Gunsight Wash

We stayed here (three RV's) in February for nearly two weeks...and loved the quiet of the desert here.

Lots of camping options, for big and small rigs. Be aware of mice! We did not have any issues, but our family, in another RV, had a family of little mice move in pretty quickly!

We enjoyed the quaint town of Ajo quite a bit and I fell in love with Organ Pipe cactuses! We spent our time walking the desert paths and washes, studying desert life...and also found and added to a sweet little labyrinth.

LOTS of spots to park. Interesting hikes or mountain bike rides in the wash. Saw a lot of hoods up on vehicles which means pack rats are known to be an issue, but I didn’t have any problems with them for the 5 days I was there. The best free option for exploring in and around Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. I was there in mid-February.

We stayed 2 nights in March 2020 while Organ Pipe Natl. Monument was closed due to covid 9. Most of the camping rigs were clustered close to the entrance (west side of hwy 85, milepost 55), so we took the first left fork at the info board and drove south for about 1/2 mile beyond the last marked site. There’s plenty of pullouts to choose from. It was far enough from the highway to muffle the noise from semis hauling Trump’s wall components south throughout the night. Didn't see a soul either day. The only disturbance was a fighter jet flying on the deck that strafed less than 100’ directly over the camper on the second morning. Great horned and Screech owls were close by both nights. Scenery appears sparse, but sunrises and sets are awesome over the mountains ringing the area. The road is probably not in good enough shape for a large rig- our fwd pickup with a slide in pop up had no problems other than normal brushes with palo verde and mesquite trees in a couple of narrow spots. Cell service (verizon) was 4 bars. Would camp here again in a heartbeat.

I was very surprised how far back this area went. If you want more options and privacy follow the drive on the far left. The section on the right becomes unpassable after a couple hundred yards and the RVs tend to clump up. The sun is very strong, so try to find a site where you open to the East or North. We felt safe the entire time. We had good cell service (voice/text), but data was slow and spotty.

Unlike some of the other reviews we found this site quiet and peaceful. There were only 10 or 12 other campers in here at this time. I felt very safe. Loved being close to Organ Pipe National Monument and found the town of Ajo charming. We had a 39 ft class A and had many choices of easy access sites away from 85. Will definitely stay here again.

Road noise and lack of natural beauty generally detracts from the appeal. Small and medium size rigs have many more campsite options. There are about six good spots, fairly level, for a big rig with easy access in and out. All of these sites are either to the left or to the right immediately after passing over the cattle guard into the BLM area. Verizon cellular service clocked in at 6.68 Mbps download speed and 5.71 Mbps upload speed. AT&T cell service was 3G and unusable for a speed test. There is a border patrol checkpoint approximately 2.4 miles south of the BLM site entrance on Arizona Route 85. The Gunsite Wash BLM does provide easy access to the Organ Pipe National Monument, but the lack of recreation/hiking trails on-site, road noise, and the nothing spectacular setting detract.

Maybe our standards of peaceful, quiet and empty are different from other reviewers or maybe we were just there at an unusually busy time (mid-February) but I found the place to be zoo-like and overcrowded!

It felt more like an RV park with lots of people crammed in, especially up front. There were some better spots further back, but the road washes out in places.

All that said, it’s a totally fine spot - we enjoyed ourselves and found everyone to be very pleasant and respectful, it just isn’t our ideal boondocking environment.

Location can’t be beat if you’re heading to the monument. You do have to go through border patrol each way, but no biggie. And, as another reviewer said, the campground at Organ Pipe is pretty crammed, it does have water and showers, but we preferred staying here, just don’t expect to have the place to yourself!

Great site only a couple miles from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

So much nicer, less congested and quiet than the campground in the park. Please don’t misinterpret me, the campgrounds in the park are fabulous. They are some of the best in any NP. We just prefer the quiet Boondocking.

Great sun exposure for those chasing the warmth or solar power capability.

We have 4 bars of cellular (Verizon).

We will definitely be returning to this area and this campsite.