Aravaipa camping for one (or two)

[andrewp]

I have my first trip to Aravaipa scheduled to start this coming Wednesday with a 3 day permit. I'll be traveling alone with entry via the west trailhead.

My plan was to hike in to the Horse Camp / Virgus area, setup camp, and then spend the rest of the afternoon exploring Horse Camp or Virgus. On the second day I plan to hike to Hell Hole, explore the canyon, and then catch Booger on the way back if there's time. Day 3 is open for more exploring before I break camp and head home.

In reading trip reports I'm starting to get the impression that while the Horse Camp area has great campsites many of them are overused and tend to be more suited to larger groups. While not totally misanthropic I do prefer to spend my alone time alone so I'm wondering if I would be better off looking beyond the Horse Camp area to find something a little more secluded. There are some mentions of good sites near Booger. I have no issue trekking the additional distance, but would prefer to do it knowing that there's some better camping there.

Can anyone comment on availability of nice, small, and secluded sites between Horse Camp / Virgus and Booger?

[xsproutx]

I'd say it's true that there are a lot of camps suitable for larger groups in horse camp, I've never had an issue as a solo backpacker in that area. With just how few people there are overnighting at any given time, it hasn't been an issue for me (as someone who tends to prefer quiet and relative solitude). If you stay right next to the water, you might have someone cut through camp to get water but that's about it. There are some decent in Booger, as well, but I'm not really sure it's worth it.

[The_Dude]

You should be fine with one of the 4 or 5 sites around horse camp. I was just there last week with two friends and enjoyed one of the larger sites, but there are numerous. If the horse camp sites don't suit your needs, there are a few smaller stealth camp type spots just a little past horse camp too.