Free Camping Near Oatman – Burros and Historic Mining Areas

Visit an old mining town, take a selfie with the local burros and experience a scenic section of Route 66 while taking advantage of free camping near Oatman! Or just enjoy the peace of the desert, good winter weather and the great surrounding desert scenery. Our favorite part about camping near Oatman had to be the occasional encounters with wild burros! And of course, walking the random roads and washes finding beautiful vistas and random desert stuff.

While you’re here, visiting Oatman is a must. Oatman is a touristy, old western town that’s like a blast from the past. In this living ghost town, there are a number of old western buildings and no shortage of donkey themed souvenirs. Why? Well, in town you’ll find burros hanging out in the street taking advantage of the free food in exchange for pets and selfies. There are pretty adorable! From Oatman, you can enjoy a scenic drive on a curvy, winding section of Route 66 with overlooks, hairpin turns and nice desert scenery.

Keep reading to find out more about the free camping near Oatman and what to expect!

Quick Info: Camping Near Oatman

Cost: Free

Ownership: BLM; 14 day limit

Directions: Click here to get directions to free camping near Oatman.

Solar: Good

Water: None

Miles From Town: About 15 miles from Fort Mohave and 2 miles from Oatman.

Cell Service: Yes

Road Conditions: Some of the camping near Oatman is located literally just off of the main road while others are accessed via dirt roads. The condition of the dirt roads vary and may start off in good condition but change quickly. It’s advised to scout ahead!

Several Free Camping Near Oatman Options

As I mentioned, Oatman is one of those places that if you’re in the area, you have to check out! While you explore the area, there are several areas for free camping near Oatman that make a good home base.

If you’re travelling north on Oatman Highway from Topock, there is a BLM dispersed camping area. After about 15 miles north of Topock you’ll find several dispersed sites that are well used. This is a good option for dispersed camping near Oatman for its ease of access, cell service and vast, pretty views. The ground is nice and level but rocky if you’re tent camping. Don’t expect privacy here though.

From the BLM dispersed camping area mentioned above to the junction where Oatman Highway and Boundary Cone Road/Oatman Road meet, there are a number of additional sites. These may take a bit of adventure and scouting ahead but they can provide more privacy from other campers as well as passing traffic. Since first writing this article, we actually came back about seven months later. This time we decided to camp in this area and try something new. It was further back off the main road but we definitely had neighbors, though we were all pretty well spaced out.

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Next option for free camping near Oatman is literally at the junction of Oatman Highway and Boundary Cone Road/Oatman Road. There is a gravel triangle that we saw several people camping at. I wouldn’t suggest this spot considering it is in between two main roads but it’s there if you need it.

The last option I’m covering is the area that we chose. Just past the Oatman Highway and Boundary Cone Road junction going towards Oatman, there is at least one dirt road on each side of the road. The dirt road on the right leads in among the cool desert landscape, eventually getting a bit rough and losing cell service. And the road on the right is similar to a wash that leads far back through the more flat desert.

Finding free camping near Oatman is as simple or as adventurous as you make it!

Our Experience

Our spot was a bit off of Oatman Highway among some cool desert formations. We still had good cell service as well as decent solitude and privacy. We had this immediate area all to ourselves for about a week and a half before having one neighbor for the last few days of our stay. On weekends we had a group or two of OHV’s pass by but besides that not much traffic.

Although we did have visitors quite often! We could see and hear burros on the rocks behind our camp site as well as further down the canyon. Always a treat!

While we were camping near Oatman, we wandered off in all directions exploring the dirt roads and desert landscape.

And of course, while we were here, we made the trip to Oatman. It was cool to see the old buildings and to immerse ourselves in the old western vibes the town maintains. And petting the donkeys was definitely the highlight. While we were visiting there was an extremely social baby burro!

Past Oatman, the curves and desert vistas begin along a memorable segment of Route 66. This is a popular route for motorcycles and it is advised that you shouldn’t take a vehicle/trailer over 40 feet. We were pretty surprised at how many people we passed that were braving the steep curves and disregarding the warnings.

But then again, Shane couldn’t resist the great downhill conditions for longboarding. Read all about this longboarding run on Route 66 here.

Thanks for Reading About Camping Near Oatman!

We love getting to know new areas and seeing new things! It was an unusual treat to have burros climbing around on the rocks around our camp spot. Let us know in the comments below where your favorite place to go camping is.

If you’d like to see some of our other dispersed camping spots, check out the links below:

• Free Camping on Halfmoon Creek Road Near Leadville
• Dispersed Camping in Sheephole Valley Wilderness
• Free Camping and Rock Scrambling at Logandale Trail
• Dispersed Camping with a View on the Mogollon Rim

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