West Ironwood Road

Nice place. Don’t bother with the Stronghold campground. They are packed in like sardines. This is just a mile or so from the Stronghold.

The area is flat. Pleanty of shady places or sunny places to suit your needs.

Being here in March, it is a bit windy. Cold in the mornings too. And in the afternoons, the disappears behind the mountain while there is several hours of light left.

There are many oak stands, perfect for hammocks.
Cell service. Mine is Verizon and I get between 2 bars LTE or 3G. It’s not consistent but it’s there. Barely. Not once have I seen forest service.

The price is right, it’s quiet and the views are gorgeous!

OK, so read positive reviews by two preceding reviewers and wanted to experience it for ourselves. Folks, it's imperative to state some facts here! There's about 3 1/4 miles of significant washboard road to cover just to get to the campsite area. We travelled 10 MPH to ensure we wouldn't have damages inside our RV. The tree branches which encroach onto the trails which lead to the sites are such that you can't possibly avoid scratching both tow vehicle and trailer. The only large area which we found as described by another reviewer as able to accommodate multiple large units was in fact a horse trailer parking area where horses would be embarked / disembarked. I'm sure the horse types wouldn't appreciate RVs camped here. While making our way on the washboard road, we encountered what appeared to be a local who recommended we not venture any further with our 30' 5th wheel trailer. Should have listened to him.

We had no problem getting to the dispersed campsites with our 35 foot bus by using the second entrance of road 4809 (W. Hunt Rd in Google Maps). We had great Verizon signal in the biggest spot in the middle (away from the cliffs), but our friends had practically no AT&T signal.

Walking distance from a small climbing area and lots of other beautiful spots through a 4 X 4 road. It is just over 2 miles from the campground and trailhead for Cochise Traverse Trail.

The nearest store is The Produce Wagon (15 min away), a bit pricey but lots of organic bulk and local produce, raw milk, etc. For a bigger grocery store, you need to drive 40 min to Wilcox or Benson.

There was very little online about the dispersed camping options in Cochise Stronghold, but we took a chance and checked it out. So glad we did, because it was one of the best boondocks we've ever found. The dirt road in is about 3 miles of mild washboard, and one wash that is fine to cross as long as it's dry. The camping options are plentiful for high clearance vehicles, but RVs should check out the large area near 31.939534,-109.960800. There are multiple spots nearby for a single rig, and the large area could accommodate 6 or 7 large RVs easily. The road gets really dicey past this point, and RVs should scout it out before driving in.

There are trashcans near the information board at the entrance, and also at the campground at the south end of Ironwood Road. Vault toilets are at the campground, too, but there's no water available in the canyon. Trailheads for several hikes and a nature and history trail start from the campground. The interior roads are also great for walking, and give great views of the valley below and the cliffs that surround the camping area.

The sites were super clean, and the place was completely quiet, even on the weekend. On clear nights, we could see a million stars.

Be aware that the campground might not be a good option for RVs. The sites are short and tight, with heavy tree cover and low hanging branches. Also, past the turn off for the dispersed RV camping, there are 3 washes that get progressively steeper and rockier--only suitable for confident drivers. We did see longer Class Cs and Fifth Wheels in the campground, but I would not want to take my rig through the washes.