Regional guide
Flagstaff RV Parks: Cool Mountain Camping at 7,000 FeetBonito is the campground you choose when the destination matters as much as the campsite. Located 18 miles northeast of Flagstaff on the loop road to Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monument, the campground sits in ponderosa pine forest adjacent to a volcanic landscape that looks like it belongs on another planet. Sunset Crater — a 1,000-foot cinder cone that erupted around 1085 AD — is visible from the campground, and the Lava Flow Trail through the hardened lava field starts nearby.
The campground is operated by the Coconino National Forest with 44 sites — 22 reservable through recreation.gov and 22 first-come, first-served. Sites accommodate RVs up to 42 feet on paved spurs with concrete picnic tables, fire rings, and grills. The campground has flush toilets and potable water but no hookups and no dump station. This is dry camping with developed infrastructure — you need to be self-contained.
At $34/night, Bonito is priced at the higher end for a national forest campground, but the location justifies it. The Sunset Crater/Wupatki loop road continues north to the surreal pueblo ruins at Wupatki National Monument — 800-year-old red sandstone structures in an open grassland that feels like the African savanna. The entire loop drive (about 35 miles one-way from Flagstaff) is one of the best half-day outings in northern Arizona.
The campground operates from early May through mid-October. Reservations through recreation.gov are strongly recommended for summer weekends. Mid-week availability during June and July is usually fine.
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