No crowds, no water, no restrooms, no trash service, no picnic tables, no fees — no problem. That’s the deal with dispersed camping, a way of lodging in the forest outside of developed campgrounds.

Camping styles at these no-frills dirt pullouts range from primitive bivouacs to group tent cities (Barbie forts, anybody?) to luxury RV setups complete with full kitchens and satellite television. Which kind of makes you wonder, no?

Whatever your interpretation of “sleeping rough,” dispersed camping requires a higher degree of preparedness as well as attention to proper sanitary procedures, trash removal and campfire safety, including knowing when fires are banned.

Summertime in Arizona means forest roads are lined with pop-up temporary living quarters. While many of these no-star way stations are steps away from popular hiking routes like the Arizona National Scenic Trail, others are not.

Willow Crossing:This Arizona hike is tricky to get to but surprises await

So in between dipping into the beer cooler and flipping through tawdry novels, a good way to break up your time off the beaten track is to take a walk on dirt roads to soak in the beauty of the forest and spy the details that are easy to miss while lurching along in a vehicle.

The Coconino National Forest Motor Vehicle Use Map, which is available for free in hard copy, downloadable pdf or digital format, shows where dispersed camping is allowed.

One shady, high-elevation place to try is the roads around Bill Back Park south of Flagstaff and Mormon Lake.

Less than a half-mile from paved Lake Mary Road, Forest Road 230 offers dozens of generously spaced campsites and makes for easy summer strolling under tall pines.

Beginning at the junction of Stoneman Lake Road (FR213) the hike down FR 230 begins in sunny meadows before ducking into ponderosa pine woodlands. The outwardly monodominant forest of soaring conifers belies a much richer ecological diversity that’s easily exposed to those with an inclination for discovery.

Near Flagstaff:This easy lakeside walk erupts with sunflowers in late summer

Roadside pops of color, courtesy of lupine, penstemon, clover, thistle and blooming shrubs, brighten meadows while tiny waterholes harbor mini wetland environs rife with water buttercups, frogs and elk.

Bill Back Park — not a developed place but a long, open pasture fringed with pines — attracts swarms of birds and critters. At the south end of the park, FR 230G spins off to the left.

A few yards down this nonmotorized spur path, a wood and barbed-wire corral falls apart in plain view. Beyond the corral, the road descends through the heavily forested divide between 7,743-foot Bill Back Butte and 7,639-foot Jackson Butte.

Gambel oaks and wild roses enter the botanical mix before the road meets a cattle guard at the 3.85-mile point. This is a good turnaround spot in order to get back to camp for a frosty IPA in isolated, pine-swaddled bliss.

Getting there: From Flagstaff, go 34.2 miles south on Lake Mary Road (County Road 3) to Stoneman Lake Road (Forest Road 213). Turn left and go 0.4 mile to FR 230 on the left. Park in any of the dirt turnoffs along the road.

Details: Coconino National Forest Motor Vehicle Use Map, https://www.fs.usda.gov.

More summer fun:Water views and wildlife make these easy Arizona hikes a delight

Read more of Mare Czinar's hikes at http://arizonahiking.blogspot.com.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.