11 Magical Sedona Camping Spots
Are you searching for the perfect Sedona camping spot? Look no further! Today we’re sharing 11 of the most magical Sedona campgrounds in 2020.
These spots range from free (dry camping) to expensive (luxury RV resorts). Whether you’re hiking the red rock trails or indulging in a spa-weekend, this list has the best option for you!
In addition to price & amenity info, each site will have a unique “Sedona Camping Vibes” rating to help you gauge the overall experience.
Let’s dive in!
The Main Drag BLM Camping
Price: FREE
Miles to Downtown Sedona: 11 miles
Why We Love It: Located south of town in the Coconino National Forest, this free campsite is great for tent & van campers. The site can accommodate larger RVs, but it may be hard to find a spot during the weekend.
Not only does it have close proximity to Sedona, its also close to Cottonwood – an artist community, with lots of restaurants.
Keep in mind, this is dry camping. That means you’ll have to bring all the water & power you’ll need. No RV hook ups at this spot.
Notice From the Forest Service: We often have RV campers violating the Travel Management Rule, which states that motorized vehicles cannot drive more than 30 feet from the forest road in most areas (especially those first two miles of FR525). This overuse and misuse is causing tremendous damage to the area, impacting private ranch lands, grazing allotments, as well as creating illegal roads, illegal campsites, and a large amount of dust, trash, and road damage. Due to the impacts and misuse, we are now looking in to different options that may limit camping in that area.
What’s the Word: Lucky on Campendium says, ‘Many sites along the road but beware they are usually crowded. Lots of traffic with campers coming and going. If you can’t find a spot at first just hold tight one will open up in short order.”
Sedona Camping Vibes Score: 7.4/10 Free & beautiful…but arrive prepared!
Rancho Sedona RV Park
Price: $54 and up
Miles to Downtown Sedona: 1 mile
Why We Love It: Ranch Sedona RV Park has the ideal location. You can walk to downtown Sedona from your RV and skip the hassle of driving.
The park offers full hook ups for your RV. They also maintain a high quality park environment with regular landscaping and visible rules. The reviews are mixed – some travelers like the rules because it keeps the park under order…others take offense to the rules.
The nature vibes are great at Rancho Sedona. With a creek running alongside the grounds and red rock backdrops, you’ll definitely experience the heart of Sedona!
What’s the Word: Nellabelle on Campendium says, “This site is 5 star for a reason! Beautiful grounds, shaded, lots of grass, next to creek and short walk to town. We walked a toddler and infant and it was quick. Nearby hikes and beautiful area of downtown Sedona. Loved it here!:
Sedona Camping Vibes Score: 8.3/10 Walking distance to downtown is a huge plus!
Cave Springs Campground
Price: around $20
Miles to Downtown Sedona: 12 miles
Why We Love It: This is an affordable campground with great access to hiking trails. Similar to The Main Drag 525, this campground is located on Coconino National Forest Land.
The sites don’t include hookups, however there are limited services available. Trash collection, bathrooms and water spigots can be found throughout the grounds. If you have the National Park senior pass, you’ll receive additional savings.
This campground fills up quickly; reservations can be made in advance for 21 of the 80 campsites.
What’s the Word: Cliff on Campendium says, “This campsite is in the famous Oak Creek Canyon just north of Sedona, Arizona. Campground is next to Oak Creek. There is swimming and fishing in the Creek. Site A18 is in a loop that excepts advance reservations and is in first row of sites from the Creek.”
Sedona Camping Vibes Score: 8.5/10 This is the best National Forest campsite close to downtown.
Sedona Camping & Hiking
Pine Flat Campground
Price: around $20
Miles to Downtown Sedona: 12 miles
Why We Love It: If you want a true camping experience, detached from the bustle of traffic, give Pine Flat a try. Ideal for tents and vans, this campground will connect you to nature and keep you relatively close to Sedona.
There are vault toilets and fresh water available at Pine Flat. Don’t expect to get cell signal though – no one has reported connectivity at this campsite.
What’s the Word: RickityScott on Campendium says, “Pros: The View, newly upgraded fire pit, charcoal grill, benches and tent pads, everything was level and set up well, firewood and ICE available from host, campground is close enough to Sedona with a scenic drive and hiking galore!!”
Sedona Camping Vibes Score: 7.9/10 Perfect for an old-school camping experience!
Loy Butte Road
Price: FREE
Miles to Downtown Sedona: 14 miles
Why We Love It: Loy Butte Road is among the best free campsites in Sedona. In fact, this site has won the Campendium Campers Choice Award two years in a row. Located pretty far off the beaten path, the crowds don’t make it to this spot.
You will have to come prepared with all your own supplies. There are no amenities provided at Loy Butte…not even a vault toilet.
Even though it’s off the grid, many campers have reported good cell service from camp.
What’s the Word: Mrs. Ramble on Campendium says, “This was our first experience with boondocking/dispersed camping and we loved finding this location using GPS coordinates from other comments, 34°52’33.7″N 111°54’19.1″W. Just copied and pasted them into Google Maps and it led us 5 miles down 525 (Loy Butte) to a pull off area.”
Sedona Camping Vibes Score: 7.5/10 Free & not as busy as other spots!
Sedona Camping Trip
Forest Road 535 BLM Camping
Price: FREE
Miles to Downtown Sedona: 18 miles
Why We Love It: This free campsite splits the difference. It’s positioned between Flagstaff and Sedona. Additionally, located at a higher elevation, Forest Road 535 will keep you cool and shaded.
The road is long and has multiple camping spots available within the first five miles. The weekend will bring out the crowds, but the weekdays stay super chill.
What’s the Word: Nikki on Campendium says, “There’s a ton of spots when you first enter the road, but we have a spot 5 miles back and it’s perfect. You get the ATVs, the target shooters, and sometimes drunk college kids, but the vast amount of acreage available if you’re willing to explore basically guarantees you can find your own little slice of peace.”
Sedona Camping Vibes Score: 7.1/10 Spacious & cool for the win!
Oak Creek Mobilodge
Price: around $55
Miles to Downtown Sedona: 1.5 miles
Why We Love It: This campground is less than 2 miles to downtown Sedona. With constant traffic congestion, being close to town is awesome.
This campground offers full RV hookups with spots up to 36′ long. Shade trees keep it cool during those summer months. Overall, Oak Creek Mobilodge is the perfect basecamp for your luxurios Sedona getaway.
What’s the Word: Carey on Campendium says, “OK backup place if Rancho Sedona RV park is full or too expensive. If you arrive early, be sure to wait until after Noon to see if space is available yet. WiFi is good.”
Sedona Camping Vibes Score: 5.6/10 Great location, good price, and full hookups!
Fort Tuthille County Park
Price: around $30
Miles to Downtown Sedona: 25 miles
Why We Love It: Cool temps baby! This campsite is located much higher than Sedona. Even though you’ll be 25 miles from Sedona, if you’re traveling during the summer this site will keep you cooler than the others.
A few sites have water & sewer hook ups, but there is no electricity available at individual campsites.
What’s the Word: 4airstreamers on Campendium says, “The campground is pretty because it’s set right inside a gorgeous forest of pines. The roads are dirt, but they’re wide and big rigs can get through easily. Some spots have full hook-ups, but ours did not. Ours was also listed as a back-in site, but it’s a pull through”
Sedona Camping Vibes Score: 6.3/10 High elevation means cool temps!
Coffee Creek Dispersed
Price: FREE
Miles to Downtown Sedona: 12 miles
Why We Love It: Privacy! This free campsite doesn’t see much traffic. You’ll be able to find peace & quiet on Coffee Creek Dispersed. The road in is dirt…and we hear its a bumpy ride.
You must be ready for boondocking to camp here – no services provided at the campsite.
What’s the Word: Bruce on Campendium says, “The highway (89A) cannot be seen from here and traffic is seldom heard. One down side – this area is popular as a shooting range which can be annoying, especially on weekends. Its also an open range for cattle. Otherwise, it’s much less crowded than the multiple spots along NF-525 to the north.”
Sedona Camping Vibes Score: 5.6 South of Sedona and hard to access – good for privacy!
Page Springs Resort
Price: around $45
Miles to Downtown Sedona: 14 miles
Why We Love It: We love camping on the water and Page Springs Resort offers just that! At 14 miles from downtown, you’ll still be close enough to easily visit.
Page Springs Resort offers, creek swimming, fishing, hiking, horseshoes and showers. The RV sites offer hookups.
What’s the Word: Beer Goddess on Campendium says, “Yes, it’s an outdated resort, but you have the ability to camp right on the water. The creek is big enough to get sufficiently wet and stay cool. Bring some tubes and ‘flow’ down the waters. The water goes up to your waist (at least that’s what we experienced) and you could hear the rushing waters at night. It was peaceful.”
Sedona Camping Vibes Score: 6.9/10 Water vibes among the red rocks!
Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Price: around $30
Miles to Downtown Sedona: 20 miles
Why We Love It: Yes, this park is 20 miles from Sedona…a 30 minute drive. However, it’s located right in Cottonwood – another awesome community.
Camping at Dead Horse Ranch will give you large sites, clean bathrooms and full hook ups. There’s even a disc golf course on site. Although I haven’t stayed here, I have jogged through the park many times and really enjoyed the vibe.
What’s the Word: Zamia Ventures says, “We loved being able to hike into the back country directly from our site, while being just a few short miles from charming Old Cottonwood and all the services one could ever need. We camped in the Coopers Hawk Loop, which is set on a ridge above town and offers long views towards the mountains to the southwest.”
Sedona Camping Vibes Score: 8.6/10 Beautiful park with great access to old town Cottonwood.
The Best Free Camping in the Entire USA
We love camping across this amazing country. And, we really love it when its free. Here’s our list of the 20 Best Free Campsites in the USA.
If you haven’t tried free camping before, also known as boondocking, take a look at our beginners guide to boondocking filled with everything you need to know to get started.
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