Proctor Road Dispersed Camping

I think I have it figured out. The camping on Proctor Rd is free but you need to register. There’s a $8.00 day fee but if you have one of several passes, it’s free. They do have numbers at the sites but I think it’s more to control where people camp to add some organization.

Now on to the review of getting in here. Don’t do what I did. I was looking at so many different sites in the Tucson area that I forgot about the no large rigs warning. I managed to get a one ton dually, crew cab pickup with a 37’ fifth wheel and the rear 3’ extended platform into site #5 with just a little damage to the overhang on the fifth wheel. DON’T DO WHAT I DID. I have 14 years of experience driving semi’s in the US and Canada.

It’s a beautiful area and quiet except for the party across the road in site #6. They did tone it down after an hour or two and just enjoyed their campfire and talking.

A friend that lives in the area warned me that there are black bears, mountain lions and coyotes in the area so watch out for you and your pets. I found some bits of broken glass but overall the sites look clean.

I marked that I wouldn’t camp here again but that’s because it’s definitely not large rig friendly.

This is not a free campground! There are clearly posted signs everywhere that read $8 per day or $10 per week. Disappointingly, it seems many people ignored the fee. There is a self pay station in Proctor parking lot right before turning onto Proctor road. Drive in to find your campsite (if any available!) and return to the pay station to complete registration. There is space on the envelope to write your campsite number and license plate number. Do not camp in areas that aren't clearly marked with a campsite number. There were 12 clearly marked sites. They are spaced out really well.
Weekend warriors abound here. If you are seeking quiet solitude, come during weekdays. On Saturday there were non-stop vehicles driving through the campground looky-looing. Also, a group of people decided to use Proctor road as an OHV area on Saturday, driving their dirt bikes and ATV up and down the campground road ALL. DAY. LONG. Back and forth, morning to night. It was beyond stupid and lacking consideration for everyone else to say the least. Another large group used one of the campsites for day use. They were dressed in camo and carrying guns. Not sure what that was about as signs posted everywhere said No Hunting. Quite a bit of trash floating around. We picked up everything in our vicinity and frowned at another group which left their pop up trash bin spill over all around their campsite over 24+ hours.
Madera Canyon wilderness is a beautiful and magical place! Sadly, the two year AZ drought has hit this area hard. Unfortunately the creek and waterfall are no longer flowing through the campground. There is still plenty of wildlife to enjoy. We spotted javalina in the campground and deer and wild turkeys in the the hiking and recreation area. Cows and their accompanying pies are everywhere.

The entrance is intimidating, but the road evens out after that. Camped in a 30ft Class C about half a mile from main road. We found a spot to turn around and then backed into another site closer to the main road that worked for our size rig.
The low trees in the area offer a feeling of isolation and privacy, even with other campers 100 yards away. We found some broken glass and other trash around the site, but wasn’t terrible.

This is normally the kind of camp I wouldn’t review for fear of drawing too much attention, but from my experience, the secret’s out.

There are 12 sites, some big some small. Barely a drive to various hiking trails in Madera, or plenty of paths to explore from camp. A short walk behind the right camps leads you to a large stream (the same one you’ll drive through to enter) which was great for the dogs on hot days.

I drive a van pulling a trailer. No 4wd. I was fine. Don’t let the entry scare ya. Verizon 2 bars 4g. Sometimes a little fickle at my site but I was nestled against the hills. Overall the area had good coverage.

Free range cattle and deer everywhere. Spotted a pack of javelina once way off the beaten path. No other wildlife to speak of. One of my favorite things was an unusual lack of bugs. Door wide open, no problem.

You’ll drive a half hour for any conveniences, but that’s typical. It’s a popular place. Other than a few weekdays, most sites were occupied. My biggest beef is that during my 14 day stay, four different groups of campers took the liberty to share my site and only one had the decency to ask if it was cool. As a full-timer, I spend entire days sometimes hunting for a good secluded spot. It’s pretty offensive when someone squats and strips that away out of laziness.

Anyway, you don’t care about that. Loved this place. If you’re browsing sites, give it a shot.

We picked this location because of the prior reviews. And it didn't disappoint. We have a 29 foot skoolie and it didn't have any issues. The road is bit rough and we saw a bunch of sprinter vans but no RVs. I probably wouldn't take a much larger vehicle in. We stayed at site 2 which is very large! We weren't sure how good the road would be if we went any further but it isn't bad and there were other sites available. Excellent hiking! Lots of white tail deer. We are mountain bikers and the only trail that allows bikes is a bit rough. That would be our only negative was lack of biking. But that's just us! Also for wifi we have Mofi with AT&T and we had full bars. We were able to stream netflix, etc with no issues and I was able to work remotely. Our phones are Verizon and they had two bars.

Not much more to say that hasn't already been said. I just wanted to post my pics. :)

If you don't already know about the falls, you must find them. Basically, just head down to the creek from the area by site #1 and let your ears guide you. Very beautiful falls and the water is so pure. The day I was there, there was a young lady in an angel costume getting pictures taken by a pro.

Also, I would strongly suggest walking/hiking the trail upstream from Proctor Rd. You can pick it up on the opposite side of the creek from the campground. No exaggeration: this hike compares with the famous West End Oak Creek in Sedona. I saw turkeys and deer on my Sunday morning stroll.