Forest Road 687

My fiancé and I (and our pup) had an amazing stay at this campsite. It was quiet, peaceful and clean. We were able to find a perfect spot to set up camp. I wish we would have stayed longer. We will definitely be coming back!

If you don’t have a 4wd vehicle you will be fine. Just make sure you are watching out for the weather because if it rains, there’s no way you could make it back there. We have a Chevrolet Sonic 2012, and made it back to the campsite with no problem. If we would have went earlier in the week, we probably would have gotten stuck because it had rained a lot!

If you love to mountain bike, hike and even rock climbing, this is a perfect location for you.

Several sites with shade from Oak and large boulders. All sites were completely empty on a Wednesday, but started to fill up Friday afternoon. Even then, sites are far apart so you don’t hear your camp neighbors.
Wildlife is nearby. Lots of birds, some deer, and coyotes. The gulch trail is good for views.
Probably not the best road for RVs or large 5th wheels, but most vehicles can find a spot.

Really enjoyed our stay here. the only bad part was traveling up Middlemarch Rd extreme washboard for 10+ miles. Once you hit FR 687 it gets a little hairy if you have a larger rig. Narrow with tree branches and dips. We made it in OK with our 35' TH, but you better scout it before you pull in. There were only a couple of places that I saw where I thought we could easily fit, if those were occupied you would have a tough time getting turned around. We stayed in early March of 2017 so don't remember all the details of cell coverage, but do remember not having any problems with my Verizon cell & data. As far as dumping goes we used the SKP Saguaro Co-op up the road on 80 in Benson since we are Escapee members.

FR 687 is accessed from North Middlemarch Rd, off Hwy 80 just north of Tombstone. Middlemarch Rd is badly washboarded - I drove much of the way in at 10-15 mph with the trailer, not knowing what was coming up, and I had cabinet doors open and stuff fall out. When I left, having gotten used to the road with the truck and knowing there were no ruts or sharp corners, I cruised out with the trailer at 30-35 mph, and it was a fairly smooth ride. From Middlemarch, turn left onto FR 687 at the Coronado National Forest entrance sign. I camped in the last week of November at a large pull-through at lat/long 31.8607,-110.0156, right in front of the sheer face of the Dragoon Mountains. It was an excellent site, but not level, needing 4 lego blocks. I had no other neighbors in sight. I explored the area, and can advise: (1) if you want to camp on the loop further in, close to the mountain, enter by the first entrance. The far entrance is badly rutted. (2) Do not attempt to take an RV past that loop - you will quickly get into trouble with huge humps, sharp corners and tree branches. If you are a truck camper or tenter, there are some great sites further down past the loop. (3) Do not attempt to take an RV further down Middlemarch, past FR 687. There are mountain roads to explore. You can take Middlemarch over the mountain, and get a view across the desert to Chiricahau. You can take East Stronghold Canyon Rd to some beautiful mountain scenery, but there is some treacherous gravel that I needed my 4WD to get through. FR687 is a good central location for Tombstone, The Queen Copper Mine in Bisbee, Kartchner Caverns, the Titan Missile Museum and the Asarco Mineral Discovery Center. On the way into Tombstone, there is a dollar store and a Circle K gas station with a purified water dispenser - $1 for 5 gallons. The only dump station available in the area is at Stampede RV Park in Tombstone. I stopped there on the way out. They charged $20, and the sewer hookup was way too high off the ground.

This was the best camping location I've had so far. The surroundings were beautiful and felt truly isolated. There is a gas station about 14 miles from the location, with reasonably prices gas. The ride in is on about 14 miles of dirt roads that can be a little bumpy. The town of Tombstone is about 15 or 20 minutes away. Small town, with lots of history and lots to see. If you can't get cell coverage on the campgrounds there is free wi-if in coffee shops in tombstone.