East Turkey Creek Dispersed Camping

10 miles on a dirt road to get here. Some washboard, some smooth. some rocky. 2WD road, but to get in and out of our campground area, 4wd was a must. Pass Sycamore Canyon Campground, there are a number flat areas off the road and next to the creek to pitch tents, but not too many spots an RV or Trailer. I have a small RV (T@B) and it was tricky to back it into a spot and find a level place. I was successful, but this is really a much better area for tent camping. Altitude here is about 6,500 ft. For small RV's, there is basically one good location, and a couple of road turnouts. If those are taken, best to just drive back down to the campground.

Beautiful perennial creek, with cascading falls and little wading/swimming holes, right next to the camping areas. It was running even at the beginning of July for us- prior to any seasonal rains. However just a ways beyond where we camped, the water went underground and the rocky Turkey Creek bed was dry.

Tall pines abound offering plenty of shade. Plenty of deer as well.

The end of the road does have a turnaround loop so you won't get stuck with your trailer. There's a trailhead there (Morse Canyon Trail) that is well maintained and climbs steeply ~700ft/mi to Morse saddle in about 2 miles, and then meets up with Turtle Mountain Trail that goes for quite a ways in both directions.

Went during COVID 19 so all Forestey Service campgrounds were closed. There are a handful of dispersed spots off the creek side of the road. The road ends at a loop that brings you back down. We were able to find one suitable place next to the creek to park our travel trailer (27 feet tongue to bumper) Was a great place with no other campsites within view. Kids played in the creek a lot. Nice hiking, lots or turkey and deer. Road does see decent traffic from hikers driving to the trail head. No cell service. Was able to get one bar of 3g when I hiked to the top of a small ridge. No access to water or electric.

We stayed about half a mile past Sycamore Campground, since it was closed due to Covid19, and since we were boondocking, it was free. We did peek at Sycamore Campground for future trips and there are lots of flat spots, fire rings, picnic tables, etc. There are also lots of great disbursed (tent) campsites along West Turkey Creek and a few good options for a small trailer or RV. Be aware as you go farther up the road, it is a canyon, so many options are a small shoulder right on the road and then a hike down to the creek bed. However at the end of the road, there is a loop, just in case you don’t find a spot and need to turn around. We found a spot that could fit out 19ft hybrid trailer and truck, and had a fire ring and flat area down the hill by the river. On Saturday we saw 10-15 trucks/rigs go by, probably looking for a spot without luck.

There are some awesome hikes in the area, and we enjoyed meandering up the creek to a small waterfall. If it had been warmer the pool at the bottom would have been deep enough for a quick dip. We did have lots of other people hike by throughout the day, but everyone was friendly and respectful.

One note is if you were to visit during monsoon season this canyon has obviously seen some significant flash flooding, so be careful!