This is a FREE campsite.

Address
Welch Road
Ash Fork, Arizona
GPS: 35.217747, -112.377663
Elevation: 5845'
Get Directions

Management
Public - Forest Service (USDA) (Official)

The road in is Gravel and 0-10+ miles from a paved road. Welch Road is open Year-round. There are 16-29 campsites at this location and the maximum RV length is Any. You may stay 14 days at Welch Road.

Activities:
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1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (23 votes, average: 4.13 out of 5)
Submitted by Anonymous. Last update on Jan 28, 2013

Based on 7 reports
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Legend

Welch Road is exit 151 on Interstate 40. I believe there is camping south of the freeway, but we took north. You will need to pick up an MVUM to see which roads are currently legal; these were legal in 2010 but may not be now--the allowable roads can change yearly. There is plenteous RV parking for all sizes in this area. Terrain is open juniper forest.

Where the waypoint is marked, was a wide area where several larger RVs were parked. This would be a good place to park and reconnoitre. From there, a road goes northeast with several possible camping spots and a historical marker that details a six-mile cycle path on parts of old route 66. This road (Forest Road 6) meets a straight east-west road that is actually old route 66. West is the cycle path; driving is neither safe nor legal there. East, you can drive (Forest Road 9211B). The roads are decent, hard-packed dirt and gravel.

The road later divides and goes north or continues east. We found a nice spot east and ended up parked alongside an old section of route 66. You can find original asphalt a tiny bit south of there and hike up the hill to the freeway dead end for more route 66. There is a spot further east where one could potentially cut through what looks like an orchard and camp, nice and privately, *on* old 66, though that may be private land. You would need to use due diligence.

The northern branch was good with some nice open spots and side roads that we didn't explore. However, it then started dipping sharply downhill which caused us to run away backwards in our 26 ft. class C. Presumably if your RV can handle steep hills, you would find more camping down there.

I believe there is also camping and another hiking trail at Devil Dog Road.

The closest dump is a gas station/convenience store at Ash Fork.

Some blog posts with pictures:
http://www.ravensroads.com/shadows-going-west/
http://www.ravensroads.com/high-on-route-66/
http://www.ravensroads.com/golden-road/

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Frenchy La Pue
Anonymous User

A great spot to camp , rest n sleep , dog friendly...phones work here.... ...

Frenchy La Pue gives a rating of 5Frenchy La Pue gives a rating of 5Frenchy La Pue gives a rating of 5Frenchy La Pue gives a rating of 5Frenchy La Pue gives a rating of 5
Reviewed April 15, 2023

Staying here now on Welch rd. Exit on north side ...4/14/23 . Plenty of camping spots , at least 15 vehicals here now , i have been here a week in a truck/camper rig .lots of school.buses here . Lots of cool people .

Stayed here in a Truck Camper (RV). Frenchy La Pue would stay here again.

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WildTurkey
Joined 1 year ago

Great road trip 1 or 2 nighter spot

WildTurkey gives a rating of 4WildTurkey gives a rating of 4WildTurkey gives a rating of 4WildTurkey gives a rating of 4WildTurkey gives a rating of 4
Reviewed October 20, 2022

Stayed here on several 1 night road trips with our Nissan Xterra and rooftop tent in the Summer/Fall of 2022. Easy spot to settle into on the North side of I-40 in a large open area with a lot of other campers. Wouldn't stay here for extended period as I prefer more solitude but this is a great place for a 1 or 2 night stop-over. Lots of interstate truck noise all night as expected.

Stayed here in a 14 foot-long Passenger Vehicle. WildTurkey would stay here again.

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secessus
secessus
Joined 6 years ago

easy and crowded entrance, more secluded if you look

secessus gives a rating of 4secessus gives a rating of 4secessus gives a rating of 4secessus gives a rating of 4secessus gives a rating of 4
Reviewed April 26, 2022

There is a large area (acres) in the entrance which is accessible by any size RV, including a giant Class A with giant trailer behind it. If you wander further there are less-accessible areas that would be better for smaller trailers or vans.

The $275 fine mentioned by a reviewer in 2015 appears to be an overstay (>14 days) ticket; don't do that.

Stayed here in a 19 foot-long Class B (RV). secessus would stay here again.

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Edward Kear
Anonymous User

Lots of space, level sites.

Edward Kear gives a rating of 4Edward Kear gives a rating of 4Edward Kear gives a rating of 4Edward Kear gives a rating of 4Edward Kear gives a rating of 4
Reviewed March 16, 2022

North of I-40 at Welch Rd exit. Lots of space. Easy to find a level spot. Johnson Crater is close by. Area bounded on the north by an abandoned section of Route 66. 14 day limit in the National Forest.

Stayed here in a 24 foot-long Truck Camper (RV). Edward Kear would stay here again.

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Mschill3
Mschill3
Joined 4 years ago
Mschill3 gives a rating of 5Mschill3 gives a rating of 5Mschill3 gives a rating of 5Mschill3 gives a rating of 5Mschill3 gives a rating of 5
Reviewed May 8, 2020

Dispersed camping just off I-40. Beautiful scenery. Wide open area with plenty of room for any size rig.

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TumbleWeedDenise
Joined 5 years ago

East in off I40

TumbleWeedDenise gives a rating of 5TumbleWeedDenise gives a rating of 5TumbleWeedDenise gives a rating of 5TumbleWeedDenise gives a rating of 5TumbleWeedDenise gives a rating of 5
Reviewed September 30, 2018

Stayed here two weeks. Lots of Junper for privacy. Large level camp spots. Weather amazing here at end of September. Was getting too cool in the mountains of Williams and Flagstaff. The only downside was the traffic on I-40. We could have gone further in but didn’t.

Stayed here in a 35 foot-long Trailer (RV). TumbleWeedDenise would stay here again.

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fallsong
Joined 5 years ago
Reviewed June 21, 2018

Spent a night here when plan A (Mojave) got way too hot. Arrived late so didn't drive very far in - got a lot of highway noise as a result. Nothing out of this world but a perfectly serviceable place.

Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. fallsong would stay here again.

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okienomads
okienomads
Joined 5 years ago

Good stop on the Interstate, as private as you want it to be!

okienomads gives a rating of 3okienomads gives a rating of 3okienomads gives a rating of 3okienomads gives a rating of 3okienomads gives a rating of 3
Reviewed May 27, 2018

This campsite can be as adventurous as you are. There are a lot of spots for big rigs right off of the Interstate and you can explore deeper into the woods for a smaller, more private spot. Keep in mind that the southbound boundary that seems to connect on Google Maps, ends in a dead end and doesn’t connect to the Interstate. You want to exit the same place that you enter.

The road noise was minimal and there are plenty of level sites. Sheep are open-range farmed in this area, so be on the lookout for 1000 sheep that seem to go where they want.

Stayed here in a 24 foot-long Class C (RV). okienomads would stay here again.

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Blog post: http://www.okienomads.com/freecampingarizona/

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cherithiele
Cheri
Anonymous User

Kaibib National Forest Land

Cheri gives a rating of 5Cheri gives a rating of 5Cheri gives a rating of 5Cheri gives a rating of 5Cheri gives a rating of 5
Reviewed April 17, 2018

I just wanted to clear up what another reviewer said about getting a fine for camping at Welch Road dispersed. The only reason that someone would get a fine here is if they stayed longer than the 14 day limit. Other than that, it is a fine place to stay. There are a lot of spaces on the North side of the highway and a few places to the South side of the highway. I was camping with someone in a 40 footer.

Stayed here in a 23 foot-long Class B (RV). Cheri would stay here again.

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chooseopen
Joined 5 years ago

Quite - Plenty of open space

chooseopen gives a rating of 4chooseopen gives a rating of 4chooseopen gives a rating of 4chooseopen gives a rating of 4chooseopen gives a rating of 4
Reviewed March 21, 2018

Parked here for 1 night. We choose the north side of the interstate. The area is open with sporadic juniper. We easily got in with our 65ft rig (semi truck towing a 5th wheel). There was one other camper nearby and we also saw a few passenger vehicles drive past. There is no signage so it isn't very clear if camping is allowed or not but we had no trouble.

Stayed here in a 45 foot-long Fifth Wheel (RV).

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James
Anonymous User
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Reviewed July 30, 2015

Hi folks: I was there first of July 15. Me and about a dozen others of all sizes GOT KICKED out of there!!! We all got $275. Tickets so after parking there off and on for 4 years Arizona Rangers turned it all around!! So DO NOT, DO NOT park there any more!! Befor warned!!

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