Just past the turnoff to Sunnyside Ghost Town is Montezuma Canyon Road. We really didn’t know anything about it, but it looked like a nice shortcut to get across the mountains to the east. The views started out nice, but we didn’t realize what we were in for.
The further east we drove, the higher we got, and the better the views got. And before we knew it, we were at the top of Montezuma Pass, overlooking the entire San Rafael and San Pedro Valleys.
The views were absolutely amazing! By the time we got down the east side of the pass, it was getting late and we again needed to figure out where we would spend the night. So we pulled up Gaia mapping software, and realized that there is a lot of BLM land around Sierra Vista. We headed in that direction, confident that we wouldn’t have a problem finding disbursed camping. But to our surprise, all of the BLM land in this area is locked up tight. We couldn’t find a single spot (good or bad) that was open to the public for any purpose. We finally ended up in the town of Tombstone, and still hadn’t found a place to camp. So Steve got on Campendium software, and I started looking for National Forest entrances nearby. Steve found a place called Tombstone Dry Camping RV park. We’re not opposed to paying for camping, but we are opposed to paying for camping and then being elbow to elbow with our neighbors, which is what all of the other campgrounds in Tombstone seemed to be. We were getting desperate, so we decided to give this place a try. It was $10 a night, which is a real bargain, but there a no amenities, nothing, nada.
As we pulled in, we could see that there were plenty of spots, so we were trying to find one that wasn’t next to a generator that would run all night. Our sleeping quarters are in a pop-up tent, so peace and quiet is really a priority.
As we were deciding on our spot, the owner drove up in his Polaris, and said, “Follow me, I have a spot for your types.” We weren’t sure if we should be happy or insulted, but we followed him, and he lead us across the parking lot and down a steep dirt hill to the ‘lower section’. It was a small area, and he was right, it was perfect for us. There were about five campsites, and all of them were empty except for one tent. No generators, no crowds, no problems. We had our choice of spots, so we were able to feel like we had the place all to ourselves. It was perfect!
We would definitely use this RV park again, whether Jeep camping or RV camping, it was really nice to have room to spread out, and did I mention that it was $10?
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