Arizona Adventures: Dead Horse Ranch State Park

Looking for unbeatable Arizona adventures? Try camping at Dead Horse Ranch State Park for biking, hiking, and historic travel fun. It’s close to Sedona, Jerome, and Cottonwood and all the towns, trails, and historic sites that northern Arizona has to offer – from Fort Verde to Oak Creek Canyon and beyond.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something from one of our affiliates, we receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thanks for helping to keep our blog up and running!

Table of Contents

Why set up a base camp at Dead Horse Ranch State Park?

We love finding a central location where we can set up camp for multiple days, preferably a week or two. It saves time and energy having to pack up and move every couple of days. This lets us focus on exploring an area’s nooks and crannies that we might otherwise overlook.

Tucked away in a little pocket of the Verde Valley, Dead Horse Ranch State Park is less than 45 minutes from the red rock canyons, vortices, and powerful attraction of Sedona. It’s close enough to access easily, but also just far away from the crowds that flock daily to the new age spirit of Sedona to relax at the end of the day.

We chose to camp at Dead Horse Ranch because of its location, but more importantly because it allows tents. With family flying in to meet us from the Yukon, we wanted a base camp that would work for our trailer and their tent. Sedona – and many RV Parks around the area – don’t allow tent camping.

While random camping is another top choice for setting up a base camp, many of the popular random camping areas around Sedona are now closed. The weather was also looking unsettled. Camping in red mud wouldn’t be much of an issue for the trailer, but the tent… well, let’s just say we made the right choice!

Wooden entrance sign reading: Dead Horse Ranch State Park.

All about the park

Dead Horse Ranch State Park is popular – partly because it is the only state park with camping close to Sedona. Although there are camping cabins available (reservations well in advance are a must), we were wanting to camp.

There are four main camping loops in Dead Horse Ranch – Quail, Redtail, Cooper’s Hawk, and Blackhawk loop. Quail is right beside the Verde River while the others are up on the hill out of the valley bottom. You can have a tent and second vehicle on these other sites for an extra $10 per night, but it’s tight. Blackhawk loop is set up solely for tent camping.

The 3 best parts about staying in a state park with company are electricity, flush toilets, and warm showers. It would have been a tad more difficult if the four of us were relying on the wet bath in our trailer. Having an electric heater made it comfortable during periods of cool drizzle outside.

Tent camping sites were easy to book in early spring. Even though there are over 100 RV sites in the park, it took multiple attempts over several weeks (plus three moves within the campground to different sites) to get enough days for our trailer. And this was starting well over a month ahead of our arrival.

Dead Horse Ranch State Park is conveniently located next to the town of Cottonwood with groceries, gas, propane, and all the necessities one needs for camping.

Curious where the name “Dead Horse Ranch State Park” came from?

This was an actual ranch prior to becoming a state park. When the owners were looking to purchase a ranch in the area in the early 1950s, they toured multiple properties – including one with a dead horse laying by the road.

At the end of the day, dad asked his kids which property they liked best.

The answer?

The one with the dead horse!

The name stuck.

Why is Dead Horse Ranch a good location for adventures in and around Sedona, Arizona?

Dead Horse Ranch is perfectly set up for discovering prehistoric ruins, hiking adventures, exploring historic ghost towns, and biking trails.

Don’t believe me?

Check out our list of 18 active travel adventures covered in an action-packed week!

So many adventures – how do you remember them all? Learn to journal with us!

18 Active Travel Adventures from Dead Horse Ranch State Park

Bike Dead Horse Ranch trails
Explore Tuzigoot National Monument
Wander the ghost town of Jerome

Man in black shirt and grey shorts wearing bike helmet and black pack on a bike pointing at trail sign.

Man walking on sloping paved path beside rock ruins with distant mountains.

Visit the shops of Old Cottonwood and enjoy lunch out
Paddle a section of the Verde River
Take a guided tour at Palatki

Lunch of burgers and sweet potato fries with beer samplers on table surrounded by black and white cowhide fabric chairs.

Learn about Honanki Heritage Site
Hike Loy Canyon
Check out the Arizona Copper Museum in Clarkdale

Sign in front of green building reading: Honanki Heritage Site, Coconino National Forest, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Woman wearing sunglasses, hat, short-sleeved black top and burgundy leggings standing looking up at sandstone wall with painted images.

Sample Verde Valley’s viticulture
Hike the Hangover Trail
Get your photo taken on Devil’s Arch

Glasses of red and white wine in two rows.

Man in shorts with grey pack walking on narrow path with overhanging reddish-brown sandstone cliffs.

Escape the crowds by exploring off the beaten path
Take a drive up to Flagstaff to wander the historic downtown and catch a concert at the Orpheum
Make a day trip to the Grand Canyon