Caneman8434
Wherever The Road Takes Us
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Unexpected illness (when is it not?) drained budget. Will be heading up from (drop-dead gorgeous) Sedona area tomorrow. Will be trying Meteor Crater RV Park ($15 for Camp Club USA members) outside of Flagstaff for 2 days, then will be off to the Canyon area. In order to make it to the next check and eat, too,(we're retirees, what can I say?), we'll need to boondock or cheap camp for several days until the 21st.
Any suggestions on cheap to no cost camping up near the Canyon? Will appreciate any suggestions that you may have (eating our dog is not an option).
George & Maureen
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Golden_HVAC
Fulltime, CA, USA
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Joined: 08/19/2003
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Hi,
Why limit your stay to just 2 weeks?
You can stay in the National Forest for free. Just be more than 1/4 mile from the paved roads, and if you get to a gate, leave it closed if it was closed before you enter. This keeps the cows off the highways.
Check with the rangers for tips on where to park, and get a free fire permit, so you can use a lantern outside and a Gas BBQ. They will give advice on collecting firewood, I just don't build fires out in the dry desert.
Have a great time camping! You might want to stay until September, when it starts getting cold up there. By that time, you might want to go to Slab City, and enjoy the winter there, lots of free camping. Along the way, Quartzsite has several free campgrounds.
If you ever end up near Victorville, there are a few free off road vehcile recreation areas that allow 14 days free camping - or until your campsite looks like you are living there. If it looks like you just arrived yesterday, they tend to not bother you, but lots of trash or a storage building tend to get you kicked out.
Check out this place too. FreeCampgrounds.com It lists many great places to camp. You might like Painted Canyon, near Mecca CA. It is the same exit off intersate 10 as Joshua Tree NP to the north, but go south to Painted Canyon about 15 miles, and you can get lost back there for weeks of free camping!
I hardly ever pay for a campground if there is a free dry camp someplace nearby. I have a 400 watt solar system to keep my batteries full, and 100 gallon fresh water tank is good for about 2 weeks, but I normally can extend another month if I use a pair of 7.5 gallon fresh water tanks that I fill while out sightseeing.
Good Luck,
Fred.
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DesertHawk
Las Cruces, New Mexico
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We have found the park on south side by Flagstaff is close enough to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument with camping nearby where we have stayed to see the area. There is no camping in the monument.
However, Bonito Campground , operated by the US Forest Service, is located across from the visitor center at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument which is on the loop road which goes by the Wupatki National Monument. This campground is generally open from late May through mid-October. There are no hook-ups.
There are nice campgrounds on the north side at the park and if full in the Nat'l Forest just before getting into the park. We stayed outside the park when there in summer and park cg was full.
Sunset Crater *** Wupatki
By taking the Hwy by Sunset Crater to Wupatki, we then drove along the Grand Canyon entering via the east off US 89 also. We did the drive in one day trip. Looping down from the Main entrance back to Flag. There are several routes back to Flag as well, via the interstate or other more backcountry routes. And many dispersed camping sites off these routes as well. Dispersed Camping Coconino Nat'l Forest
We just stayed at Bonita Campground two weeks plus a few days ago. With the Senior Card (Like the old Golden Age card) the price is half. But I can not remember what the cost was at this time.
The campground was very nice, neatest of any we stayed in many ways. Flush toilets but no way to fill RV tanks with fresh water and no dump site as I remember.
DesertHawk - Las Cruces, NM USA
2005 16' Scamp Molded Fiberglass Travel Trailer
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Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart. -Confucius
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More To See
San Diego Area
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Meteor Crater campground is a favorite of ours. Nothing fancy. Just basic hookups, but they do have a little deli counter which I think leans towards Mexican take out?? You will be camped right along Old 66 if that interests you. Happy camping. We'd love to be out there with you.
95 Winnebago Vectra 34 (P30/454)
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ReneeG
Meridian, Idaho
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Meteor Crater RV Park is a good choice. We stayed there last year for a night passing through. just long enough to tour the crater and continue on to Albuquerque. The RV park is clean and neat. Here's a pic:
Couldn't comment about boondocking around the GC but there should be a visitor center and they'll usually have a FS ranger there along with maps. We did this for the North Rim area.
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Dave & Renee plus (Champ & Molly in spirit), Missy, Maggie, and now Paris!
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DPH1952
OTR
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Check your in-box..
Caneman8434 wrote:Unexpected illness (when is it not?) drained budget. Will be heading up from (drop-dead gorgeous) Sedona area tomorrow. Will be trying Meteor Crater RV Park ($15 for Camp Club USA members) outside of Flagstaff for 2 days, then will be off to the Canyon area. In order to make it to the next check and eat, too,(we're retirees, what can I say?), we'll need to boondock or cheap camp for several days until the 21st.
Any suggestions on cheap to no cost camping up near the Canyon? Will appreciate any suggestions that you may have (eating our dog is not an option).
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JFG
TN
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Do you have a seniors pass for all federal govt cg's... only cost $10.00 for lifetime... gets you a 50% discount at all federal facilites.
Fred
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profdant139
Southern California
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North Rim is great for boondocking -- kind of far to drive from Sedona, though. Might spend more on gas than the campgrounds would cost!
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Caneman8434
Wherever The Road Takes Us
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Joined: 08/06/2008
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Thanks for your input everyone. We're at the Trailer Village just outside the main gate. $35 for just electricity. What a ripoff. Tomorrow we head to Mathers inside the park for 2 days at $6 per (seniors and disabled). That's more like it. Only 2 days available, though. Need to continue search for dry camping spot (Oh, did I mention that we're really not well prepared to dry camp: only 1 marine deep-cycle battery & no generator - I never said that I didn't enjoy a challenge, though.
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2gypsies
You're Not Goin' Find Us!
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Joined: 04/02/2003
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Check out "Ten X" national forest campground just south of Tusayan and very near Grand Canyon entrance. There used to be a sign on Hwy 89 and it's only a mile or two off 89. Very large, nice sites. Good luck!!
Full-Timers for 16 years
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