Arizona’s best summer camping options

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - With summer airfares high, and temperatures reaching into 90-degree territory this weekend, it’s a good time to talk about some of Arizona’s best camping destinations:

• The Edge of the World
• Alstrom Point (technically in Utah)
• Chiricahua National Monument

The Edge of the World is a beautiful cliffside camping site in the Coconino National Forest, between Sedona and Flagstaff. It’s known by a series of nicknames, including Jenga Rocks, East Pocket, and The Knob. It’s a 40-mile drive from Sedona, which will take you 2 hours down US Forest Service Roads off Highway 89A. A higher-profile vehicle would be easiest, but you’ll also see people with regular sedans making the windy, bumpy drive. It’s a free, dispersed camping area in the Coconino National Forest. Be sure to check the USFS website for information on fire and camping restrictions.

Alstrom Point refers to cliffs on the northern side of Lake Powell in Utah. You can camp here, looking south toward Page, Arizona. It’s a remote spot, without trees, but the sunrise and sunset will be spectacular! For people who try and fail to win the infamously difficult lottery to go to “The Wave,” Alstrom Point is a great alternative! I also recommend White Pocket as a favorite spot up by Page, if you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

The drive from Page to Alstrom Point is about 40 miles, and it will take about 90 minutes. You’ll have to drive over large rocks, so a four-wheel-drive vehicle is needed. As a side note to Page, if you don’t have a four-wheel drive, you can camp right outside of town and visit Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, and other amazing natural wonders in this part of the state!

Chiricahua National Monument is another great camping destination in the far southeastern corner of Arizona, which many in Congress are trying to turn into a national park. The hoodoos and rock formations at Chiricahua are the result of volcanic activity 27 million years ago.

It’s a 230-mile drive from Phoenix, which will take less than four hours. Reservations are required at Bonita Canyon Campground inside Chiricahua, and you’ll have to make them on recreation.gov. The cost is $20 per night, and they allow both tent and RV campers. With any of these camping destinations, keep the campfire rules in mind, leave no trace, and remember to check the forecast as we head into the monsoon season by late June!

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