Arizona is an incredibly beautiful state. I appreciate it more and more each time I visit! This previous time… I stayed for 2 months. Ooops! I was there during the chaos of Covid-19, so it felt better for me to stay put for a while!
Sedona is one of the most beautiful places you can visit to hike and explore outdoors in the United States.
There’s a mix of Ponderosa Pine forest, red rock, desert and rivers!
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I found more than one stunning BLM (free land to camp) spots, tons of hiking trails, and lots of resources in the surrounding towns: Sedona, Cottonwood, and Prescott are the ones I frequented.
I also went on an amazing hike! A lot of trails were closed for COVID when I was there (they are open now), but I did find an awesome trail that was still open, I added it to the bottom here! You can use the AllTrails app to find some other others. I’ve heard Devil’s Bridge and Bear Mountain Trail are both lovely too.
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Loy Butte/ Boynton Canyon Rd BLM: Free scenic camping near Sedona!
This was an UNREAL location to post up for a couple weeks. I was there in March so the weather was ideal. The mornings and evenings were cool, and the days were warm.
This BLM is located of highway 89A, which is one of my all time favorite highways to drive. If you are driving between Sedona and Cottonwood on 89A, you turn off on to Loy Butte road (there should only be one way to turn… turn right if you are coming from Sedona, and turn left off the highway if you are coming from Cottonwood.
It’s a gravel road that connects all the way to the highway on the other side. There are spots all throughout this area you can stay for free! The further in you go, the more scenic it gets!
The road was fairly rough but it’s manageable. There were a good mix of big RV’s, tents and vans! Just be careful.
Hangout Out at the BLM/ Free Land to Camp On
** you can find other BLM spots to camp for free on the BLM (bureau of land management) website**
We were able to have fires at the time; I would double check before having one depending on the time of year! We cooked some feasts using a combination of cooking over the fire, which I usually use to cook my meats, and I use my Jet Boil for a lot of cooking!
In the mornings I would get up and start my day with hot coffee. It’s so nice to have hot coffee when you’re out in nature, I make it in under two minutes just by using my jet boil and instant coffee , I always get the organic kind. Coffee is one of those sneaky things that has a lot of chemicals.. I just clip my Jet boil cup to the burner; add water, light it and I have boiling water in about a minute. Not sure how I got by without it before!
There’s also a lot of attachments for the jet boil that make it easy to use in a variety of ways. I’ll never go back to using anything else. It’s so lightweight and easy to use. I even bring it on my super long hikes to make pick-me-up meals so that I have energy for the long trek back to the car.
Jet Boil French Press attachment, so handy!:
Click Here For this Amazing Hiking Near Sedona (in video below).
Follow me in Instagram for more of my in-the-moment adventures! @maggmountains
I drank 40oz of water on this hike, so important to stay hydrated. I love Camelbacks (they hold a lot of water) and I use them on super long hikes, but on 1-8 mile hikes, I typically just bring my Hydroflask since I prefer ice water. I have a 40oz Hydroflask and it keeps my ice water cold all day, no matter how hot out it is! (they have smaller and larger ones as well).
Follow me in Instagram for more of my in-the-moment adventures! @maggmountains
Feel free to email me or message me on instagram with any questions! (no spam).
Stay safe and groovy!
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