WriterMs
Well-known member
I just left the Flagstaff area after a little more than a week trying out a couple of places. A-1 Mountain, of course, after all I've read about it. I would say at least half the trees are now marked with orange slashes. I am reasonably certain this means they are about to be logged... someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Don't know if it for pine bark beetle or they are simply bringing in the logging companies. If I'm right, say goodbye to much of the shade that is available now. Seriously it looks like more than half of the trees are marked... all the orange looks like twisted Halloween decorations.
The second place I tried a few nights is the Old Naval Observatory Road. It is noisy from being more near the Interstate and is in general much more crowded together because as people come later in the evening, they simply park where they can... meaning much too close in many circumstances. Still better than a Walmart parking lot I suppose since there is shade available if you get there early enough. And the cell reception is much better there in general.
Also, since I recently had to have my van's ball joints replaced, the Naval Observatory area has the benefit of a paved road right up to the camping area (though you can travel some rutted dirt to get much farther back from the road if you wish.
AND, on that road...near the Route 66 turn off to the Observatory... they have logged a deep area. Several trailers with full log loads wait each morning to be picked up. There are maybe one in every 10 or 15 trees left standing from what I observed during my several passes by (just eyeing stumps versus standing trees).
Anyone know the whole scoop about logging or not on A-1? My guess is that once they are working to bring down the trees, the area they are logging will be off limits for camping until they are finished.
I have to say I was not overly thrilled with Flagstaff anyway. I go in almost every day for a real meal since I don't cooking per se in my van. I had found Show Low and its southern neighbor towns of Pinetop-Lakeside to be MUCH more welcoming and friendly. And with many fewer rude drivers than Flagstaff. The camping spots in the Show Low area were not nearly as pretty though...but I think there were some areas I did not find while there. Show Low had been under a level 3 fire alert (normally they close the forest but the LEOs I met were not being sticklers and let me stay with no hassle at all on sites that were connected to the gravel roads.
The second place I tried a few nights is the Old Naval Observatory Road. It is noisy from being more near the Interstate and is in general much more crowded together because as people come later in the evening, they simply park where they can... meaning much too close in many circumstances. Still better than a Walmart parking lot I suppose since there is shade available if you get there early enough. And the cell reception is much better there in general.
Also, since I recently had to have my van's ball joints replaced, the Naval Observatory area has the benefit of a paved road right up to the camping area (though you can travel some rutted dirt to get much farther back from the road if you wish.
AND, on that road...near the Route 66 turn off to the Observatory... they have logged a deep area. Several trailers with full log loads wait each morning to be picked up. There are maybe one in every 10 or 15 trees left standing from what I observed during my several passes by (just eyeing stumps versus standing trees).
Anyone know the whole scoop about logging or not on A-1? My guess is that once they are working to bring down the trees, the area they are logging will be off limits for camping until they are finished.
I have to say I was not overly thrilled with Flagstaff anyway. I go in almost every day for a real meal since I don't cooking per se in my van. I had found Show Low and its southern neighbor towns of Pinetop-Lakeside to be MUCH more welcoming and friendly. And with many fewer rude drivers than Flagstaff. The camping spots in the Show Low area were not nearly as pretty though...but I think there were some areas I did not find while there. Show Low had been under a level 3 fire alert (normally they close the forest but the LEOs I met were not being sticklers and let me stay with no hassle at all on sites that were connected to the gravel roads.
