Whitewater Draw Sportsman's Access

We came to see the cranes. So did everyone else. The “formal” camping area was full with multiple RVs plus several camping vans, a tent trailer and a tent. In addition people there just for a look at the cranes were coming and going all day. We didn’t want to be far away so we headed to one of the two designated overflow camping areas...the Sportsman’s Access. It’s located a mile north on the west side of N. Coffman Road.

The Sportsman’s Access is simply a graded parking area about 100 yards off the road. There’s a cattle guard at the entrance that looks narrow but was easy enough for our wide-body 5th wheel to pass through. We set up at the west end of the lot and could see cranes from our window to the west and hear them as they flew around the area. We also saw Red Tail Hawks, sparrows and swallows.

There are no facilities here and fires are not allowed. Much of the parking lot is covered in fine dust. This would probably not be a fun place if the wind came up. The Verizon signal is 3 bars LTE and seems pretty fast. Dirt roads in the area are washboarded but otherwise in good shape.

It is a large parking lot. That's it. No tables. Relatively flat. No fires.

Day trips to Tombstone and Bisbee are doable; however, you will not want to miss the cranes when they come back around lunchtime.

The only allure is the proximity to the sandhill cranes that stay at the nearby wetlands in the winter. You need to drive to get to the sandhill crane’s nesting area. You *could* ride a bicycle...37° outside and pre-dawn, but that’s plain crazy.

The road to the campground driveway is crummy. Washboard and lots of little rocks getting kicked up. One broke part of a winterizing pipe and another knocked off the camper's mounted side-to-side level. Access is better if you enter from the south.

We preferred it here to the main spot down the road. It was big enough to pull into and turn around with our 40’ 5er. Much less dust from visitors and quieter too.

We were the only ones here. Easy to get to. Nice morning walk along the marsh. Quiet peaceful night. We had cell service. Clear sky for solar charging.