Best Places To Tent Camp In Arizona

As for the campground, you need to hike from Havasupai Village into Havasu canyon for 2 miles. The campground stretches across the banks of Havasu Creek and is around 1 mile long. You can set up your tents wherever you want, but away from the creek. Picnic tables and vault toilets are provided in the area, and you can obtain water from piped spring.

Box Wash Campground, near Wickenburg, Arizona is a great base camp to visit a variety of parks in the region. There are no amenities at this campsite area so be ready to truly rough it. To learn more about free camping, check out our complete guide to free camping in the United States. So, pack up your tent or dust off your RV, here are the best places to camp in Arizona on your next trip.

And even if you’re camped back in the forest, the creek is only a two minute walk away and offers numerous fishing and swimming holes. Just outside Tucson, south of Saguaro National Park, free camping in Arizona exists for RVers, motorhomes, and tent campers alike. While there’s limited privacy in the desert expanse, there are plenty of established sites for a few days or a couple of weeks. Either way, there’s plenty to explore in the surrounding areas so you’ll want time to do so.

With a name like “Patagonia,” you shouldn’t be surprised to find plenty of opportunities for glamping here. The Raven’s Nest Nature Sanctuary offers safari-type camping in luxury tents with hammocks outside. The Ravens Nature School teaches wilderness skills and sustainable living practices, and there is a safari tented camp with two tents.

Camping In Arizona

Located in the Coconino National Forest and just a short drive from Slide Rock State Park is Cave Springs Campground, just nearby Sedona. Miles of hiking trails accessible from the campground offer spectacular views of the Grand Canyon. Nearby, Oak Creek offers great fishing for trout, as well as a lovely spot to cool off in the summer with a swim. The scenic surroundings make this campground one of Coconino National Forest’s most popular spots.

Perfect for boondocking in an RV or trailer thanks to well-maintained access roads. The Twin Peaks Campground is large, offering over 200 tent and RV sites. Because this is such a remote location, it’s not typically crowded.

Tents, motorhomes, and RVs up to 35-feet are allowed here, but there are NO utility hookups. It has over 26 single sites and 1 group site for a small get-together of 25 people. Tents, small motorhomes and RVs up to 16-feet are allowed in this pet-friendly campground. Spillway Campground sits right on the shores of Woods Canyon Lake in north-central Arizona, nearby Heber town. It is situated on Forest Road 300, nearly 5 miles north of State Highway 260.

Best Places For Free Camping In Arizona

Free camping at Whitewater draw is perfect for RV boondocking. Go hiking, swimming, fishing or boating at beautiful Squaw Lake situated just off the Colorado River. This off-the-beaten-path Arizona lake is a serene place for wildlife viewing and exploring the water by boat.

You’ll find 138 designated campsites, 68 of which offer electric and water hookups for RVs. Explore the Sonoran Desert on foot or via mountain bike using the hiking and mountain biking trails woven throughout the park. There are plenty of beautiful views of the canyon from a variety of hiking trails and easy access to Oak Creek for fishing, wading, and swimming. Part of the Tonto National Forest, the Pinal and Upper Pinal campgrounds are excellent free campsites for anyone looking for access to great hiking trails.

The Havasu Creek flows directly through the campground, and limestone cliffs tower above the canyon, creating amazing surroundings. Located on the 55-acre Lynx Lake, this campground is situated in a pleasant grove of ponderosa pine. During spring and summer, wildflowers bloom in the area creating a beautiful natural backdrop, and the forest is home to a wide variety of wildlife.

Freidlein Prairie Dispersed Camping

The campsite is also close to one of the entrances of Saguaro National Park, the Old Tucson Movie Studios, and the Sonora Desert Museum. Hiking and mountain biking trails are available as well in the area. It offers full RV hookups with a household current option, restrooms, showers, camp store, coin laundry, and a dump station.

The campsites sites offer fire rings, grills, picnic tables, drinking water, and pit toilets. Though this camping area is not as secluded as some, it offers plenty of space for large RVs, access to hiking trails and is an easy drive to town. The campground offers picnic tables, restrooms, water hydrants, and a boat dock. 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.

Monument Valley, The View Campground

The park offers a campground with 72 developed sites, 34 sites with water and electric hookups and 12 sites with boat access. Throughout the park, you will find many RV sites and tent sites with picnic tables. Some sites even come with water, sewer, and electric hookups. Pullouts at the park allow you to observe wildlife over 4000-acres at 4900-feet of elevation.

If you are looking to camp under a starry sky with close to no light pollution, then this is the perfect spot for you. Whether you’re tent camping, RVing, or backpacking, there’s a top-notch campground pretty much anywhere you visit. There are plenty of recreational activities in the area like hiking and fishing. The campground is just a short drive to all the restaurants, spas, local shops, and galleries Sedona has to offer. The beautiful scenery, hiking trails, and, of course, the waterfalls are among the most beautiful near the Grand Canyon. While it may be one of the busier campgrounds in the area, the beautiful desert views make camping here well worth it.

You’ll find a mix of camping options, from tent-only to pull-through sites. The most outstanding area for camping is along the Mogollon Rim, where you’ll find several campgrounds along the Rim Road. These campgrounds are all over 7,500 feet, and they open later in the season than the campgrounds closer to town, which are between 1,500 to 2,000 feet lower. At the higher elevations, you can expect much cooler temperatures even in summer. 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.

The camping reservation fee is $8, and the Fee for developed sites is $32; semi-developed sites is $22; primitive sites is $15 and shaded RV sites is $40. It has over acres of water within a beautiful desert landscape, making it one of the most scenic recreation areas in Arizona. Mather Campground is in northern Arizona on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The campground is nearly 1 mile away from the rim of the canyon.

The campground amenities have 208 sites segregated for RV’s and tent-only areas. The electric power supply is available for those in need, as well as toilets and showers. If you happen to arrive late, there are inns and motels within the park you can stay in.

Elk loop and mountain lion loop are also quiet and well-treed areas, and open to RVs. Sites are a mix of reservable and first-come, first-served. If you are looking to camp close to town, or you are camping early in the season before the higher elevations open up, Houston Mesa Campground is a wonderful choice.