Truck Camper style Camping outside ScottsDale

Kayteg1 wrote:
so much for global warming.

Ooh..politics.

Scottsdale runs from the urban centers near Phoenix/Mesa all the way to the Desert Foothills up near Carefree.
Just outside the north end of Scottsdale is Bartlett Lake. It's a bit remote, especially if you need quick access to things like CVS or Walmart. But it has what you want in the terms of boondocking.

A little further is Lake Pleasant. Still further is Wickenburg and the nearby North Ranch (an Escapees club member) and would be precisely what you're looking for. . .but it's a good 90 minutes drive to Scottsdale.

Also, there is State Trust lands all over those areas. You need a $20. annual pass (that's for a family, solo passes are a bit cheaper). But the Trust Lands are a bit harder to find because there's no maps showing where they are (to my knowledge).

Interesting great suggestions. I love getting far enough away to not be connected to much of anything. Especially nice getting away from the phone for awhile. I think we all need that occasionally.

Fuller_Johnson wrote:


I stayed at Burro Creek on 93 for one night last winter. OK place but the only thing that works there is T Mobile.

None of our phone services work there and not for 100 miles each direction, but I consider that a good thing :p
We just got some snow on NV mountains and have prediction for snow in LV valley this weekend.
Snow in LV valley statistically happens every 20 years. Last time we had it was 8 months ago.
So much for global warming.

I prefer Tonto NF campgrounds. $10 to 12.50 a night with a Geezer pass. The 12.50 ones have showers. You can also find some free spots around Roosevelt Lake. There is also a NF campground at Tortilla Flat on highway 88 West of Apache Junction. But these are a considerable distance from Scottsdale 30 miles plus. Probably my favorite in Cholla NF campground on Roosevelt lake. The only thing you hear there at night in Coyotes.

If you're really brave you can do the Apache Trail with a truck camper :) Google Fish Creek Hill on Youtube. There's Burnt Corral campground on Apache Lake on the Apache trail with Spectacular scenery. But it's Gravel road (One lane in some places with Turnouts) to get there.

I stayed at Burro Creek on 93 for one night last winter. OK place but the only thing that works there is T Mobile.

Kayteg1 wrote:
Coming back from Alaska this summer, we went
-Mt Hood Forest
-20 to 95 and we run into Hot Springs on this stretch
-80 to 306 in NV down to Las Vegas.
This is as much "back-roads" as I could find.
Beautiful scenery, lot of ghost towns, but also long distances on windy roads. You will also see huge Gold Mine on the route.
You can consider Death Valley loop for $30 entrance fee.
Than in AZ, about 180 miles past Vegas you will find Burro Campground.
Nice place, "in the middle of nowhere" especially when the 120F heat waves are gone for the season.
Being that 130 miles from your destination, you could consider it as base?

Thanks Kayteg1 that's sounds nice and nice out of the way roads as well.

Thinking about going thru Nevada's only national park too. It's way eastern Nevada surrounded by mountains.

Coming back from Alaska this summer, we went
-Mt Hood Forest
-20 to 95 and we run into Hot Springs on this stretch
-80 to 306 in NV down to Las Vegas.
This is as much "back-roads" as I could find.
Beautiful scenery, lot of ghost towns, but also long distances on windy roads. You will also see huge Gold Mine on the route.
You can consider Death Valley loop for $30 entrance fee.
Than in AZ, about 180 miles past Vegas you will find Burro Campground.
Nice place, "in the middle of nowhere" especially when the 120F heat waves are gone for the season.
Being that 130 miles from your destination, you could consider it as base?

Thumbs up to all of you. I'm looking up all the places mentioned so far.

Next is to find out of the way, beautiful backroads from Oregon heading into Scottsdale.

No specifics around town, as we only tent camped up by lakes or in the mountians when we lived there, but just east of Mesa is beautiful country.
And it's kinda on the same side of the world as Scottsdale.

My advise would be the casino just east on the 87.