or APS power. So quiet that it's downright spooky. Cost me $11K for 40+ acres Taxes $111/yr several years ago. No neighbors and no lights. I can get good water from a nearby private well with a small trailer mounted water tank. Might buy a sea van to set on the property to store other commodities when I travel.
Enjoy.