Pump Station BLM | Wild Camping

February 15th, 2024 by trandhawa250

Great overnight spot. Tons of space, lots of other campers but still able to get a little area to ourselves. Only stayed one night but will be back!

February 9th, 2024 by jbrheaume

Great spot, 2nd time for us, at&t 5g descent.

January 13th, 2024 by belleeltemawi08

Huge lot, space everywhere. Perfect location outside Tucson.

January 8th, 2024 by Somecallmetim32

There is lots of room here. I expect any rig could find a spot here. There is also camping in other places along N Pump Station Road, but the camping off the side road here is quite large. There is a BLM sign on it with all of the standard BLM camping rules. I used this video to help me scout this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F67ufrcs7NQ

The bridge he notes is completely out now so Google Maps had no temptation to take me that way.

W El Tiro Road is pretty washboard after the pavement, but it isn't that long and N Pump Station Road is much better. The side road has no problems at all except to be careful turning onto it as there is a small ridge to drive over (I expect from grading the road). I believe anything short of a sports car could get over that.

There was a bit of noise in the distance: barking dog, generators, and music, but it was all in the distance. I expect my closest neighbor was about 75 yards away. I believe if I went further down the side road, I likely could have more distance between campers.

January 5th, 2024 by Carol Harvey Trixie

Also, rough road for the last 2ish miles.
it's mostly washboard not potholes.

January 5th, 2024 by Carol Harvey Trixie

A very good overnight spot for us. It's wild camping in the desert so be wary of the natural hazards, snakes, scorpions, (we never saw any) and cacti bits that can get in the doggo's paws.
There is no unatural ambient light so it's very dark after sundown and very quiet. During the day however the nearby gliderpark gets active so loads of single engine airplanes towing gliders to the sky.
Great view of mountains. We saw about a dozen or so boondockers scattered about. We noticed a little bit of garbage around too.

December 20th, 2023 by dkruis27

Currently the bridge is out for construction & GPS brought me in from the south, which was several miles on a washboarded road. When I left I headed out going north on Pump Station as I had seen others doing. This way is the detoured route around the bridge & is mainly paved roads, avoiding the washboarding. For now I would recommend following the detour signs coming in & out. I ended up turning right instead of left at these coordinates & it was a short road with 5 or 6 pull offs. Busy place with many campers, but still very quiet the 3 days I was there. Good Verizon signal.

April 16th, 2023 by Calimero

Stopped there for a few days. not too many spots but can fit any RV size.

April 2nd, 2023 by natedog211

Beware of rattlesnakes!
We stayed here the 14 day limit amazing place feels like you staying at campground but it’s free!
But the last day was out sitting in front of the van and I heard and saw a rattlesnake just under the RV! The are starting to wake and are active in warmer temperatures.

February 8th, 2023 by treetownbatiks

pretty good spot. pups dug it. we stayed 1 night. but you can stay 14 days. OK cell service.

January 20th, 2023 by Ashley

Almost don’t want to share how great this place was! Pretty clean, some spots littered with leftover trash. Lots of rigs spread out for privacy. Well maintained, quiet, flat spots with great views and fire rings. Absolutely loved our time here.

December 10th, 2022 by Avi Baram

No doubts, the best place around Tucson. Planty of space to any size,. Most sre flat. A lof of fire pit. We love this place and will come again.

December 7th, 2022 by silas76502

Nice area, been here 3 nights so far. Enjoying full bars on cell service AT&T. about a dozen other campers but most are 100yards apart. will most likely stay the full 14 days since I run Doordash and Uber eats a few days a week. Tucson has been doing very well tip wise.

December 6th, 2022 by Avi Baram

First time here, easy to find, just follow the GPS. Wide area and can fit any size of RV.
Great T-Mobile reception.

November 24th, 2022 by joeydempsey14

tons of spaces for all kinds of rigs. Rangers roll through every couple of days and record plate numbers so it's well respected, not much trash.

March 8th, 2022 by mmgt80

Pretty quiet. Not too crowded. stayed 3 nights in March.

February 23rd, 2022 by marciamanter

I stayed here for 4 nights and had no problems. Not all sites are by the road, many people are parked out a way. Good cell reception with T Mobile, mostly 4 bars, at night it wasn't as good, 2-3 bars, but still had service. Very peaceful and surrounded by mountains.

February 22nd, 2022 by suenavarro1

Rough road in.. nice sites. 20 min from Tucson.

February 7th, 2022 by richxrjunk

We camped here four nights with our travel trailer. Quiet, serene, and having fellow campers nearby made us feel very safe. We’ll come back!

January 27th, 2022 by simplecell97

Great campsites available everywhere you look, quiet and the saguaro are breathtaking, road is very bad, drive slow

December 11th, 2021 by rollvanroll.vanlife

We are parked at the last spot on the dirt road, right next to 2 beautiful saguaros. Love it here!

December 10th, 2021 by instagram.com/migratory_animals

We had a quiet night and great sunset. Lots of people down this road, but it was easy to find privacy. Really says something when the dirt road is better than the paved road coming in. Good cell service on ATT. No amenities, but FREE!

October 29th, 2021 by LaGringaMorada

Ironwood National Monument BLM camping. Quiet, pullout along dirt road. Beautiful views of the mountains

March 6th, 2021 by Gassmans

Many camping spots available. The road gets a bit challenging, take it slow. It has been very quite here as well. Locals tend to come out on the weekend to party. If that bothers you, there are plenty of spots that are isolated where another cannot camp anywhere near you.

March 5th, 2021 by kspenglermoore

make sure to come in via El Tiro Road, if your rig weighs more than 6000 lbs, decent verizon signal, great spot to camp when visiting Saguaro NP

March 5th, 2021 by kspenglermoore

Just adding pictures... not much road noise 😉

January 17th, 2021 by weroamawayfromhome.com

This is the best boondocking spot we’ve been to yet! All size RVs were here - Class As and tent campers. Beautiful views, not too dusty, and cool planes to watch overhead (but not too loud). There are more people here, so you’ll see other campers but plenty of room to have privacy. I recommend going as far in as you can because the sites just get better and better.

December 8th, 2020 by 1jessicastafford

Great desert camping. Very quiet and clean. Lots of spots to chose from and well spread out. Easy in and out for our 40 foot fifth wheel. **don’t follow your GPS and come in from Silverbell if you are towing. It crosses a very small bridge with a 6000 lb weight rating. Come in from El Tiro Road. A little more dirt road driving, but it is actually smoother than Silverbell.

March 25th, 2020 by InkedGypsy

Boondocking/Primitive camping. No amenities. Sites are not specifically marked and are close to the road. Areas closer to the entrance will accommodate big rigs. (ex. Three axel 5th wheels). As with any primitive site road conditions vary. When it rains here it gets very muddy, wait for it to dry or expect to possibly get stuck. Scout the area before blindly driving very far down the area. This is BLM land and is regularly patrolled by rangers. ATT cell and data signal 2 bars LTE.