Campground info

Walnut canyon area ban on camping and campfires

(May 2022)

As usual, I got in late (around dusk) and it was dark by the time I was fully situated. Here's what I could see:

Facilities: This was the bare minimum – just some fire rings here and there throughout the campsites. The camping spots themselves were scattered on either side of the road, some of them up smaller roads/trails that were difficult to climb even in my jeep. It was also difficult to tell which sites were full since they weren't visible from the main road.

Sights: There wasn't much that I can remember beyond forest, desert, and a few prairie dogs that I was lucky enough to see before dark.

People: It did seem pretty full, but again, it was hard to tell since you can't see the campsites from the main road. It was a guessing game driving down each smaller road to see if the given site was full. At the site that I ended picking, there was a truck parked not too far from me next to another fire ring.

Easy but annoyingly washboarded road; some sites have rocky or rutted, washed out entry. Coyote and jackrabbit sightings at night. Faint train sounds and highway noise no louder than the persistent wind during the day. Very quiet neighbors. Minimal trash. Shade is mediocre - bring aluminet and tarps. Trees are just tall enough to be privacy fences. Check the wind direction before parking and orient your rig against it otherwise cooking outside can be challenging

Close to I-40. Paved road much of the way in. I only went in less than a half mile (off of paved road) and there were tons of spots. About 3/4 filled up. A lot of turn off roads with lots of camping spots. I was near 2 tent campers in a sedan, and a large Class A RV.The road does get a bit bumpy, just take it slow. Lots of pinion trees and open fields. Several cows grazing in the AM and PM. My cat loved it. A nice forest Ranger paid me a visit just to say hi.

Would probably be a nice place if we had arrived earlier. It’s pretty packed on a Tuesday night in April. Snagged a rough little spot next to a target shooting pit. Train noises and other cars driving by frequently. Nice views of the stars.

It isn't perfect, there is slight train and traffic noise but hardy worth mentioning. Gravel in some spots, most of the dirt is actually fine volcano rock so it's not a messy muddy mess. Kind of sad we are moving from our spot to go to the next travel location. Convenient 3 miles to old rt66 and hwy 40.

Maybe I've just gotten spoiled at our last spots, but I was kind of disappointed with this spot. We were considering a parking lot as an alternative and this was definitely better. Arrived on a Monday night and it was pretty full. Seemed like a number of folks were living in their cars full-time and there was also some trash. No views (it's wooded, I get that) and it felt like it was kind of crammed together even though we could only see one other person. Being right next to Walnut Canyon NM was definitely a plus. I suspect the proximity to Flagstaff, while a plus for some folks, is the reason for some of my complaints. No real issues, just seemed kind of 'meh'.

The dirt road going in was pretty nice, and we were able to find a spot right next to the entrance in early April.

Convenient, but the views aren't great, it's dusty, and full of people in the middle of the week. Lots of noise from the nearby interstate and trains.

Great spot and very close to the city. Tons of spots if you keep driving and pull off the road. Signal is definitely spotty so I would go elsewhere if you have to work or have meetings to take.

Huge interconnected area for boondocking, lots of shade about 15 min out of Flagstaff and 5 minutes off I40. Pretty good Verizon call/data coverage. Several days here so far in 24' Fifth Wheel ... Easy access, but most spots more navigable to a single veh or mini trailer. Few campers, over 100 yds apart, but that's at start of week in crappy weather so may fill up this weekend with clear skys and temps in the seventies. Fire rings (recent use) everywhere despite supposed NFS multi-year fire ban, and some overhead chopper flights said to be ranger surveillance of 14 day stays (?). No sign of rangers yet, expect presence this weekend. Tracks and trails suggest this place fills up pretty well at times, but has been kept clean (or wind blew debris away that another reviewer mentioned). Will check out the national monument visitor center (1.5 mi away) today.

If coming from the East side go to next exit as there is an asphalt road. The directions in app took on a bumpy, dusty gravel road.

Lots of spots, most were taken ours had a lot of litter and looked like it was a hunting camp in the past.

If you're headed west on 40 it's the first green trees you'll see. Camp spots on either side of the road in and relatively secluded. Was very full for this time of year.

stayed here during a winter storm and it snowed about 12 inches overnight. I drive a Subaru outback 2013, and I was able to get out perfectly fine. The roads are not maintained during the winter so you will need a 4 x 4 or all-wheel-drive vehicle. There were a few other campers and cars on other sites while I was stayed. Definitely a good spot to stay probably even

Great campsite! Lots of space to camp with established fire rings. Very close to Flagstaff. Easy access from the main road.

Overall a good place to camp. Easy to get to, there are a lot of places to camp. Close to Walnut Canyon National Monument. It's FREE! Remember to Leave No Trace. When we got here there was some trash.