Free and Fun Camping at Indian Bread Rocks | Bowie, AZ

Camping at Indian Bread Rocks is such a treat! Tis the season to head south and follow the great weather. Some desert camping is more exciting than others but this is a spot that we were happy to stay at for two weeks. Indian Bread Rocks is a BLM area in the Dos Cabezas Mountain Wilderness with several dispersed camping spots, great desert scenery and rugged mountains of granite boulders to play on.

It’s conveniently located off of I-10 but there’s not really much else around which is part of what makes it great. You don’t have to leave camp to find some great recreation opportunities. But if you want to see more, Fort Bowie Historic Site and Chiricahua National Monument are within a reasonable distance. Read on to find out more about our experience and what to expect while dispersed camping at Indian Bread Rocks!

Quick Info: Free Camping at Indian Bread Rocks

Cost: Free

Ownership: BLM; 14 day limit

Directions: From Bowie, turn south onto S. Apache Pass Road and follow it for about 4.5 miles. Turn right onto S. Happy Camp Canyon Road and continue for 3 miles. This will lead you to the picnic area but there are dispersed camp spots before and after this location. Click here to get directions for camping at Indian Bread Rocks

Know Before You Go: There are picnic tables, grills and a vault toilet at the Indian Bread Picnic Area, great rock scrambling and this area is well known.

Solar: Great, just remember the closer you are to the mountains the earlier you may lose the solar.

Miles From Town: About 8 miles to Bowie or 32 to Willcox where there are more options for gas and groceries.

Water: None

Road Conditions: The dirt road is in great condition, straight and flat. Getting to some of the spots for camping at Indian Bread Rocks can be a bit more sandy and uneven. Scout ahead!

Cell Service: Yes

Camping and Climbing at Indian Bread Rocks

Our Experience Camping at Indian Bread Rocks

As we first turned onto Happy Camp Road we knew camping at Indian Bread Rocks was going to be a great place to call home! The mellow dirt road led us towards the rugged Dos Cabezas mountains up ahead with rocks that we knew we would be scrambling the next two weeks. And as we were travelling along the dirt road, we saw a coyote and then several adorable, curious cows. It felt right already!

friendly cows while camping at indian bread rocks

Then we reached the Indian Bread Rocks Picnic Area. Here you’ll find covered picnic tables, grills, a vault toilet and cool rocks to climb. There is no camping in the picnic area. For camping at Indian Bread Rocks, continue along the dirt road past the picnic area. Immediately there’s a large, open area for a camper or two. But if you continue further along the dirt road, there are several other dispersed camp options. Some spots are great for car camping and others can accommodate a trailer. Once you reach the large, open dispersed spot that’s on the right further down the road, I wouldn’t advise taking a trailer any further than that.

camping at indian bread rocks in arizona

We took the second dirt road on the left and found a way to get the trailer level on the sloped ground. This is where we spent the next two weeks camping at Indian Bread Rocks. In one direction we had vast desert views and in the other, rugged granite boulders to play on!

When we first arrived, it was just us and one other trailer out here camping at Indian Bread Rocks. But almost every day after that, there were plenty of other campers out and about. For nearly our entire two weeks here the first spot near the picnic area was occupied. This area saw several campers throughout the week and the weekends got pretty busy. But it’s an awesome area, it’s free and it’s right off of the I-10 so I guess it’s not surprising that it’s so well known.

fun boulders to explore while camping at indian bread rocks

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We had a great experience camping at Indian Bread Rocks! Luckily we had good service so we were able to work and be productive. And then everyday after work we would go climb! We love rock scrambling, a lot. These granite boulders were challenging to climb because there were a lot of prickly desert plants and cacti to avoid mixed in with the rocks. But we managed to get to several ridges and explored new routes throughout our stay. And we had a blast.

rock climbing while camping at indian bread rocks

Another great thing about boondocking in the desert is definitely the sunsets. Every night the sky put on a unique, colorful display for us. And we also were here for the gorgeous full moon.

colorful sunset sky while camping at indian bread rocks

While we were camping at Indian Bread Rocks, we experienced a bit of wildlife. The cows aren’t quite wild, but they were fun to wake up to. Or when they would come hang out around our trailer in the middle of the day. So cute! We also saw a coyote, an owl, several snakes including a large rattle snake, and rabbits.

cruising with dirt wheels on the longboard in the desert

One annoying thing that we did experience here were the flies. I don’t like to complain about stuff like that because bugs happen but there were a lotttt of flies here. And more mosquitoes than we expected too.

Camping at Indian Bread Rocks was a great time! We really enjoyed the perfect weather, rock scrambling in our backyard and beautiful desert scenery. Most of the time it was very peaceful and our spot was relatively private which is something that we value.

While we were in the area, we headed about an hour southeast to check out Chiricahua National Monument. The cool geology on display as well as the history were really neat to see. We did over 20 miles of hiking here and had a great time!

Thanks for Reading!

We live on the road full time and love the adventure of finding and experiencing each new camp spot along the way. Every new camp spot allows us to explore a new area and experience a whole new setting for our life in that moment. A good place to call home can make all the difference in our experience in an area! Click here if you would like to read more about our dispersed camping experiences or check out the articles below:

While we are on the road we stay busy creating hand painted longboards! If you’d like to pick up a unique new longboard, head over to our Lost Coast Longboarding Shop to see our latest lineup. We also design and screen print our own t-shirts and long sleeve shirts.

lost coast longboarding hand painted longboards

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