Tortilla Flat Dispersed Camping

I tried the sites on the right first, very sandy, crowded, really not good camps. About 100-300 yrs farther up AZ88, are larger, more spread out sites. These sights have great views, some ( like mine) need 4x4 to access with confidence.

I actually spotted mine from the road, as it was in a small canyon that the road follows. At first it bothered me that my camp sight could be seen from above, but actually there is not much traffic there, as the road is closed about another mile or so, so traffic only comes from one direction, and its well marked that the road is closed.

Turning off the pavement, there are many options, I chose the obviously high clearance and 4 wheel drive option. If I had gone straight, there are many large flat pull through sites, but they are kind if in a mesa, so the wind can be high. I chose to be in the canyon, the sites about 10-12 foot above the dry river bed.

Lots of dead wood around, most of the sites have established stone fire rings, and except for a group of hikers, total solitude.

we parked at the very first spot as you turn onto the road where that sign says "pack in pack out". It was very close to the road, but we couldn't really go any further done because the road was not designed for vehicles without 4x4. There were other spot across the street, but they were also a bit difficult to get to. Very beautiful scenery at least and no cell service for us.

We had a 32 ft trailer and nearly got stuck not being able to turn around. The sites are not level, so make sure you can level out. I would camp here again with a smaller rig, but never again with the 32 ft trailer. There were trails to walk on leading out of the camp site, but it rained the whole time we were there. We were warm and had fun inside the trailer. The next morning we moved to a different site up the road that had a lot more room for our rig, and it was a lot better there.

The roads are scary with a 32 ft trailer too. If you take anything larger than that, you are either my hero...or you're just plain nuts.

Amazing place to stay. Paved mountain roads all the way up, gorgeous views everywhere.
2 lakes nearby for boating, fishing, and swimming.
Salt river runs between the lakes, great fishing.
Tons of hiking paths in all directions, some mild, some adventurous.
Off road vehicle paths as well all over.
The sites are not maintained by anyone but the locals but they're still very nice.
Any site you pick will have epic mountain views.
I would only bring a 30' trailer up the mountains no bigger due to the hairpin turns.
Cell service can be reached with a 5 min drive up the mountain to the east but nothing available at the site with Verizon.

There is a small network of trails with camping spots on the southeast side of AZ-88 and a larger network on the northwest side of AZ-88 at this spot. Check the satellite view for a clear look at sizes and locations of potential spots.

Most of these spots are suitable for 2wd vehicles and potentially small trailers but there are a few rough spots that require careful maneuvering or high clearance depending on where you’re trying to get to and what you’re driving/towing.

AZ-88 is paved from the west to the campsite turnoff but turns to dirt a bit to the east. The dirt section is well graded. This is a twisty mountain road with narrow one-lane bridges (14’ clearance). You probably don’t want to be in here with a large rig.

This place was empty when the boondock spot near Lost Dutchman was heavily occupied so it might be a good option if you don’t like neighbors.

There’s also a dump station nearby at the Forest Service Tortilla Flat Campground.