Places To Camp And Fish In Arizona

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This private, 72-acre ranch features views of the Verde Valley and tons of family-friendly activities. Kids will love climbing a tree house and captaining paddleboats on the ranch’s pond. There’s also a playground and petting zoo, plus pool tables, foosball and ping-pong in the game room. Take a dip in the pond and, if the water is high enough, head down the water slide.

Flowing through the Tonto National Forest is Arizona’s Salt River, a 200 mile long tributary of the Gila River. With its wild horses, canyons, and abundant wildlife, the Salt River is the perfect place to visit. As its name suggests, the Salt River flows over salt deposits . Perfect for tubing and rafting, the Salt River makes for an excellent choice for a family outing. Properly Dispose of Human Waste – Vault toilets are few and far between at dispersed campsites. The Luggable Loo, a cheap portable toilet, makes it easy to answer nature’s call.

Best Camping Near Me

This free dispersed camping area isn’t very far from Flagstaff as the crow flies, but it’s quite a trek to reach in a vehicle. Loy Butte Road and Pumphouse Wash are two other free dispersed campsites near Sedona that I love. RVs and trailers should look for camping within a mile or two of the main highway – after this, the road gets rough and turning around is difficult.

The floor to ceiling windows will let the scenery outside do the talking. There’s a couple of campgrounds choices, but we reckon Mather Campground is where you should start. The more popular North Rim Campground can get super busy, and you need to book far in advance. We’re here to help you navigate the world of camping in Arizona. Whether you’re 100% new to camping or just never considered Arizona a viable option, our guide is packed with all the info you’ll need to get started. In southern Arizona, not far from the border with Mexico, Chiricahua National Monument protects a sky island, a small mountain range set apart from other mountains.

Love Arizona?

When he’s not writing, he’s probably on a hiking trip or climbing in the mountains. Close to town, this RV park still retains a natural and secluded feeling. The surroundings are made up of sycamore and cottonwood trees, and Oak Creek Canyon is but a short distance away. Recreational activities include hiking and fishing, but the main attraction is the gorgeous cactus-spotted desert surroundings. Christopher Creek is actually the name of both the creek and a small village across the highway from the campground. Just a five minute drive from camp, it’s a quaint little burg with a convenience market great for refilling your cooler’s ice supply or replacing the bottle of ketchup you left at home.

The state park is also home to nearly 5000 saguaros; intimidating, tree-like cactuses. The landscape consists of rocky canyons, rolling foothills, and scenic streams, a perfect destination for a camping trip. Lost Dutchman State Park is one of Arizona’s most popular, as it offers both spectacular views and rich history. Named after a goldmine that may or may not exist, Lost Dutchman is only 40 miles from Phoenix. The Superstition Mountains are told to hold lost gold, and history enthusiasts come to wander the miles of hiking trails in search of some loot.

Sites are quite a distance apart, private, and immaculately maintained by the park staff. The area is quiet, and since the campground is set at 5,600 feet, the days are sunny and warm without being overly hot, and nights are refreshingly cool. Cave Springs Campground is located just over 20 minutes north of Sedona and allows you to easily enjoy the best of beautiful Oak Creek Canyon without the traffic issues of Sedona.

The park has three boat launch ramps, so boat campers, this is a great destination for you. This RV only site is amazingly located, right on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The campsites all sit in a shaded pine grove in the beautiful Kaibab National Forest, close to Jacob Lake.

Best Fishing Spots In Arizona

Romero Canyon Trail, one of our favorite Tucson hiking trails, and the Sutherland Trail, both connect to Mt. Lemmon Trail for an extra challenge. The campground’s 120 sites – all with RV hookups – are organized into three loops. The campground has more than 200 sites laid out like an RV neighborhood, with the last few rows of sites reserved for tents only. You’ll need reservations during the park’s busy season from January to March. There are no RV hookups, but the campground does have solar showers . The campground has 90 campsites and a quick glance at the campground map shows which sites have prime views and real estate.

Located in the Coconino National Forest, this campground offers stunning lake and mountain views, in an area home to an extinct volcano. Kaibab Camper Village is the only campground on the north rim that offers full hookups to RVers and can accommodate even 40 foot big rigs. Toilets, fire rings, picnic tables, and showers are available onsite, as well as laundry and a camp store.

Salt River

There is nothing quite like the feeling of watching the sunrise or sunset over the Grand Canyon before all the day trippers have arrived or left. During these uncertain times, please keep safety in mind and consider adding destinations to your bucket list to visit at a later date. A campfire burns at Woods Canyon Lake Recreation Area campground site off Forest Road 300.

No matter the type of camping you prefer, be it tent or RV, primitive or luxury, one of the campgrounds or parks on our list holds the ideal Arizona camping experience. All of the best sights, the most beautiful views, and the most interesting attractions have been compiled here, these are the best camping spots in Arizona. Patagonia State Park is another excellent choice for campers seeking seclusion, where you can rent a boat to access dispersed campsites on the water.

With only 10 sites and a remote location nestled along the banks of the Blue Ridge Reservoir, this first-come, first-served campground offers a quiet haven from the hustle and bustle. Not to mention a picturesque setting worthy of postcard status. Sinkhole Campground, in central Arizona’s Sitgreaves National Forest, sits on Willow Springs Lake, east of U.S. 17 between Flagstaff and Phoenix. The lake is well stocked with rainbow trout and largemouth bass by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The campground has 26 campsites with picnic tables, grills and fire rings, but no hookups.

Each winter, several BLM-managed Long Term Visitor Areas in Arizona offer long-term boondocking for just $180 for September 15th to April 15th. La Posa LTVA and Midland LTVA are located near Quartzsite while Imperial Dam LTVA is located near Yuma. The wind can get annoying if you don’t have an adequate wind block. Both Coconino and Apache-Sitgreaves also have a ton of developed campgrounds in the Mogollon Rim area. Saddle Mountain Overlook might just boast the best views of any free campsite in Arizona – maybe even the entire United States. And, don’t forget to climb up the nearby Grandview Lookout Tower .

Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon

The dispersed campsites on Peralta Road are on Arizona State Trust Land. However, part of the Mogollon Rim is located in Coconino National Forest . Milk Ranch Point Road is my favorite place to dispersed camp in the Coconino section of Mogollon Rim.

If your camp cooking isn’t up to snuff, there’s even a couple of restaurants here too. Brookchar Campground offers the best waterfront camping sites, and Rainbow Campground is the largest camping area, with more than 150 sites and plenty of amenities. This is a pretty good place to go fishing for largemouth bass, one of the best in the Phoenix area to say the least.

Aspen Campground is a scenic hideaway for anglers, boaters, families and photographers, located in north central Arizona near Heber and Payson. It sits in a dense pine and aspen area forest near the shore of Woods Canyon Lake at an elevation of 7,000 ft. There’s not much in the way of designated trails here, but you can take the short Sonoita Creek Trail over to Sonoita Creek State Natural Area, where you’ll find some 20 miles of hiking trails. Birding and wildlife viewing in both state parks are excellent, especially in cooler spring months before the summer crowds hit.