Bill Back Park

BILL BACK PARK

Sunny meadow of Bill Back Park

No crowds, no water, no restrooms, no trash service, no picnic tables, no fees--no problem. That’s the deal with dispersed camping, a way of lodging in the forest outside of developed campgrounds.

Golden-beard penstemon bloom June - October

Camping styles at these no-frills dirt pullouts range from primitive bivouacs, group tent cities (Barbie forts, anybody?) to luxury RV setups complete with full kitchens and satellite television. Which kind of makes you wonder, no?

Forest Road 230 serves as the trail

Whatever the interpretation of “sleeping rough”, dispersed camping requires a higher degree of preparedness as well as attention to proper sanitary procedures, trash removal and campfire safety including knowing when fires are banned. 

A tiny waterhole attracts wildlife

Summertime in Arizona means forest roads are lined with pop-up temporary living quarters.  

While many of these no-star waystations are located steps away from popular hiking trails like the Arizona National Scenic Trail, others are not.

Alfalfa blooms April - October

So in between dipping into the beer cooler and flipping through tawdry novels, a good way to break up the time on the off-the-beaten track tracks is to take a walk on dirt roads to soak in the beauty of the forest and spy the details that are easy to miss while lurching along in a motor vehicle.

Woodland pinedrops bloom June- Sept

The Coconino National Forest Motor Vehicle Use Map, which is available for free in hard copy, downloadable pdf or digital format, shows where dispersed camping is allowed. 

Lupine is a common summer bloomer

No-frills dispersed campsites offer solitude

One shady, high elevation place to try is the roads around Bill Back Park south of Flagstaff and Mormon Lake.

Delicate American vetch bloom May - Sept

Less than a half-mile from paved Lake Mary Road, Forest Road 230 not only offers dozens of generously spaced campsites, but also makes for easy summer strolling under tall pines. Beginning at the junction of Stoneman Lake Road (FR213) the hike down FR 230 begins in sunny meadows before ducking into Ponderosa pine woodlands. The outwardly monodominant forest of soaring conifers belies a much richer ecological diversity that’s easily exposed to those with an inclination for discovery.

Rustic corral along a side road

Roadside pops of color, courtesy of lupine, penstemons, clover, thistle and blooming shrubs, brighten meadows while tiny waterholes harbor mini wetland environs rife with water buttercups, frogs and elk.

Yellow sweet clover blooms June- August

 Bill Back Park, a long, open pasture fringed with pines attracts swarms of birds and critters.  At the south end of the park, Forest Road 230G spins off to the left. 

Common silverweed grows in moist areas May - August

A few yards down this non-motorized spur path, a wood-and-barbed wire corral falls apart in plain view.  Beyond the corral, the road descends through the heavily forested divide between 7,743-foot Bill Back Butte and 7,639-foot Jackson Butte.

Western Blue Flax blooms April - September

FR230 passes between Bill Back and Jackson buttes

Gamble oaks and wild roses enter the botanical mix before the road meets a cattle guard at the 3.85-mile point.

Horned spurge shrubs bloom April - August

   This makes for a good turnaround point in order to get back to camp for a frosty IPA in isolated, pine-swaddled bliss.  

LENGTH: 7.7 miles roundtrip

RATING: easy

ELEVATION:  7,231 – 7,406 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Flagstaff, go 34.2 miles south on Lake Mary Road (Country Road 3) to Stoneman Lake Road (Forest Road 213). Turn left and continue 0.4 mile to Forest Road 230 on the left.  Park in any of the dirt turnoffs along the road.

Coconino National Forest Motor Vehicle Use Map

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino/landmanagement/projects/?cid=stelprdb5356224