Camping Near Sycamore Creek | Beeline Highway
After spending some time in Phoenix it was time for a change of pace. We followed Beeline Highway through the beautiful and rugged desert terrain. Along the way we stopped on a number of the forest service roads. But we weren’t finding many options for dispersed camping and many of the roads were too rough for a trailer. Until finally! We found options for dispersed camping near Sycamore Creek. We were so glad to finally find a nice spot that we could get our travel trailer to!
And once again, we couldn’t have predicted the number of amazing opportunities for adventure surrounding us. Boondocking with an open mind leads to some of the best and most unexpected adventures! Read on to see why this particular campspot made such a memorable boondocking experience!
Quick Info: Camping Near Sycamore Creek
Cost: Free
Ownership: Forest Service, 14 day limit
Directions: From Phoenix, take the AZ-87 N/N Beeline Highway for about 35 miles. Turn left across the highway and follow the road down before turning right onto the wash.
Solar: Good but due to being in a canyon, daylight is a bit more limited
Water: No drinking water available but a creek nearby if you’re set up to filter and purify.
Miles From Town: About 45 miles.
Road Conditions: There is a paved ramp-like road down to the creek, then we followed the sandy wash for about a quarter mile. Scout ahead to make sure you’re confident in you and your rigs abilities.
*Note: If this spot is too small, too sandy, or taken already – there are numerous scattered pull outs and dispersed spots just across the highway on the other side of Sycamore Creek.
Our Experience Camping Near Sycamore Creek
After looking and looking, we pulled the trailer down near Sycamore Creek and then through the wash for about a quarter mile in questionably deep sand. With some strategy and enough speed, we managed to back our trailer into the perfect little branch off of the main wash. And we were home!
We were completely unknowing of this area, what was here and what to expect since we’ve never been here before. What we learned was that here on the west side of Beeline Highway is a major OHV area. There was not one day that we didn’t see someone here with their toys. And on some days there were literally 20+ vehicles at a time. But – the majority of the time people took off in the opposite direction of where we were in the wash. There are trails that cross Sycamore Creek and lead back into the canyon. There are only a few options for trails in the direction past us so we dealt with only minimal traffic passing in our direction. Even so, everyone was respectful and nobody bothered us. Just a heads up.
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On the east side of Beeline Highway, the road crosses Sycamore Creek on a paved easement-like structure. Any vehicle should be able to cross the creek unless it has recently rained. During our stay it rained quiet a bit at once and the water level soared! Once you cross over the creek, there are numerous turn outs, pull offs and parking spots scattered around. It seems that this section of Sycamore Creek is a popular spot for people from the surrounding area to get out and enjoy some water. We noticed people camping on the east side but it seemed the majority of the people were day use. There were a good amount of people following the creek north by foot. We checked it out one day and noticed some good picnic spots and some rock hopping but we must not have made it to the end destination.
That was just a little bit of information that we picked up on pretty quickly in the area. All in all, our spot was peaceful for the majority of our stay. The weather in February was PERFECT and it’s always a treat to camp near water! Another perk was that we actually had service so we were able to get some work done on the blog. But the best part about camping near Sycamore Creek were all of the random adventures that we were able to find!
Random Adventures While Camping Near Sycamore Creek
While we were camping near Sycamore Creek, we set off in every direction we could to get to know the area!
Under the Bridge
From our spot, we walked towards Sycamore Creek and turned left passing under the bridges. We followed a path along the creek and did some rock hopping.
Now on the east side of Beeline Highway, you’ll notice the numerous parking areas and turn offs dispersed in the area. You can follow a faint trail along Sycamore Creek, rock hop, sun bathe or cool down in the creek. It seemed as though a good number of people were taking the trail somewhere but I guess we didn’t go far enough to find out!
Follow the Dirt Road Up
The nearest dirt road to our camp spot led us up out of the wash and took us on a beautiful, scenic adventure! We followed this dirt road for about 6 miles because the scenery was great and why not?
The road passes lots of saguaros, a couple small mud ponds, and climbs steeply revealing some beautiful vast views!
The road wraps around the hills, showing us completely new scenery.
We made it to a pile of unique rocks, took in the vast views, absorbed the peace and solitude then headed back. There are a lot of dirt roads to explore back here!
Follow Sycamore Creek Towards the Canyon
On another occasion, we followed a road/trail along Sycamore Creek in the opposite direction from the bridges. This is the direction that we noticed the majority of the OHV’s going. We talked to some guys who were familiar with the area and they said that it was gorgeous back in that canyon. When we ventured in that direction, we had to cross the water numerous times.
But the scenery was cool as the canyon walls got narrower and steeper. We didn’t cover too much distance in this direction but just taking our shoes off to cross the creek was refreshing!
Thanks for Keeping Up with The Lost Longboarder!
We really enjoyed our time camping near Sycamore Creek! The desert setting was beautiful, weather was perfect, we were able to explore in any direction and having water nearby while camping is always a perk!
If you’d like to read about more of our free boondocking experiences, check out these articles:
While were boondocking and exploring these less visited areas, we’re also working hard creating our hand painted Lost Coast Longboarding Longboards! To see our latest lineup, head over to our Lost Coast Longboarding Shop!
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