There are many vans in the forest with people enjoying the beautiful ponderosa pines. Also lots of car tent campers. A1 mountain Road is a good place to camp. Also lots of van dwellers in Belmont..for a home base you only have the month of October and then the weather gets very very cold. Camping here is at 7000 ft and usually by the end of October people wander down to 5,000 ft and camp in places like Winslow or even head down the mountain to Sedona or Cottonwood.
The website free campsites.net is indispensable for finding public land. Public land is the best place to squat. I have been in the same campsite for a couple of months and I am 20 minutes from the nearest Walmart. During this pandemic there has been little or no enforcement of the 14-day rule. my dog and I are heading out tomorrow for lower elevation and wish you the best of luck and think you will really enjoy this area. Flagstaff is a cool little college town and I think you will have lots of fun... Peace and happiness to you!!
Book Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never SeenBook about the Tarahumara and how we can move without pain or injury too.