Free Camping Collection
Dispersed Camping
Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area
About
USDA Forest Service
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest
A beautiful, narrow, canyon-bound lake, accessible by foot trail only, Bear Canyon Lake is one of several in a series of fishing lakes built by Arizona Game and Fish Department. Despite being several miles down a dirt road and having few amenities, it draws many visitors. The partially developed campground which is set among the mixed conifer, oak and aspen, has only limited amenities. Bear Canyon Lake is a "Pack it in - Pack it out" area. There is NO GARBAGE SERVICE. Please be good stewards of the land and leave the area better than how you found it.
For purposes of fire restrictions, this campground is considered to be an 'undeveloped' campground. No fires will be permitted when fire restrictions are in effect for the Apache-Sitgreaves Forest.
At an elevation of 7,560, Bear Canyon Lake consists of 60 surface acres with a maximum depth of 50 feet. Because of its depth, this lake has no water quality problems. The Arizona Department of Game and Fish stocks it with catchable-sized rainbow trout about six times each year.
Arizona fishing regulations apply. Please refer to the current year fishing regulations brochure produced by the Arizona Game and Fish Department for further details on licensing requirements, daily bag limits, and other restrictions. Boat motors are restricted to electric motors only.
Fee Info
There is no fee to camp.
Reservation Info
This is a first come first serve campground.
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonUnknown
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Dispersed
Features
For Campers
- ADA Access
- Trash
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
Wild Wild West
The drive in towing a camper is pretty easy. No real need for 4x4s. Looooong dirt road to reach the camping area/lake but pretty well kept up. Campgrounds were FULL of ATV users and loud music until 11-12pm.
We went to fish. As other people have stated, very steep to get down to the lake (worse in the evening going back up when you’re tired). We must have picked the WORST weekend ever as fishing groups and families playing in the lake we’re stacked on top of each other.
Bear Canyon Adventure
Had an amazing time up there on a combined family trip. Tons of trails to adventure, a gorgeous lake and perfect spacing between camp sites.
- (14) View All
Fun Trip Gone Eerie (9/17-9/20)
This is a beautiful camping area to spend time with family & friends. So much to do, hiking, kayaking, fishing, etc. To get there do expect about 20mins of driving on dirt roads & 10mins of bumpy rocky roads to remote camping areas. Our 1st night (Thursday night) you could hear elk throughout the night 😁. By Our 2nd night, Friday night, the camp sites were all filled so all elk had moved away😢. There’s no way to camp in front of the lake so that was not good for us because we brought our kayaks. Since we camped in a remote area, we drove up to the lake parking area and hiked downhill about 8 minutes to reach the shore. There were a lot of people and unfortunately there was a lot of trash left behind. Super disrespectful! However, the lake is very beautiful! There is a lot of room for hiking and wondering about. 🌲🌲🌲♥️
The downturn for us was on our last night. There appeared to be some cult activity and what sounded like satanic & eerie chanting that lasted for hours. It must’ve been a large group because many around us could hear them & some of us were clearly bothered by it. There was some shooting from campers nearby & shouting matches as a form of intimidation to quiet them down but this only made the chanting louder. Things got too eerie for us so we abandoned our camp & left for the night. Dispatch was contacted and they said someone would check out the area but we don’t know if that happened since we preferred not to wait for their arrival. The next morning we returned to pack up. It was unfortunate because we had been enjoying ourselves. This might not happen often and might only occur every once in awhile but I felt it was necessary to make other campers aware of the surrounding activity.
All in all beside this unfortunate event, the camping trip was really fun and Bear Canyon Lake is very beautiful. *I forgot to mention, if you hike deep into the woods, you will see deer. ♥️🌲🌿😊
Location
Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area is located in Arizona
Directions
Just off Bear Canyon Lake, approximately 14 miles northwest of State Highway 260 on Forest Road 89. Forest Road 89 is accessed via Forest Road 300 which is located directly across from the Rim Visitor Information Station or 25 miles west of Heber, Arizona.
Coordinates
34.40338047 N
111.009927 W