Boondocking in the Sonoran Desert

Posted by Greg Posted on April 10, 2017
Posted in Arizona, Travel On The Dirt Tagged , , , , , , ,
View from a hillside a short hike from our campsite.

January 21 – January 24, 2017.

Two Army guys with M-16s strapped to their backs pull up on four-wheelers. ‘Oh’, one says. ‘From a distance it looked like you were parked past that fence. Never mind. You’re fine here.’ They drive off.

A ranger came by earlier. He said to watch out for ‘illegals’ and drug traffickers. I’m surprised to have three visitors in one morning considering we are in the middle of Nowhere.

Now that the RTR is behind us we can settle into our routine. We look for interesting places with tolerable weather. Then we look for free camping spots nearby.

Today we are on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in the Sonoran Desert. We took an exit off Interstate 8, and like many exits out here, it quickly turned into an unpaved road. Just ride down the road and pick a spot to stay.

Out here in the west there is a lot of BLM land. There are apps and maps to help you find free camping. But most of the roads are unpaved. It’s a good idea to have a backup site in case your route is impassable.

We saw lots of these little petrified creatures. Not sure what they are.
In this basin range landscape you always see mountains, then mountains behind those.
And another great view.
Another view from a hillside.
The desert was full of holes in this area. Makes you wonder who lives here and whether they all come out at night.
Can make noise out here without bothering anyone.
Cholla (CHOY-yah) cactus. The little segments come off easily. You can see some scattered around the base. These segments start new chollas.
The saguaros seem glad to have some visitors.
Really tall saguaro.

**** All pics are click to enlarge.