Greetings fellow campers. I’m curious about a high elevation campsite in the trees for rim-overlook-hammocking with a fire pit on the Mogollan Rim, AZ but….the kicker is, 2WD accessible. Is this at all possible?

TIA!

Hi, new to camping so bear with me but can you really just setup anywhere in dispersed camping in AZ? How do I find this dispersed camping? Any areas to avoid since I have kids? Thank you in advance!

Camping at Roosevelt Lake this weekend. Anything to do around the lake besides boating or the Tonto National Monument?

I want to get out and do some overnight camping in the lower elevations before daytime temps get too much warmer. This week's forecast looks gorgeous!

I want to try and stay within about 90 minutes of Phoenix proper. I'll have my young son with me, so an established campground is a bonus, but I could be talked into somewhere cool that's off the beaten path. I've looked up a couple places already but wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth, as well. Thanks!

I want to go camping at Aspen Campground in April but its only First come First Serve. Does anyone know how quickly those sell out? Id hate to pack up and drive up there to be turned away. Thanks for any advice. 🙂

I was planning on spending some time exploring and dispersed camping in the Page/Vermillion Cliffs area. Thing is, I only have a 2WD minivan (which I've driving down many a rough road, but never roads requiring 4x4). I've done quite a bit of research on hiking trails, but it seems almost all require 4x4/high clearance to access the trailheads. I am not interested in paying for any organized tours. Should I just plan on exploring a different area OR are there nice trails in the Vermillion Cliffs area that don't require 4x4 that, for some reason, I am just not finding in my research? Thanks!

I think this would be the perfect community to ask!: Where would be some good foraging spots for unique rocks, branches etc that I can use as ingredients for some terrariums?

I figure that perhaps somewhere near a river might offer both large rocks and unique wood.

I’m hoping for something within an hour of phoenix. This is an outing i’m planning with my family for each person to make their own terrarium. Any pins, or coordinates would help greatly. Thank you!

Is it possible to find a secluded place to camp on the Rim? Hubby and I want to camp but do not want the possibility of anyone near us. Any suggestions? Thinking of going in March.

Hey everyone,

My wife and I are thinking of camping the end of December into the new year. I did have one question though, which is a large reason for us even going camping. Are fire works allowed on camp grounds? We will be going camping at the White Tank mountains camp ground. We will be taking our two dogs and the last thing I want to do is freak them out being near fire works they can’t escape from

Hiya, looking to go camping ( a plus if we are able to fish too) however, we don’t have the greatest winter cars. We’ll be taking a mustang so definitely not the best for driving on snow… please tell me there’s some options!

Trying to find some relatively accessible (4x4 truck with chains) snow camping spots in Arizona to try out this winter.

Hi! I’ve been camping in Sedona many times as I frequent FR 525 a lot, but I’ve always noticed that it’s illegal to have campfires there, bummer especially since it’s getting cold. I know that “building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal, or wood stove other than in a developed campsite or picnic area is prohibited.” But does anyone know any dispersed camping spots or campsites with designated areas to burn? Thanks 🤙

I just moved to Tucson and am looking for good camping spots where I can also do some fishing. I can use either my Jeep Gladiator with RTT, or if the site allows I also a small off road camper. Thanks in advance!

Anybody go camping up near flagstaff and Sedona or near show low. Want to get out of this heat even though is getting a little chilly. Preferably a dispersed site away from all the busy. Also somewhere I can go fishing. Thanks in advance.

Any good spots to camp near lakes? Dry camping or not?

Hey everyone!

I've lived in AZ for 35 years and have never camped in the desert. So, I'm going to give it a shot. Does anyone know of some pretty dispersed sites good for a 20 foot travel trailer?

Thank you in advance!

I've lived in AZ for close to 40 years and never camped in the desert. You couldn't force me to put a tent up next to a cactus.

I recently bought a travel trailer and would like to break my desert cherry.

Does anyone know of any relatively secluded areas around lake pleasant I could park and enjoy the desert night skies and scenery? I'm familiar with the BLM land everywhere north, just not closer to home.

Thanks everyone! I've enjoyed lurking over the years!

Happy camping!

Back over the winter I posted in this sub and got a lot of great advice that made my trip a success! Sharing my experience to hopefully help the next person wanting to explore this awesome National Park. The environmental diversity due to the Sky Island effect of the Rincons soaring above Tucson really blew me away.

In March I spent 6 days and covered nearly 60 miles, hitting all of Saguaro's backcountry campsites except 1. As you all know, it was a big snow year for the Grand Canyon State (more on this impact later), therefore water access was a non-issue for my trip. I'd expect that to be much different during drier times of the year.

Video Trip Report: https://youtu.be/qEVhG_mAL4M

Day 1 ~11M: Cactus Forest North --> Douglas Spring

Saguaro National Park started out exactly as I expected - full of Saguaros! Little did I know I wouldn't see another Saguaro between Day 1 and Day 6. The climb from the cactus forest up to Douglas Spring wasn't too bad. The environment starting shifting dramatically, away from the statuesque Saguaros to a desert grassland. From the Douglas Spring campsite I could see the snow-covered peaks that I would be attempting to reach on Day 2.

Day 2 ~10M: Douglas Spring --> Manning Camp

The biggest climbing day of the trip, I started off a little nervous because a storm overnight had deposited more snow up high. The ecosystems changed rapidly as I gained elevation leaving the grassland behind to eventually reach thick forests. Ascending to Manning Camp took me through one of my favorite parts of the whole trip - the snowy conifer forests with babbling brooks cutting through the white cover. As soon as I made it to Manning Camp a brutal wintry mix of sleet, snow & hail started falling.

Day 3 ~10M: Manning Camp --> Happy Valley

I woke up to my tent frozen completely solid coated in ice from the wintry mix. Fortunately I had a lighter inside and used it to melt the zippers enough to escape. I decided to let things thaw out a little bit and day hiked across the fresh snow to the Spud Rock vicinity seeing many fresh animal tracks along the way. Returning to pack up my slightly less frozen tent I then set out on the toughest part of my journey. I had some horrible post-holing to make it to Heartbreak Ridge. I was happy to finally reach the cozy Happy Valley campsite for the night after a challenging day.

Day 4 ~9M: Happy Valley --> Grass Shack

About half of this day was retracing my steps back up Heartbreak Ridge before breaking into new ground. The Devil's Bathtub area was another cool ecosystem in the Rincons. It looked like an awesome place for potential camping but the Park has not set up a campground here (camping only allowed in the 6 designated areas). There were some massive waterfalls in the distance as I continued on towards Grass Shack. Arizona Trail thru hikers abounded during this stretch.

Day 5 ~6M: Grass Shack --> Juniper Basin

I was looking forward to this nice short day. The highlight was certainly the ridge hiking up to Tanque Verde Peak and the 360-degree view from the top. This was probably my favorite vista of the trek but I'm still not positive on how exactly to pronounce "Tanque Verde". I really liked the camping area around Juniper Basin it was calm and pretty - yet another varied ecosystem in the Park.

Day 6 ~11M: Juniper Basin --> Cactus Forest North

After not seeing a Saguaro in Saguaro National Park since Day 1 today would deliver me back to these mighty desert sentinels. I headed down from Juniper Basin to return to the land of cacti. I had a short roadwalk as the Park trail system does not connect between the Tanque Verde Ridge Trail and the Cactus Forest Trail. Lime Falls was flowing just enough to make the detour worth it. After finishing I stopped by the Park store to pick up a souvenir mug for my friends in Tucson who were letting me stay with them.

All in all I greatly enjoyed my time exploring this unique treasure! It was much different than I expected going into the hike but perhaps my favorite aspect was the incredibly varied ecosystems throughout the Rincon Mountains and Cactus Forest. I hope this write-up helps anyone looking to do their own adventure here - my video trip report contains even more details!

Video Trip Report: https://youtu.be/qEVhG_mAL4M

Hi all - I have a week off work from 12/14 to 12/21. I will be flying into Phoenix on 12/14 and am looking for a good spot (or spots) to camp/hike. I'm interested in going south to avoid anything too cold and would love to find a tent-site or car-camping site where I can setup camp for a few days, or the whole week.

I'm a long-distance trail runner so access to many miles of trails (from campsite or a reasonable drive away) would be great and I love the idea of having a nice campsite to take in a sunset & campfire at the end of the day. Doing research and getting overwhelmed so thought I would ask here. Thanks in advance.

I’ve decided that disperse camping is what I like. I want to know what cool spots you can recommend that is accessible by sedan/passenger vehicle.

Does anyone have any experience staying at Houston Mesa Campground? I was shocked to find just about all of their tent sites available to reserve with short notice. I have done dispersed camping on the fire road past Water Well and the area is very pretty, just curious if I'm getting myself set up for disappointment. We are taking some friends camping for the first time and thought having bathrooms close by would be a positive to ease them into it. Thanks in advance for any input!

Hello! Looking for camp sites that have showers. Any recommendations?

I'm looking to visit Flagstaff for a late summer vacation to do some hiking and backpacking and I have a few questions. Is mid August a bad time for backpacking Northern AZ? I've dealt with late summer rains outside Santa Fe and in Lake Tahoe, what's it like in Flagstaff? Do the trails get muddy and miserable? My tentative plan is to hike north out of Flagstaff to the base of Humphrey's, hike up to the peak and down the other side to Shultz tank/trailhead, then maybe around the east side of town and maybe a last day out and back on the AZT south towards Mormon lake. Thanks in advance!

Anybody know some good off-roading trails near Tucson to take my Coleman mini bike?

Hey! Hoping to head up Thursday or Friday this week and stay through Sunday morning. I’ve only camped once and it was upper tonto which we loved and is now closed. Family of 6, all 4 kids are 6 and under as well as a young family of 4. What sites are similar?

Looking for 2-2.5 hour drive from Chandler/Tempe area, and ideally there is a fire pit, a bathroom, and a table at the site.

First time ever camping in AZ. We will be on a designated camp ground. Any other advice is appreciated.

Hi there,

For Memorial Day Weekend, my wife and I are heading up to Payson and will be planning on spending one of our days there fishing at Woods Canyon Lake. I know, however, that holiday weekend parking will be a nightmare, so I was hoping to find some help with strategizing our entry.

I took a look at Google maps and it looks like there are plenty of parking spots near the trailhead on the southwest end. We’re thinking of waking up early and trying to snag a parking spot here by 7:30 AM or so. Then we could trek it from the parking spot further northwest until we find a nice fishing spot to set up.

Is 7:30 AM too late? Should we plan on earlier?

Thanks for the help!

Does anybody know where a good campground you can go swimming is at?