Black Canyon BLM | Phoenix Boondocking Part 1
Updated: Mar 12
Phoenix was where our boondocking journey began. We were so new to the idea of handling alllll the things off grid but we were determined to make it work for us. It was partially out of necessity as finding an affordable RV park that allow us (we are younger than 55) and our children AND our dog was next to impossible. We figured we would just put the money toward all of the boondocking "stuff" we would need and just jump in and learn as we went.
We stayed at several locations on the west side of Phoenix. This will be part one of four location reviews. We hopped around between these four sites, then side trips out of state to other areas on John's stretches off and back again to the same locations during our three month contract. John worked at Banner Del E Webb Medical Center in Surprise, AZ so we tried to stay north and west of the city.
Our very first boondocking experience was on Thanksgiving Day! We not only found a great spot but we made an entire Thanksgiving meal 100% off grid! It was amazing and I'm pretty sure we knew then that boondocking was going to be our favorite way to stay somewhere.
Black Canyon BLM Land
Just North of Phoenix in an area called Black Canyon is this spot just off of I-17. We found this spot through Free Campsites but didn't find the listing helpful. We are so glad we gave it a shot.
AT A GLANCE
Location: 33.976104, -112.132711
Length We Stayed: 3 Nights
Terrain: Pretty level dirt/gravel lot
Solitude: Some neighbors - ORV Staging
Distance to John's Work: 39 min
Services: None but 10 Min to Anthem AZ
T-Mobile Coverage: Decent
Time of year we stayed: November
Location Notes:
This was nice and roomy but we did get visitors/neighbors as it is a staging area for ORV trails near by. It was pretty quite at night though we did hear the highway. The highway was close but not really visible from where we were. John and the boys hiked up the hill to get some pics and the views are just epic. The town of Anthem is only a 10 min jaunt down the highway where you can get groceries, gas and water. We only stayed for three days so we did not do water and propane runs while staying here but if you are coming up from Phoenix or don't mind a 30 min drive, you can get super cheap propane, free dump, and free potable water at Orangewood RV in Surprise, AZ.
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