East Cottonwood Canyon Road Dispersed Camping
State Trust Land
Write a Review E Cottonwood Canyon Rd. Florence, AZ 602-542-4631 602-364-2753 Official WebsiteGPS: 33.1844, -111.3368
Location submitted by: Sil
Overview of East Cottonwood Canyon Road Dispersed Camping
Permits available online via the Arizona State Land Department Recreational Permit Portal
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: Boondocking 101
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by Mike G on 2/16/2024
Longest RV Reported: 39 feet (Class A)
Reported by Cjonorcas on 4/2/2023
Pad Type dirt
Elevation 1,804 ft / 549 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Featured Video by LivingOurDreamNow
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To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 602.542.4631
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Reviews of East Cottonwood Canyon Road Dispersed Camping 9 people have reviewed this location.
“be careful”
Reviewed 2/16/2024
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 0 |
Got in here. Looked for a site started sinking in! Oopps 4 high, nope, 4 low , hammer it, Ok got unstuck. If your rig is heavy be careful and check out area. I'm towing a 36 foot fifthwheel toyhauler with a dodge cummins 1 ton drw. I almost got stuck. Might be a good idea to stay close to the established roads that look like they ha... more
Got in here. Looked for a site started sinking in! Oopps 4 high, nope, 4 low , hammer it, Ok got unstuck. If your rig is heavy be careful and check out area. I'm towing a 36 foot fifthwheel toyhauler with a dodge cummins 1 ton drw. I almost got stuck. Might be a good idea to stay close to the established roads that look like they have gravel. Might have something to do with amount of recent rain.
Mike G would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Wide Area And Dusty”
Reviewed 12/28/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 6 |
Site Number: | 0 |
RV Length: | 26' (Class C) |
We stayed over Christmas holiday and it was fine until Dec 27 when parade of commercial haulers started trucking on E Cottonwood Canyon road became a thoroughfare starting at 4:30am until around 2pm. . On Christmas, the new toys came out without instruction. Off road bikes came within 2 feet of our campsite spraying sand. Kid said it w... more
We stayed over Christmas holiday and it was fine until Dec 27 when parade of commercial haulers started trucking on E Cottonwood Canyon road became a thoroughfare starting at 4:30am until around 2pm. . On Christmas, the new toys came out without instruction. Off road bikes came within 2 feet of our campsite spraying sand. Kid said it was his first time….. where was the adult who should have instructed the kid to stay away from campsites????
JMBowen would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Eh.”
Reviewed 4/15/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Would be way better if ....
Wasn't as many off roaders spitting dust everywhere, loud music, and dirty (trash).
Cleaned up where I camped out, still trash everywhere.
Inconsiderate rv'ers.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Watch Out For Cows”
Reviewed 4/2/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 6 |
RV Length: | 39' (Class A) |
We always enjoy our stay here. On weekends there is a lot of ATV activity. The further back you go, the less crowded it is. As of April there are cows everywhere so you may wake up to them rubbing up against your rig, and watch where you step. Weekday mornings gravel trucks start running down the road about 3:30 am. If you are fur... more
We always enjoy our stay here. On weekends there is a lot of ATV activity. The further back you go, the less crowded it is. As of April there are cows everywhere so you may wake up to them rubbing up against your rig, and watch where you step. Weekday mornings gravel trucks start running down the road about 3:30 am. If you are further off the road it is not bad, though. Great for big rigs.
Cjonorcas would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Boondocking - Be Aware Of Cattle!”
Reviewed 3/28/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 14 |
We stayed here with our 13’ Scamp and 2 dogs for a few weeks. It is a busy staging area for OHVs but we stayed near the entrance/highway and the OHVs ran around way down the road so we didn’t really notice any noise. There’s noise from the highway but nothing disruptive. Great cell coverage (Verizon) 15 min to Florence (gas stat... more
We stayed here with our 13’ Scamp and 2 dogs for a few weeks. It is a busy staging area for OHVs but we stayed near the entrance/highway and the OHVs ran around way down the road so we didn’t really notice any noise. There’s noise from the highway but nothing disruptive.
Great cell coverage (Verizon)
15 min to Florence (gas station, fast food, grocery) 25 min to San Tan Valley (grocery, gas, fast food, oil change), 30-35 min to Apache Junction
Overall we enjoyed our stay! There’s a ton of room, big rig friendly, and we never felt crowded even on busy weekends
Our only issue was the cattle, they are curious and walk around everywhere (which is fair, we are on THEIR land after all) but they definitely get pretty close! Thankfully they are cute and easy to shoo away.
We are definitely adding this spot to our list to return to!
camper-773857 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Spot Close To Box Canyon”
Reviewed 2/19/2023
RV Length: | 32' (Toy Hauler Fifth Wheel) |
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Spent the weekend here last weekend. Went 4miles down East Cottonwood and found a spot with few neighbors. Other than the washboard road this was a great spot. We came to ride Box Canyon and this location was primo!
CamperCarlson would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Big Rig Friendly But Busy”
Reviewed 2/6/2023
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 7 |
RV Length: | 39' (Class A) |
This is a great place for big rigs, but the main road leads to a sand/gravel site and there will be dump trucks and cars heading out weekday mornings starting at 4:45 am. Weekends were very busy with lots of OHV riding the roads. The further back you drive the prettier it gets but there are jumping cholla everywhere, so be sure to br... more
This is a great place for big rigs, but the main road leads to a sand/gravel site and there will be dump trucks and cars heading out weekday mornings starting at 4:45 am. Weekends were very busy with lots of OHV riding the roads. The further back you drive the prettier it gets but there are jumping cholla everywhere, so be sure to bring a comb to de-cactus your dogs. Nice stay
Cjonorcas would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Big Rig Friendly Boondocking with Multiple Camping Areas”
Reviewed 5/15/2022
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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RV Length: | 36' (Fifth Wheel) |
We found Arizona State Trust Land Camping off East Cottonwood Canyon Road. In this video, we show you three separate Arizona State Trust Land camping areas located off East Cottonwood Canyon Road. An Arizona State Trust Land permit is required to camp here. Grid coordinates for Camping Area #1 are as follows: 33.182630, -111.33... more
We found Arizona State Trust Land Camping off East Cottonwood Canyon Road. In this video, we show you three separate Arizona State Trust Land camping areas located off East Cottonwood Canyon Road. An Arizona State Trust Land permit is required to camp here.
Grid coordinates for Camping Area #1 are as follows: 33.182630, -111.338185 Verizon cellular service clocked in at 8.95 Mbps download speed and 0.82 Mbps upload speed. AT&T cellular service clocked in at 39.0 Mbps download speed and 1.70 Mbps upload speed. T-Mobile cellular service clocked in at 69.5 Mbps download speed and 3.69 Mbps upload speed.
Grid coordinates for Camping Area #2 are as follows: 33.192077, -111.301414
Grid coordinates for Camping Area #3 are as follows: 33.191853, -111.275186 Verizon cellular service clocked in at 0.49 Mbps download speed and 0.45 Mbps upload speed. AT&T cellular service clocked in at 2.94 Mbps download speed and 3.79 Mbps upload speed. T-Mobile cellular service clocked in at 3.71 Mbps download speed and 1.01 Mbps upload speed.
LivingOurDreamNow would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“This is an unofficial, but very active OHV staging area”
Reviewed 11/10/2020
While it us normally fairly quiet during the week, on weekends it is actively used as an OHV staging area. At times it may seem like everyone in the Phoenix area who owns an ATV or side-by-side is here, running the road into cottonwood canyon. If you camp here on the weekend expect it to be very noisy and very dusty. Because it is s... more
While it us normally fairly quiet during the week, on weekends it is actively used as an OHV staging area. At times it may seem like everyone in the Phoenix area who owns an ATV or side-by-side is here, running the road into cottonwood canyon. If you camp here on the weekend expect it to be very noisy and very dusty.
Because it is so busy on the weekends, you can also expect law enforcement to show up checking for current AZ Land Trust recreational permits, and issuing fines to those who don't have one.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Your Choice. Follow the official Map or Get Fined.”
Reviewed 10/31/2020
https://land.az.gov/sites/default/files/media/Pinal.pdf The location reviewed here is definitely Arizona State Land Trust land.BLM land begins about 5 miles down the road. If you camp within the first 5 miles of this road you need a permit or you risk being fined. I'm not sure why the person below is being so argumentative. (But fe... more
https://land.az.gov/sites/default/files/media/Pinal.pdf
The location reviewed here is definitely Arizona State Land Trust land.BLM land begins about 5 miles down the road. If you camp within the first 5 miles of this road you need a permit or you risk being fined. I'm not sure why the person below is being so argumentative. (But feel free to check his previous reviews and you'll get a good idea.)
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Just to correct the previous review by Steve”
Reviewed 10/31/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 14 |
No you are completely wrong. There is state trust land just by the turn off into E. Cottonwood Road. When you travel further along and turn onto Gasline Road it is BLM. No permit required. The State Permit land at the entrance is very sandy and I wouldn't want to camp there it is just a place looking to trap campers. So as I said ... more
No you are completely wrong. There is state trust land just by the turn off into E. Cottonwood Road. When you travel further along and turn onto Gasline Road it is BLM. No permit required.
The State Permit land at the entrance is very sandy and I wouldn't want to camp there it is just a place looking to trap campers.
So as I said no permit required if you travel further along. 2 different places. Only 1 Campendium entry.
izifaddag would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“This is Indeed Arizona State Land Trust Land”
Reviewed 10/31/2020
Just to correct the previous review, this is indeed Arizona State Land Trust property and does require a permit. There are no signs telling you where the line is, and the land looks just like any other land (BLM.) You must go to the Arizona State Land Trust website to verify. Just because the previous reviewer did not get caught doe... more
Just to correct the previous review, this is indeed Arizona State Land Trust property and does require a permit. There are no signs telling you where the line is, and the land looks just like any other land (BLM.) You must go to the Arizona State Land Trust website to verify.
Just because the previous reviewer did not get caught does not guarantee that you will not get caught and fined, especially on the weekend when enforcement is more prominent.
However, I do concur that this is a heavily used OHV area, and campers will be the exception, and will probably feel out of place.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“DON'T GET COMFORTABLE.”
Reviewed 10/31/2020
Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Days stayed: | 5 |
This location needs to be seriously updated. Firstly it is not trust land that requires any kind of 'permit'. It is BLM land plain and simple. You can camp for the usual 14 days. Next the little map that I have posted is where the camp site is that I stayed (in fact I am writing this from this spot). It is in the crook of the E. Cot... more
This location needs to be seriously updated. Firstly it is not trust land that requires any kind of 'permit'. It is BLM land plain and simple. You can camp for the usual 14 days.
Next the little map that I have posted is where the camp site is that I stayed (in fact I am writing this from this spot).
It is in the crook of the E. Cottonwood Road / Gasline Rd junction.
The ground is flat and easy to camp on. However it is basically right on the road. Despite E. Cottonwood being a dirt road and just disappearing into the Superstition Mountains in the far distance there is a hell of a lot of traffic on it. Day and night.
A lot of that traffic is ATVs and loud motorcycles and the trucks pulling their trailers. The actual BLM spot is alive with ATVs and bikes. It is toyhauler city.
It is relatively garbage free and only 12 miles into Florence which has everything your heart desires.
Good right?
The problem is the noise. Today is Saturday and just as I thought the place is ALIVE with OHV stuff along with all the accompanying noise, stereos and of course gunfire.
I have been here since Monday. There have been OHVs buzzing around all week. At night they sometimes setup drag racing on the actual road complete with loud generators and massive lights.
The only reason I am still here is that there is nowhere else to go. There is OHV nonsense in every campsite in the surrounding area. It is quite safe here just very noisy. I hang out waiting for my SS check so I can go further north to escape this insanity. Judging from Campendium it doesn't look much better up 17.
izifaddag 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
- Dispersed Camping
Recreation
- OHV
Site Amenities
- big rig
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