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Campsites under tall ponderosa pinesPhoto: Coconino National Forest (Public domain) · Wikimedia Commons

Outdoors · Cornville

Campgrounds in Cornville

There is no campground near Cornville in the sense most people mean. All four listings here, Angel Valley, Javalina, Rockview and Surprise, are dispersed camping areas on Forest Service land. That is a different thing from a campground and the difference will spoil a trip if you find out on arrival.

Dispersed means exactly what it says. No hookups. No water. No toilets. No tables, no fire rings you can rely on, no host, no gate, and nothing to book. You drive in, you find a spot that has clearly been used before, and everything you bring comes back out with you, including waste.

What to take

Water for everyone, for every day, plus more. A way to deal with human waste. A shovel. More fuel than the drive needs, because the nearest pump is back in town. And a plan for having no phone signal, which is likely.

Check before you go, every time

This is the part people skip. The Forest Service closes these areas, and it closes them at short notice:

  • Fire restrictions. Stage 1 bans campfires outside developed sites, which is every one of these four. Stage 2 goes further. In a dry summer that is most of the summer.
  • Closure orders. A fire or a flood risk can shut a whole area, and the order is what makes it illegal rather than merely unwise.

Our trail closures and conditions guide explains the current orders in plain words, and the conditions page carries live items. The Forest Service alerts page is the one that actually decides.

The quieter alternative

If you want a tap, a toilet and a booking, Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood is twenty minutes away and has both a campground and cabins. It costs money and it fills at weekends, and on a monsoon weekend that is the trade most people would take.

Last verified

Sources

4 places on the map.

Open in Maps© OpenStreetMap contributors, Protomaps
Angel Valley Dispersed Camping Area, Cornville Coconino NF Photography (public-domain)

Angel Valley Dispersed Camping Area

Campgrounds

Angel Valley Dispersed Camping Area is a camping spot in the Cornville, Arizona area. Map records tag it as a camp site, list the operator as USFS, and mark access as open to the public. That is the whole record, and it is thin. There is no address, no phone number, and no set of directions listed here. We do not know the fees, the hours, the road surface, or whether any facilities exist. Dispersed camping usually means you bring everything with you, but we cannot confirm that for this spot. Check with USFS for fire rules, road conditions, and closures before you drive out, because those change through the year.

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Javalina Dispersed Camping Area

Campgrounds

Javalina Dispersed Camping Area is a patch of designated dispersed camping near Cornville, Arizona, run by the USFS and open to the public. Dispersed means what it says: no numbered pads, no water, no toilets, no trash service. You pitch on ground that is already bare and you carry out everything you carried in. The USFS page for the West Sedona designated dispersed camping area sets the rules that apply, including how many nights you may stay and whether a fire is allowed that week. Fire rules change through the year and can shut this ground at short notice, so read the current order the morning you leave.

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Rockview Dispersed Camping Area, Cornville Coconino NF Photography (public-domain)

Rockview Dispersed Camping Area

Campgrounds

Rockview Dispersed Camping Area is USFS ground near Cornville, Arizona, open to the public for dispersed camping. There are no marked sites, no water, no toilets and nobody to take your rubbish, so plan to be self contained and to leave the spot as you found it. Park on bare ground rather than making a new clearing. Stay limits and campfire rules are on the USFS page for the West Sedona designated dispersed camping area, and both change with the season. Fire restrictions can close ground like this quickly in a dry year, so check the current order before you drive out rather than after.

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Surprise Dispersed Camping Area

Campgrounds

Surprise Dispersed Camping Area is a dispersed camping area near Cornville, Arizona, run by the USFS. Dispersed camping means no numbered sites, no water, no toilets and no trash pickup. You park on ground that is already bare, and you carry out everything you carry in. The area is open to the public and takes no reservation. Rules on how long you may stay and where a fire is allowed are on the USFS page for the West Sedona designated dispersed camping area. Fire restrictions change through the year and can close ground like this with little notice, so read the current order before you drive out. Bring all your own water.

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