Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area
Dept. Fish & Wildlife
Write a Review 4423 W Bagby Rd. McNeal, AZ 85617 520-642-3763 Official WebsiteGPS: 31.5597, -109.7154
Overview of Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads.
Learn more: Boondocking 101
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by Donna on 2/27/2023
Longest RV Reported: 42 feet (Fifth Wheel)
Reported by Retiree Wannabes on 2/5/2019
Number of Sites 4
Pad Type dirt
Elevation 4,068 ft / 1,239 m
Max Stay 3
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 520-642-3763
Jeanne asked on 2/5/2021
I am heading to Whitewater Draw on Saturday , February 6. My concern is that being the weekend the sites will be full...
Reviews of Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area 20 people have reviewed this location.
“Beautiful Area and Very Peaceful”
Reviewed 2/27/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 0 |
RV Length: | 20' (Travel Trailer) |
The wildlife area was packed! It was the annual flight of the birds! Oops! BUT.... they have overflow parking, and it is pretty huge and only one camper there. So, we stayed here. It was awesome! The birds flew right over us. Thousands of them! It was very peaceful! (**Except for one rude camper who pulled in the next day!). No hooku... more
The wildlife area was packed! It was the annual flight of the birds! Oops! BUT.... they have overflow parking, and it is pretty huge and only one camper there. So, we stayed here. It was awesome! The birds flew right over us. Thousands of them!
It was very peaceful! (**Except for one rude camper who pulled in the next day!). No hookups of course, just a huge dirt square. It was pretty level. We only used one block on one side.
A few people pulled in the next day. But it was still pretty quiet.
It was close to Bisbee, so we were in town most of the time we were boondocking here.
(**One of the campers were pretty rude. Asking other campers to turn off their generators at about 8pm. He was beating on their camper doors yelling at them telling them he was trying to sleep. Don't be him! That's rude! No one ran their generators after 10am and no one turned them on till after 7 or 8 am. That is the general rule for camping. So, if you don't like the noise, don't boondock! Don't be rude!)
Donna would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Good overnight stop”
Reviewed 3/17/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
RV Length: | 24' (Class C) |
Easy to get to. Quiet. Nice walk around marsh. Still have cranes. Other birds to watch as well.
ERW would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Unique place”
Reviewed 3/9/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
We arrived at 3pm and found one of the last spaces. There were 9 of us, 3 with small trailers, 2 vans, 2 truck campers, a small class A and a tenter. The protocol is to park sort of close to each other so there’s room for everyone. Pretty quiet at night except for the distant sound of the birds. Most arrive back between 4-6pm and they ... more
We arrived at 3pm and found one of the last spaces. There were 9 of us, 3 with small trailers, 2 vans, 2 truck campers, a small class A and a tenter. The protocol is to park sort of close to each other so there’s room for everyone. Pretty quiet at night except for the distant sound of the birds. Most arrive back between 4-6pm and they flew away about 20 minutes before sunrise. Set your alarm! Good vibe here, people seek this place out and are happy to be here. GPS( from Tombstone) had us driving down Coughlin Rd. We kept going past it, took a right at the next paved road and another right on Bagly, to Coughlin. It was a lot shorter distance on the dirt road that way.
judydo would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Amazing birding with free camping!”
Reviewed 3/2/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
RV Length: | 16' (Travel Trailer) |
We just happened onto this place when trying to find somewhere close to bisbee. Simple circle campground with pit toilets that stayed fairly full but there was overflow down the way if there wasn’t a spot. Saw so many birds in the morning and evening and spent the days in bisbee. No water and dust was the biggest downfall but so worth ... more
We just happened onto this place when trying to find somewhere close to bisbee. Simple circle campground with pit toilets that stayed fairly full but there was overflow down the way if there wasn’t a spot. Saw so many birds in the morning and evening and spent the days in bisbee. No water and dust was the biggest downfall but so worth it if your in the area.
Issa would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Cold!”
Reviewed 1/13/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 0 |
RV Length: | 23' (Travel Trailer) |
We woke to 18 degrees. We were toasty warm inside our camper but our pipes froze. We had planned to stay two nights but the cold changed our plans. We camped in the over flow camping area, room for at least six campers. This campground is just a large gravel lot, mainly level. It is about 1/2 mile down the road from the main area. Ther... more
We woke to 18 degrees. We were toasty warm inside our camper but our pipes froze. We had planned to stay two nights but the cold changed our plans. We camped in the over flow camping area, room for at least six campers. This campground is just a large gravel lot, mainly level. It is about 1/2 mile down the road from the main area. There were four here. I would suggest you don’t even try camping in the main camping area, it’s too congested. We were here January 12th, during the week. Seeing the cranes take off in the morning is amazing. We had them fly right over our camper when they returned in the evening. We slept great, the only sounds were the animals. The birds were very noisy, but quite while sleeping.
Flygalpam would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“I love the nature here”
Reviewed 3/24/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 1 |
RV Length: | 28' (Class C) |
Came here on a cold, windy, rainy day. Nobody was here when we arrived, but later more RVs came for overnight. It wasn't full. The birds are amazing, it is nice to walk around and listen to them. They are all over the place. The spots are great, perfect place for an overnight.
SmallRVlifestyle would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“To Crack or not to Crack...A Window”
Reviewed 1/20/2021
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
RV Length: | 21' (Travel Trailer) |
You do not come here for the campground, you come for the sandhill cranes. They nest here during the winter. Day trips to Tombstone and Bisbee are doable; however, you will not want to miss the cranes when they come back around lunchtime. There are a handful of picnic tables in the "campground" - three on the left; one on the ri... more
You do not come here for the campground, you come for the sandhill cranes. They nest here during the winter. Day trips to Tombstone and Bisbee are doable; however, you will not want to miss the cranes when they come back around lunchtime.
There are a handful of picnic tables in the "campground" - three on the left; one on the right. It does not mean that there are only four campsites. We had no need for a picnic table (we brought our own) and so we parked nearer the information kiosk (top left of the area) so others could use the tables. There were four to five other campers on the west side of the camping area.
There are two more small single-RV parking areas closer to the main road. No picnic tables there.
Relatively flat - up two inches on one side. No fires.
The second parking lot does not allow camping. We saw an RV there one night and they were gone the next morning. Day visitors speed through the camping area and kick up dust. Keep your windows closed during the day. At night, crack a window so you can hear the cranes and coyotes.
There is a dumpster. Due to COVID there were five Porta-Potties.
No drinking water. Douglas has a massive Walmart. If you miss the driveway you will end up at the border. You are following customs signs as you turn for Walmart.
CaliSmock would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Amazing for the birds”
Reviewed 1/3/2021
Nightly rate: | $2 |
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RV Length: | 28' (Class C) |
It's a dirt lot that can accommodate 6 or so rv's. We came on a Saturday afternoon from Bisbee and there was still room for us.
The Sandhill Cranes are amazing and so loud. It's worth staying here just so you can hear them all evening, and wake up for sunrise to see them all take off. Great stop!!
KC McG would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Good site, esp for bird watchers”
Reviewed 4/15/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
We visited this refuse in 2015 for a day. It made an impression and so we wanted to stay here for several days. It’s quiet, there are a few cars a day in and out, but no big deal. I think during Sandhill Crane season (Jan-Mar) the traffic is higher and the camp spots are harder to get. There were two other campers here when we arriv... more
We visited this refuse in 2015 for a day. It made an impression and so we wanted to stay here for several days. It’s quiet, there are a few cars a day in and out, but no big deal. I think during Sandhill Crane season (Jan-Mar) the traffic is higher and the camp spots are harder to get. There were two other campers here when we arrived Apr 11, but both left the next morning. The cranes have all headed north already, but we enjoyed viewing the ducks, owls, ibis, and myriad Other birds.
There are 4 parking spots with picnic tables, and room for 2-4 other campers, depending on size. The pit toilets are clean (but no TP). The hatches on the back side of the latrines are not locked, and one could use these to dump waste tanks if need be. We did not. There is a small dumpster next to the latrine. The roads into the area are dirt/gravel, and some washboard. Not bad though.
Ron would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“5 stars for what it is.”
Reviewed 3/30/2019
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | n/a |
RV Length: | 15' (Teardrop Trailer) |
This spot gets 5 stars with us because our expectation was more than met. It is a safe place to stay for free, it had a dumpster for trash, and a toilet (nf). Exactly as advertised. There was even hand sanitizer in the bathroom :-) There were only a few other campers parked here, so getting a spot was easy. The other reviews are c... more
This spot gets 5 stars with us because our expectation was more than met.
It is a safe place to stay for free, it had a dumpster for trash, and a toilet (nf).
Exactly as advertised.
There was even hand sanitizer in the bathroom :-)
There were only a few other campers parked here, so getting a spot was easy.
The other reviews are correct about the washboard gravel road, but we went slow (30 mph) for about 3 miles to get here.
We walked around the pond but didn't see the cranes, only ducks.
This was a peaceful place to sleep, and we would certainly stay here again.
This spot was our choice to be close to Bisbee.
Liam n Maggie would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Recreation
- picnic area
Site Amenities
- big rig
- picnic table
Facilities
- restrooms: vault
- trash
Pets
- pets
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