u/azplaces

The Navajo Moenave Dinosaur Tracks near Tuba City, Arizona preserve hundreds of authentic Early Jurassic footprints embedded in 200-million-year-old sandstone — walked among in the open desert with Navajo guides from the community of Moenave, no glass cases, no barriers, no crowds. Just the tracks and the landscape where they were made.

https://www.azplaces.com/best-camping-locations/navajo-moenave-dinosaur-tracks

This is a great spot. Short hike to see the view of the valley below. Lots of firewood available. Birds and seen coatimundi for first time in the wild.

We keep it simple, making for fast setup and breakdown.

First time to this area and I can already tell I'll be going back when it reopens — though that's going to be a while. More on that at the end.

Edge of the World, also called East Pocket, sits on Woody Mountain Road (FR 231) in the Coconino National Forest about 25 miles south of Flagstaff. Free designated dispersed camping, no permits or reservations required. Two of us, two nights, rooftop tent. The road in is 25 miles of unpaved FR 231 from the Flagstaff side — washboarded in sections with rocks and ruts near the rim but passable in dry conditions. High clearance helps. Don't attempt it after rain.

We arrived Friday evening which meant the area was busy — exactly what you'd expect for a well-known free camping spot on a summer weekend. Not having been here before we scouted before committing to a site, which I'd strongly recommend to anyone going for the first time. The main rim viewpoints fill first and have the best direct views but also the most neighbors. We ended up at a site tucked between two hills at 34.97975, -111.79145 — more sheltered, with trees partially blocking the direct rim view from the actual campsite and requiring short walks to access open viewpoints. The trade-off was worth it for the privacy. We noticed during a hike the next day that there were additional sites further down FR 231 with better rim exposure that we hadn't seen on arrival. If I go back I'd explore the full road before committing to a site.

The view is why people make the drive. The name is accurate — ponderosa pine forest behind you and the entire Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness dropping 2,000 feet below. All of Sedona visible, the Verde Valley, Cottonwood, and Mingus Mountain across the way with the observatory domes catching the light. We hiked an old forest road now closed to vehicles and found a viewpoint where you can see Bell Rock from above — a completely different perspective on a landmark most people only see from AZ-179 far below. We spent time just sitting and watching the light change across the red rock wilderness below. That alone justified the drive.

Weather was clear with warm days and cool nights at around 8,000 feet. Cell service is essentially nonexistent on the rim, however once we hit the edge we had cell service. Be safe and download your maps and coordinates before you leave pavement.

Now the part I feel like I need to share. On arrival we noticed a group at a nearby site burning an open campfire. Campfires are explicitly prohibited at Edge of the World dispersed camping, during this time. Fire restrictions were posted. This is ponderosa pine at nearly 8,000 feet in late spring — the fire danger logic isn't complicated.

Eleven days after we left, on June 19, 2026, the Pocket Fire started approximately 7 miles north of Sedona. It has since burned over 27,000+ acres and is currently at 95% containment. FR 231 — the road we camped on — is now under a formal Coconino National Forest closure order.

FR 231 and the Edge of the World area are currently closed. Don't attempt to access the area right now — check current closure status at fs.usda.gov/r03/coconino/alerts.

When it reopens it's worth going. Go on a weekday, scout the full road before picking a site, bring all your own water, and download maps before you lose cell service. And follow the fire restrictions. They are not suggestions.

Happy to answer questions about road conditions, site selection, or access.