Forest Road 535 Dispersed Camping

Nice, clean and accessible, I can stay here again, good Verizon signal.

We came to escape the June heat in Phoenix. Took 89A through Sedona and headed north. There's construction on 89A and the entrance to FR 535 is within that zone. This can make it hard to find, so keep your eyes open. Due to the construction, FR 535 is closed nighty from 9pm until 6am.
It's an incline as you start on the road, and the first sites are not real level. They're fine for tents, but not for RV's. The terrain levels as you continue, and the sites become much more accessible. Many are large enough for groups and all are far apart from the next.
There are many wildfires in AZ right now, so wood and Charcoal fires are prohibited. Rangers drive through daily.
There's a lot of greenery and tall pines. Most sites have stone fire pits. Pack in - Pack out.
Speeders on the road are a problem. Please don't be one.

Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_010_ztsCc
I'm actually uploading this review after the first night of our stay on FR-535. The location, nearly smack dab halfway between Flagstaff and Sedona, is absolutely perfect. We're here midweek on the first week of October 2017 and while we have a few neighbors, we can't see or hear them. While this area is forested, once you crest the plateau after a few switchbacks and the terrain levels out less than 2 miles from AZ-89A, the trees thin sufficiently that we're having no issues with all-day solar or Dish Network satellites, yet we do indeed still feel like we're within the forest. Paving is still underway on AZ-89A and nightly road closures from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. are still in effect.

Sites are reasonably clean with just a couple of scraps of refuse here and there -- we'll leave this site better than we found it. The road itself is decently graded dirt. We're getting 2-3 bars of unboosted Verizon 4G, and we're picking up a decent quantity of OTA television stations to supplement our satellite, although it seems that half of them are in Spanish which only my wife speaks.

Now it's time to head out and explore!

My buddy and I drove out here from Phoenix. Great spot. Few people around. We were able to blare music and not bother anyone. A little difficulty getting in here with my Kia Soul, but we made it. Full bars LTE for AT&T.

There's a ton of spots when you first enter the road, but we have a spot 5 miles back and it's perfect. You get the ATVs, the target shooters, and sometimes drunk college kids, but the vast amount of acreage available if you're willing to explore basically guarantees you can find your own little slice of peace. We're actually about to head back out there this week for some more relaxation. If you're from Phoenix, it is the perfect place to escape the heat. Just please please please pack out your trash and make sure your fire is completely out before departing. Don't ruin this jewel for us. This is one of my favorite camping areas in the state.

We just got here, so I’ll update this review if anything changes. The grade coming in isn’t bad, but it’s super bumpy with plenty of exposed rocks and wasboarding. We navigated it just fine in our 2wd f250 and 32-foot 5th wheel, but I wouldn’t say the accessibility is great. Beautiful terrain, and plenty of solar potential. Great for an overnight spot, and if our water lasts, we may stay a few days. We stayed in a pull-thru spot right where the road forks after the last major switchback.

Stayed here when exploring the area around Sedona and enjoyed the privacy and quiet here despite the longer drive. We originally looked for camping on 525, south of Sedona but found it to be overrun and extremely crowded, even during the week, so we moved up here instead. Because of the higher altitude it is MUCH cooler here than in Sedona, which could be a good or bad thing depending on the season. Sites were well spread out and almost perfectly level. Road was in good condition, even for pulling a trailer. No problems. Good cell coverage but very slow. Verizon had 3mb down even off peak times.

Stayed here Tuesday through Friday (6/4/19-6/7/19). We set up shop close to the road’s beginning (35.0490147, -111.7352355) because the road was pretty rough. For all we know, it could’ve gotten better, but we didn’t venture farther.

Downsides: Considering we parked close to highway 89, it was quiet and spacious until the weekend arrived - we were the only ones in the area for the first three nights of our stay. Once Friday afternoon rolled around, the area quickly filled up and became noticeably noiser. There were also many, many ATVers conjesting the dirt road, so we had noise pollution from both sides of our camp (highway 89 & FR535). There was also a lot of trash in the area. Bummer.

Upsides: It’s mostly green and beautifully shaded with tall pines and again is spacious, which is what kept us around for four nights. There are plenty of trees, adding to privacy and perfect for hammock set up. We also spotted several hawks flying overhead.

Do yourself a favor and keep going up the dirt road. Those who come out to just party and trash the place are probably less likely to continue from where we stayed.

This is an excellent campground. Just up the up hill from the switchbacks north of Sedona. Even on a busy 3 day weekend, you can always find room here. The campsites are far enough apart that you do no feel that you are camping right next to someone else, but close enough that you feel like you aren't the only person in the world. We've been up there twice in the last year. once in the truck with the family; and once, just the 2 of us on the motorcycle. The closest store is a gas station maybe 15 miles away. You can buy firewood there, anything else you might need, and they will fill up a 5 gallon jug of water for you for free! There's plenty of fallen trees in the area that you can use for firewood if you don;t want to buy any. Some spots are flat, some have an incline to them. But, it is the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle for a few days or more, and for free.

Loving this wooded camping spot! Plenty of tall trees with sun shining through to warm up. Not far from Flagstaff. About 30 min from Sedona. Dusty road nearby depending on your site proximity to the road, but pros outweigh the cons by far!