Surprise Designated Dispersed Camping
Coconino National Forest
Write a Review Loy Butte Rd. (FR-525) Sedona, AZ 86336 928-203-7500 928-527-3600 Official WebsiteGPS: 34.8235, -111.9061
Overview of Surprise Designated Dispersed Camping
As of Sept. 1, 2022, the new West Sedona Designated Dispersed Camping and Day-Use Area in Coconino National Forest was implemented. Camping is now only allowed at one of these eight designated dispersed camping areas in west Sedona.
No wood or charcoal campfires are allowed in the Red Rock Ranger District. Only propane campfires are allowed.
Please stop at the Information Portal on FR-525 or FR-152C for more details about designated dispersed camping here.
Please follow these new rules and respect all closures so everyone can continue to enjoy this area.
The state of Arizona doesn’t allow camping within 1/4 mile of wildlife water tank/hole.
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: Boondocking 101.
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by T&K Images on 5/12/2023
Longest RV Reported: 36 feet (Class A)
Reported by David & Tracy on 9/28/2022
Pad Type dirt
Elevation 3,937 ft / 1,199 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 928-203-7500
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Reviews of Surprise Designated Dispersed Camping 10 people have reviewed this location.
“Was exactly what we excepted”
Reviewed 5/12/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
RV Length: | 33' (Travel Trailer) |
I have read several reviews of this location; many complain about the new camping rules. However, I understand why they did it; with over 3 million visitors to Sedona a year and having a free place to camp only a few miles from the city, it was getting to be the wild west. This camping area is, as advertised, a dispersed camping ... more
I have read several reviews of this location; many complain about the new camping rules. However, I understand why they did it; with over 3 million visitors to Sedona a year and having a free place to camp only a few miles from the city, it was getting to be the wild west.
This camping area is, as advertised, a dispersed camping area in the Sonoran desert, basically a clearing where you can park. As an AZ resident, this is not uncommon for these camping areas. My wife and I are Fine Art Photographers and prefer location over amenities. So this works well for us. The area is mostly level and quite large. The road is gravel with only minor washboards. The camping area is a bit rutted due to heavy rains earlier in the year; if you take it slow, you will be fine. Be advised, you are NOT allowed to have any open fires in the camping area.
We have a Dodge 2500 quad cab truck with a 8 ft bed pulling a 33ft travel trailer, so big rigs would have not issue using this location. We arrived around 1:00 pm on a Monday and found plenty of room to park. It does get busy later in the day with many overnight campers but it clears out again around 9:00am. Everyone kept to themselves and did not hear any noise at night.
At the back of the camping area, this is a single tree, and beyond that, there is a hiking trail. My wife loved the trail, as the wildflowers where in full bloom during our stay. We will be back for sure.
T&K Images would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“fine for one night”
Reviewed 5/8/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
sedona has make insane changes to their camping restrictions, it’s like the patrol all hours of the night giving out fines and warnings. could not find anywhere to camp and it was like 11pm until we came here. (there are lots of “dispersed” camping around so this area is a safe bet.) we have a small van so we squeezed in easy. if you h... more
sedona has make insane changes to their camping restrictions, it’s like the patrol all hours of the night giving out fines and warnings. could not find anywhere to camp and it was like 11pm until we came here. (there are lots of “dispersed” camping around so this area is a safe bet.) we have a small van so we squeezed in easy. if you have a camper i would suggestion coming EARLY in the morning. THIS IS NOT DISPERSED CAMPING. as i like to call it camp land. it’s like a parking lot for campers. Not my thing but was fine for one night.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Changes to Sedona area dispersed camping”
Reviewed 2/12/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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It is busy but as of 2023 they have severely limited the camping here so not as busy but hard to find a spot because they are so few now
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Worst Dispersed Camping Spot ”
Reviewed 12/22/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Horrible. Busy with people pulling until midnight. One of the “permanent” residents blasting their radio all night long. Dog and/or human everywhere along the grassy ridge of the lot. Trash everywhere. Worst dispersed spot we’ve been in. Avoid.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Crowded. ”
Reviewed 11/6/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
RV Length: | 34' (Travel Trailer) |
As others have mentioned, the forest service really sucked the joy out of Sedona dispersed camping. This is the first “pod” you come to on 525 and it was very crowded of course. Nothing special about this area except that it is very close to Sedona. Lots of trailers, vans, RVs, and campers. Pretty noisy. Road in is fine. The actual pod... more
As others have mentioned, the forest service really sucked the joy out of Sedona dispersed camping. This is the first “pod” you come to on 525 and it was very crowded of course. Nothing special about this area except that it is very close to Sedona. Lots of trailers, vans, RVs, and campers. Pretty noisy. Road in is fine. The actual pod area has a lot of dips and bumps but saw large 5th wheels here.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“rhymes with ducking trap..”
Reviewed 10/6/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 0 |
Site Number: | n/a |
dont bother unless you're really really really desperate. loy butte was a good area til they closed all the ites 4 weeks ago. Sedona really hates rvs and campers. literally nowhere to go now jf you have anything bigger than a sprinter. but they probably like that in Sedona sjnce they cost a fortune. rich people only allowed here. ... more
dont bother unless you're really really really desperate. loy butte was a good area til they closed all the ites 4 weeks ago. Sedona really hates rvs and campers. literally nowhere to go now jf you have anything bigger than a sprinter. but they probably like that in Sedona sjnce they cost a fortune. rich people only allowed here. peace out.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Fine for what it was”
Reviewed 9/28/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
RV Length: | 36' (Class A) |
In the interest of full disclosure, this was our first time TRULY boondocking on open land, so we really weren't sure what to expect. We had originally parked here just for the day so that we had a place to park our 36' motorhome while we spent the day in Sedona exploring. We were going to continue on to Flagstaff and stay at a cas... more
In the interest of full disclosure, this was our first time TRULY boondocking on open land, so we really weren't sure what to expect.
We had originally parked here just for the day so that we had a place to park our 36' motorhome while we spent the day in Sedona exploring. We were going to continue on to Flagstaff and stay at a casino there, but we decided at the last minute to stay here so that we had more time to spend in Sedona.
The good part is that there was plenty of room for us at the time we got there before noon. When we arrived, there were 2 rather broken-down RVs with no one around, and one trailer with a couple and vehicles set up for a 14-day stay. We left and went into town, and when we came back that evening there were a couple of car campers as well. One parked directly behind us (within 10 feet) which made us feel a bit uncomfortable. We were running our generator because we have cats inside and needed to keep them cool in the heat while we were gone. These folks asked us if we could please turn off our generator in the evening. It had cooled off, so we were certainly fine without it and would have turned it off anyway, but it seemed a little weird that they chose to park that close and then complain about our relatively quiet onboard generator!
Somewhere nearby, people were shooting off guns for about an hour just around sunset, which really upset our dog, but by the time it was dark they stopped.
Throughout the evening and the night, cars and vans continued to arrive, and in the end, there were probably 12-15 vehicles in the area, which felt a bit crowded. Everyone was quiet and kept to themselves, and most of them left first thing in the morning. It took us a while to feel comfortable with new people arriving every 30 minutes, although most of them were considerate and quiet and only used lights as absolutely necessary to ensure safety in getting situated.
The site was clean and reasonably level for what it was, although there were very deep, long ruts running throughout where water had eroded the area during prior storms. Although everything was dry at the time we were there, I could see that if a storm came, there would be a LOT of deep mud, making egress pretty difficult.
We had almost no cell service on any network. We could send and receive texts, although pictures took a very long time to send. Streaming was not possible, so this location would not work if you need to have video conferencing for work.
It was lovely to look up and see the clear, dark sky at night, and although I probably would not choose this particular site again, we would come back to the general area and try another site. I suspect that had we chosen an area further off the highway, we would have had a better experience (although we probably would have had even less cell reception!)
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Good Forest Road. In Valley. Close to Highway But Little Noise”
Reviewed 8/27/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Easy to get to and down a decent road. Big circular area in a depression. Has really nice views but I had limited reception. A little bigger and busier than Windmill but it has plenty of room and was never full. Does have evidence of water running through there when it rains a lot.
Dorchaoran would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great place to stay near Sedona”
Reviewed 6/13/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Very much enjoyed our stay here. It’s basically a long road with various turn outs to camp in. Not very much shade where we were, but still very enjoyable.
Close to the road, but it quiets down just after sunset.
Would stay here again!
rachelsicotte would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“desert heat, fire ants, little to no cell service”
Reviewed 5/29/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
We stopped out of desperation. This was listed as 3 bars of T-mobile. As some one who works from home, on the road... no, at best its 2 bars of strong service and that is VERY hit and miss! if you drive to the net site you have no service and the you have 2 bars, and so on and so forth. If you need reliable service, on any devices. I ... more
We stopped out of desperation. This was listed as 3 bars of T-mobile. As some one who works from home, on the road... no, at best its 2 bars of strong service and that is VERY hit and miss! if you drive to the net site you have no service and the you have 2 bars, and so on and so forth. If you need reliable service, on any devices. I have mobile hotspot device, 2 iphones and an ipad.. 1-2 bars at best. The road is very wash board, but is fine. anythin past the 1st 2-3 spots you may tip over, looks like atv access only. If you hate cell service and love the desert.. this is the place for you!
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
- Dispersed Camping
Pets
- pets
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