

We’ve provided contact information for all of the National Forests and BLM offices in Arizona in this post, and your best bet for finding a good dispersed campsite is to reach out to them directly. While these apps and websites are a good starting place for finding dispersed camping in Arizona, we always rely on public agencies maps and information as our main source.
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We like to use a combination of online apps/websites and USFS/BLM maps to find dispersed campsites. In general, with a little knowledge of where to look, experience navigating forest service roads, reading USFS maps, and camping in remote locations, it should be relatively straightforward to find dispersed camping in Arizona. You can access the Arizona State Land Trust permit system here. Once you have obtained your recreational permit, nearly 8 million acres of land is available for dispersed camping.
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In order to camp on this land you must obtain a recreational permit, which costs all of $15-$20 for a full year. In addition to the usual dispersed camping areas provided by the BLM and USFS you can also find good, nearly free, camping on Arizona State Land Trust land throughout the state. You can find a good overview of BLM dispersed camping rules here.Īrizona State Land Trust Dispersed Camping There five BLM district office in Arizona and each can provide great information on dispersed camping within their boundaries: The BLM manages land across the state and has several excellent dispersed camping areas. In addition to the USFS, the other large public land manager in Arizona is the Bureau of Land Management, often referred to as the BLM for short. Tonto National Forest dispersed campingīureau of Land Management Dispersed Camping in Arizona (BLM).Prescott National Forest dispersed camping.Kaibab National Forest dispersed camping.Coronado National Forest dispersed camping.Coconino National Forest dispersed camping.Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest dispersed camping.You can generally expect similar regulations for dispersed camping across the different national forests, but it is still important to check the rules in the forest you plan to camp in.Īrizona’s six National Forests are listed below along with a link to the dispersed camping guidelines for each: These distinct forests are located in all different areas of Arizona and encompass the wide variety of ecosystems the state is known for. Your best bet for finding dispersed camping in Arizona is going to be in one of the state’s six National Forests. Both of these federal agencies oversee hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in Arizona and should be the first place you look for finding dispersed campsites in the state.įind an overview of each of the different dispersed camping options in Arizona below: US Forest Service Dispersed Camping in Arizona (USFS) The two largest land managers that you’ll want to familiarize yourself with are the US Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Where is dispersed camping allowed in Arizona?Īs with many Western states, Arizona contains a significant amount of public land that permits dispersed camping.
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This includes everything from determining what public land allows camping, how to find specific campsites, what to bring, and more. The following sections contain what we consider the essential information to help you plan an Arizona dispersed camping trip.


Please read our disclosure for more info.Īrizona, known as the Grand Canyon State, conjures up images of spectacular natural landscapes.
