Nolan Designated Dispersed Camping

Arrived weekend before Thanksgiving driving BMW X5 towing Airstream Basecamp 20X. Rocky road but took it slow so not a problem. Site had dozen campers or so but able to find decent site with a view. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Sunny so able to use solar to keep all batteries charged. Nice hikes in area and 20 minutes to Sedona. Other sites looked more like parking lot for vans and RVs but not Nolan. Would come back here when visiting Sedona again.

This is the place! After 3 hours of looking around Sedona area for a decent location we found a gem! Several pull offs at campsites as you drive the 5 miles to get to Nolan. It will take 15 bumpy minutes to get there but you will be glad you did. Amazing view. Clean. Spacious. Several campers were present but you had the room to feel like you were still alone. And even a clean porta john that was emptied while we were there! We made time to come back for a 2nd night just because it was a perfect space. And even had a good connection for my wife to do her online job.

We used to boondock back in this area all the time. This was our first time back in about 3 years. New camping setup is ok but crowded and offers no privacy. On a Sunday afternoon there a few spots throughout all the designated areas along 525. We found a decent spot for our 25’ RV at the last area. Lots of people but still quiet for 1 night. Fire ban in place.

Out of the five designated camping areas among 525, Nolan offers the most private camp spots among plentiful juniper trees. It can get busy at times with all types of campers and vehicles but some respect and good will can go a long way for all to enjoy it here with minimal f-ing rules. Campfires have been outlawed entirely. Views are spectacular in every direction with many fabulous trails only a few miles away. The 4500-ft elevation offers complete four season weather conditions throughout the year. Will return soon.

As a Canadian traveler, I can’t really squeak too loudly as it’s not ‘my’ land and not my taxes. I merely offer my humble opinion as an outsider looking in. I have traveled and camped through a great deal of US ‘managed’ federal land - BLM, Forestry, etc. My experiences have generally ranged from excellent to spectacular and for the most part, those managing this precious resource should be commended. However, Sedona has completely lost the plot. I cannot imagine how anyone could have created worse ‘strategy’. I understand that sometimes for reasons of conservation, one needs to restrict use. But there is a right way and a wrong way to do so - and Sedona is actively teaching a master class on how to do it wrong. This (Nolan) is in the top 2 or 3 of the ‘legal’ sites - and it’s still tragic. This is now all “Designated Dispersed Camping” - which is neither designated (there are no marked sites - just the poorly marked area perimeter), nor dispersed (on a long weekend, a football stadium tailgate party would be more ‘disbursed’). There are no rules - or more accurately no means of enforcing what few there are. So if you want to run your generator 6’ away from my silent van - there’s nothing to stop you. Want to set up a party tent with a dozen 18” Chinese lanterns and blare EDM all night? Have at it. As the organizer of aforementioned EDM party explicitly told me “go ahead, call a ranger. They’ll be here in 2hrs. We’ll tell them whatever - and tomorrow there is a small chance of them showing up with a Sherif who can actually do something. By that time, we’ll be long gone”. If you must restrict camping, create MANY campgrounds with DESIGNATED private sites and charge a small fee to fund a camp attendant. What you have now is the worst of crowded “RV” campgrounds (people jammed in like sardines) combined with zero enforceable rules.

We drove in on 525 from 89A for about 5.7 miles, as we knew we were staying for 2 weeks. We took it slow and our Fifth wheel did not suffer. You did not need high clearance to be on 525. If you took any of the OHV roads, you definitely did. We actually set up our RV in one site and then drove farther down the road and located a much better site with amazing views of the red rock mountains. I sat in a chair at the site while my husband went back and got the RV. The first 5 days we were there were crazy Spring Break ATV days. SO crowded, noisy and SO dusty. Then it all settled down and our remaining time was quite and we didn't even receive any new neighbors. We went daily down to the Palatki Heritage site and grabbed 5 gallons of potable water. The sight is open 9:30am-3pm and you need a Red Rock pass or national park pass to park your vehicle . All of these are available at a Kiosk near the parking lot. You also need to register for the tour of 2 ruins sites. Very informative and fun hikes.

We spent a night here in April of this year. The area is completely over run with people camping up to the 14 day limit allowed. In many cases, it appeared campers with tents were living there. Yes, you are close to Sedona and you have great views, especially of Bear Mountain. Just be aware that this is not remote in any way and you will have company and noise late into the night, wanted or not. Vacant spots are hard to find. Beautiful surroundings for sure but good luck having an outdoor experience.

We stopped for a few nights and really enjoyed our stay! It was a Wednesday when we headed out and even then it seemed spots were getting limited. Google Maps will tell you to take Forest Road 525 off the highway. My recommendation to avoid as much washboard driving as possible (if needed) and take Boynton Pass road out of Sedona to Forest Road 152C to 525. Can take a left or right at 525 (Left to the get to the actual location used in Campendium). There's camping everywhere so just be patient and find a spot that calls your name :)

Pros - Off the grid, quiet at night, star gazing, beautiful vista views (trumps any con below!), free near Sedona (~30 minute drive), close to mountain biking/hiking (we hit Aerie Trailhead in ~10 minutes)
Cons - Busy with ATVs, fairly crowded with campers despite the space, dusty/windy, washboard road in, cell service was good not great for working