There are more than 100 large RV sites available. For after-hours arrivals, vacant sites may be occupied on a night-by-night basis only. Most of the pull-through sites can accommodate 40-foot motor homes and truck and trailer rigs up to 65 feet and include potable water and 30/50-amp service. Generators are prohibited.

All campground loops include modern, ADA accessible restroom facilities providing hot water and showers and are free to registered campers. There is a stay limit of 14 nights in a 30-day period. The park is often sold out in the spring and fall. It's a good idea to reserve early or check availability online or  by phone a few days in advance. To learn more about camping and recreation opportunities in your Arizona State Parks, see this comprehensive guide to camping in Arizona.

Camping Cabin Loop: 8 one-room log camping cabins are available at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. The cabin circle is tucked away from the other campgrounds for an ideal getaway for a weekend — or a week.

The cabins are variably furnished with a full-size bed, a bunk bed, table and chairs, dresser-drawer, ceiling fan with overhead light, and electricity. Cabins now have heating and cooling! 

Campers must supply their own linens. Each cabin also has a barbecue and picnic table outside, plus a small individual fire ring. Family-style shower facilities are only a short walk from all of the cabins. There is an electrified ramada with barbecues that can be shared by cabin guests. RVs are not permitted in cabin areas.

Dead Horse Ranch State Park Campground

This place has it all. River access, 2 lagoon areas, horseback riding (not affiliated with park), hiking, a playground with a zip line, fishing and Cottonwood is 1 mile away! There are full hook up sites and tent camping plus cabins. I love this state park- camp hosts are helpful.

Great campgrounds 

A friend and I spent two nights in the tent-only Blackhawk Loop at this campground in late March 2016.  The campground is well laid out with 3 mixed-camping loops (RV and tent) and a single tent-only loop set somewhat apart.  Restrooms and hot showers were present in most loops and cleaned daily.  The park has a small camp store with basic necessities.  There also is access to neighboring trails.

The only drawback to this campground is a lack of windbreak or shelter, especially in the tent-only loop; site 116 (end site with view over town below) has NO windbreak whatsoever.  Plan accordingly because the sand/dirt will be flying and will infiltrate EVERYTHING.

Nice campground with hot showers

Dead Horse Ranch is a beautiful Arizona state park.  It is also a great home base because it is down the street from Tuzigoot National Monument and close to Sedona and Monetzuma Castle National Monument.  It is just outside the charming city of Cottonwood.  

Homebase for great National Monuments 

 A great AZ park.  Clean, big and new.  Plus it is so close to everything.  Tuzigoot national monument is literally 5 minutes away.  Sedona is about an hour or so away.  And cottonwood has got some cool restaurants and antique shops in it too.  

In the middle of it all!

Beautiful park with lots of space to explore and play! There are lagoons with a trail around each one. Our favorite was the river access. A great place for a picnic and some splashing around. We were there two days, and it felt like there was much more to explore than we could fit in the time.

Great Park

Camped in november from the 13th to the 15th, not cold at all!!!

One of my favorite places to camp, close to sedona, jerome, cottonwood, and camp verde. Awesome showers, and electric hookups available. This is where we come to recharge ourselves and the drone. 

This is the 4th time I've stayed here. It's close to Sedona and the park itself has alot to see.

Always a great time.

Loved this campground, very peaceful, great views of the surrounding mountains. Watched the sunrise over the mountain.

The bathrooms are very clean.

Quiet Campground

Very nice large state park in between Sedona and Prescotte. Lots to do hike, fish, horseback ride right in the park. Nice polite neighbor, and great bath houses. Not too much shade available. Would stay again just not in June.

Don't  let the name fool you

Ranger Review: Humangear at Dead Horse Ranch State Park

**Campground Review**

We had a great time at Dead Horse Ranch! We just moved to Arizona, so we went in with zero expectations and were very pleased with just about everything.

Just 2 days beforehand, we booked our cabin on the campground website, the official Arizona State Parks site. The process was seamless, and we even got to pick our specific cabin out at no extra cost or fuss. We even got a confirmation email with our cabin unlock code on it when we booked. So convenient!

When we arrived at the park, we were warmly greeted by the Ranger and given instructions on getting to the cabin and activities in the park. Our cabin was small but just what we needed. It has an air conditioner/heater, so what more could you want!

After settling in, we drove around and saw the park has a lovely fishing and paddling area. Sadly we didn’t bring our fishing gear or boat, so we will have to do that next time. But there are lots of covered picnic areas and shading trees along the water.

While there, we did three “hikes”. They have real hikes there, but we have a 5, 3 and 1 year old so we had to keep it mellow. But the nature walks they had were great for that age group and was just enough to not burn out the kids. One of the hikes, per suggestion of the ranger, leads down to a little lagoon of water stopped between two dams. The kids were able to splash and play there -- it was just perfect! We went there twice in the 24 hours we were at the park.

All in all, a wonderful experience. There is a lot to see and do at this park. My only criticism is the bathrooms for the cabins. They are just fine, but there are only 2 of them for 8 cabins. Instead of having a bathroom with stalls and showers, it is just two stalls total that include a toilet, urinal, sink, and shower in a big lockable room. Seemed like an odd choice. I had to wait to use the bathroom several times because of this, and only have the cabins were occupied.

**Product Review**

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At Dead Horse Ranch, I tested a GoToob+, Flexibowl, and GoBites products from Humangear.

With the GoToob+, I decided to homemake a special hot dog sauce ahead of time and bring it to the campsite with me in the GoToob+. It worked perfectly! I especially love the new feature, called the LoopLock that slips up over the top of the cap as an extra security against leaks. When I have all my food packed for camping, the last thing I want to think about is leaking sticky sauce all over everything. Awesome feature.

Here is the recipe for the Sweet Campin’ Sauce:

*   1/2 tsp Onion powder
*   1/4 cup Honey
*   3/4 cup Ketchup
*   1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
*   3/4 cup Brown sugar
*   1 tsp Cider vinegar

Mix all these together in a saucepan until all sugars are dissolved and ingredients are melted together. Allow to cool slightly and pour carefully into your GoToob+ and snap on the LoopLock. Throw into your camping cooler and enjoy some high-class dogs as you camp!

Here is a video I made to show you how: Ranger Review: [https://youtu.be/Oj7enCSig5U](https://youtu.be/Oj7enCSig5U)

I also really loved the Flexibowl and GoBites utensils. The Flexibowl has a lip that can be flipped up or down, if you want more of a secure “bowl” or more of an open “cup”. I used it for homemade cole slaw.

The GoBites utensils came in really handy, especially the sharp knife! I needed to cut up hot dog into tiny pieces for my baby, and the knife did a great job. Also love the little toothpick included in the box -- shows a level of thougtfulness.

If you want any of these products, visit [http://www.humangear.com/](http://www.humangear.com/)

Ranger Review: Humangear at Dead Horse Ranch State Park

We stayed in a pop up camper for a long weekend. The site has electric (30 amp &amp; 15 amp) and water hookups. Bathroom and shower facilities are super clean and work well. The campground in located in Cottonwood, AZ but far enough removed that you don't feel like you are in the city. For those of you that want to adventure there are numerous hikes and the Verde River allows several places to kayak. A host of small towns are within a half hour drive including Sedona, Jerome and Prescott. We will be going back for sure!

quiet family friendly getaway in he AZ high country

We arrived at this campground at night. It wasn’t hard to find and we went camping in August. The weather wasn’t too hot but not too cold either. Beware of the bugs at night!!! There are a ton of moths and other flying bugs that will totally swarm you at this campground. Beware of tarantulas walking through the camp ground.

Beautiful views 

If the sites had a little more privacy, I'd give five stars. Whenever I take my family, I remind myself I'm not there for the actual tent camping, I'm there for everything else the state park offers. There are about eight small cabins as well. This park offers a much needed break from the Arizona heat in the spring and summer months. The "lakes" are really more like ponds but plenty large enough to fish in as is the Verde River, running through the park. Make sure to go down and take a dip during the warm seasons. They've recently improved the playground for young ones and offer horseback riding as well. Facilities are always clean. If you're tired of camping food, drive down the road to Cottonwood and be sure to visit Larry's Antiques (if you're into that of course).

You're not there for the camping

We were in the tent loop - the loop in the upper part of the campground. This loop has the advantage of a larger view...although little respite from the sun. A busy campground so reservations were necessary in April. Enjoyed the convenience of being near Cottonwood which worked well as we were using this stop as a respite and transition between different parts of our trip.

Arid with large view

Such a peaceful and beautiful camping environment. The grounds are exceptionally clean. The bathrooms as well. Very well maintained by camping host on site. We had a wonderful time, at this dog friendly campground. Good space between campsites. We can’t wait to go back!

Amazingly beautiful 

Where to begin? Bring your bicycles, kids, horses, and a great attitude and you and have nothing but fun here very clean very well maintained nice helpful people.. it's close to anything you want to go to Jerome the ruins the casino Sedona it has all the amenities that you would want to take care of you your family or any gifts that you have with you..

Really nice facility. Great bathrooms and showers. There's an area to take the little ones down to river where they play in the water safely,. Dogs are welcome and the playground has a really fun mini zip line. The place is well-maintained, especially the restrooms. Camp hosts were welcoming and knowledgeable about hiking. Fun place to hike.

One of our favorites in AZ!

We planned a last minute trip for a first time visit to this state park. We can not say enough great things about it. You have electric and water hook ups. Each spot doesn’t have a lot of room in between but this didn’t bother us as we enjoy hiking and being out and about. There is a table, fire ring and charcoal bbq grill. There are 20+ different trails throughout the park. There is 3 small lagoons that are stocked with fish. Dump station available for free if camping in park. 
I highly advise reserving a spot online. Playground with zip line down by the lagoons and many day use areas available. 

Just perfect

This little campsite was a nice get away from our home in Las Vegas, NV. Clean bathrooms and water stations at each campsite which was nice. Lagoon was in walking distant from campsite and had lots of easy trails along the way. 

Hidden gem in a city

We have stayed here before but on the lower Quail loop. This time up at the loops above. Not much shade at these but some more spread out then others. Electric and water hookups only. But free dump station comes with paid Rv spot. Cell service was great. No swimming in the lagoons but you can walk to the verde river and swim in there. Bathrooms have running water and showers. 

Great trails and river access

Our campsite loop was 50% shaded and unfortunately ours was not. Very clean, especially restrooms! Beware of gusty winds in the afternoons! Camp hosts, Oscar &amp; Laurie were great! 

Very Nice, but...

We really love this state park. Each site has electric and water hook ups. No sewer unfortunately but if you camp there it’s free to dump. We stayed this time in quail loop in spot 33 which has good shade throughout the entire day. Mesquite trees so not full shade but better then most. You are close to the trailhead that leads down to the verde river with some great swimming holes. The camp hosts are friendly and keep the grounds very clean. There are showers at both loops. And even a designated tent only loop. You are within 2 miles of Cottonwood if forgot something. 

Impeccable campground 

We enjoyed our stay here. The campground is close to area attractions such as Tuzigoot National Monument and Montezuma Castle National Monument which I both highly recommend. Campground is also close to the towns of Jerome and Clarkdale which are fun places to visit for the day.

Lovely place to camp

April 26-28. 2019 March weather would have been a LOT cooler. We enjoyed this park and hope to go back when it is cooler and when we can stay longer. Park has electric, water, showers, flush toilets, Verizon cellular service, $32.50 for site DHR-58. Concho's Mexican Restaurant was delicious - very unique taste.

Dead Horse Ranch State Park

We stayed at this campground for 3 nights in mid-October and recommend this state park for camping in the Sedona area.

  

Pros:

\-all sites in the Blackhawk Loop where we stayed had a level pad for tents (either small gravel or a wood platform), picnic table, and fire pit (though they could not be used due to a fire ban

\-can easily fit 2 smaller tents on the tent pad or 1 jumbo family tent

\-good amount of shrubbery in between sites so it didn't feel like you were right on top of your neighbors

\-driveways have space for 2 cars if needed

\-shower house was fairly clean and had hot showers

\-dishwashing sink behind the shower house was a nice perk

\-usable cell phone service (T-mobile)

\-no tent sites with power if you need that.  We filled up an air mattress using the outlet in the bathroom which worked fine.

  

Cons:

\-sites really vary in terms of how far back from the road they are.  Our site (122 in the Blackhawk loop) was a bit back from the road and had plenty of shrubbery, but some don't have as much privacy

\-not a ton of water fill up stations, but our loop was pretty small, so it was fine

\-you have to pay $15 per night for a 2nd car, which was a little steep, but given the campground is reasonably priced, this was fine

Nice state park for camping

We spent 3 nights here, using our camp spot as a"command center" for exploring the area around Cottonwood(including Sedona, Jerome, Montezuma's Castle, Tuzigoot, etc. etc.) We kept busy and were really not"home" during many daylight hours, but it was a great base to return to each evening. Dead Horse Ranch State Park has A LOT of camping spots, and can accomodate pretty much any vehicle. We were in a pull through site(31) that we really liked. The only surprise was that our nicely blacktopped spot was not very level...we had to put two blocks under the front passenger tire and one under the rear passenger tire. Hardly the end of the world though. One night we were there was Monday night, and folks were outside enjoying grilling and watching the game. But nothing ever got anything close to rowdy. It was a very quiet campground, and even though every site was full, and honestly, the space between sites is only about average, we never felt squeezed in or encroached upon. Every site has a picnic table and a grill. The electric and water hookups were fine(water pressure not the best I've ever had, but more than okay). Because it's such a busy place for camping, the two dump stations on the way out of the park DO sometimes have a wait. And one of them doesn't have access to water, which is tough when you prefer to also backflush your black tank.

  

The park itself is lovely, but unless you like fishing, probably won't hold you there too long. It's more as a quiet, inexpensive pretty place to stay rather than a destination in and of itself. We walked around a couple of lagoons and enjoyed some bird activity...but I would say don't think of this place as the be-all, end-all of your trip. But you're 30ish minutes to Sedona, 20ish minutes to Jerome, etc. We would certainly stay here again.

Lovely and quiet campground.

Very nice, clean campground with clean bath houses and friendly staff.  Ask for site 91. It’s one of the best. Also, Site 61 is large, has shrubs for privacy and direct access to the Mesa Trail. There are many hiking trails leading into the desert above Cottonwood. Jerome sits on the mountainside above. 

Great hiking

Very pleasant environment. Our dogs loved it. This place is close to tuzigoot national monument, wine tasting, sedona, red rock hiking. And the campground is just very pleasant and peaceful. No complaints.




Peaceful and well maintained

We are always pleased with our stay here. The park has so many different activities from hiking, horse trail, lakes and access to the verde river. We stayed in spot 97 this time and had some privacy with the bushes and trees from our neighbors. The bathrooms were clean and well maintained. There is a fun bike track for the kids or even adults up by the tent loop. Cottonwood is just a few miles and lots to do in town. 

Family favorite 

It was a nice campground and close to Jerome for some fun. It was really really hot when I was there so I’d plan to go back when it is cooler.  

Nice Canpground

Playground for the minds... peaceful lake with benches and fishing for the more seasoned. Highly recommend. 

Great time for young and old

We pulled in for a night. Very nice facilities and nice helpful camp hosts. Campsites are nice and roomy. Full hookups are nice. 

Very nice state park

Wow, what an awesome state park! Camping here with little ones was awesome, it had so much to do. The three small lakes are a great spot to fish and lots of shade. A horse stable and playground are nearby. There are 4 camping loops, 1 tent only. The cabins are on a separate road and have so much space and shade between. There is also river access. Close to national monuments and wineries. Not too far from Sedona and Jerome. Lots of day trips close by. We will be back!

Northern Arizona Treasure

Several bike trails start at this park. Technical single track and some easier rides.
Facilities are fine but very minimal shade so very hot midday.

Great spot for mountain bikers

This is by far one of our top campgrounds. We love the access to the verde river and swimming holes. The 3 lagoons have some great fish in them! The grounds are all very well kept. We recently learned about the junior ranger program that each state park does. Fun for kids interested in participating. Cottonwood is 3 miles away and cell service is great for Verizon. There is a little bmx track up by the tent loop and SO many hiking and biking trails. 

Amazing campground

The forest was closed in Northern Arizona so I decided to camp out at Dead Horse Ranch SP.  I was pretty pleased overall with my trip.  My campsite was comfortable and private enough, considering how close the sites are at this campground.  I had some shade trees to help keep my travel trailer cool but definitely needed to run the AC all night in order to stay comfortable.  The RV sites here have fresh water and power, but no sewer.  There is a dump station at the park entrance that is easily accessible when both entering and exiting the park. I enjoyed fishing, hiking, and bike riding while I was here but had to limit my outdoor activities to the morning hours due to the heat.  

  

One afternoon I went into old town Cottonwood, which is only a couple of miles from the park.  It's a great place to visit if you're into antiques or wine tasting.

Hot in July, but quiet and enjoyable

We stayed here for our first trip with a TT in December 2020. Water and electric hookups. They have a dump station. They have a lake to fish in and equestrian center to go on horse back rides. 

Very nice campground

Large campground, lots of families and dogs. Sites are pretty well spaced. Site 116 is extra large and has a pretty view overlooking town. 

The women’s shower had no hot water when I was there. The men’s shower had hot water. 

Bring your own drinking water. They only water available is at the bath house. 

Best site in this family campground

We had a great night here during a road trip. I reserved the site online, which was very easy, and the site was easy to locate when we arrived. The office had already closed but we had no problem finding a map and getting to our site. 

The campground overlooked town yet we had a great view of the night sky. We had a bit of rain overnight and woke to fog. The showers were free and clean and the sink to wash dishes was a huge bonus. The proximity of sites to the shower building was helpful with a toddler. 

We would definitely stay here again. 

Great Stay

Decent spot. Our first camp in our travel trailer. Nice easy access. Easy hookups. It was hotttt (May visit and it's AZ so...) there and the sun came up on our awning side so not much for shade but there are some better spots for shade. 3 lakes/ponds you can fish in (not play in) that were peaceful. Kids playground (wished it was covered). The bathrooms were nice and clean! Showers, kitchen cleanup sink. 

Not too bad for first camper experience!

I didn't like it. No water only a tiny stream. No! Hunting

Quiet good for the young and old

Dead Horse Ranch State Park is a perfect place to stay if you want to visit, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Tuzigoot National Monument, Old Cottonwood, Red Rock State Park, Jerome and the many Sedona attractions. Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot are pet friendly although if your pet doesn’t like stairs Tuzigoot may be a little more difficult walk for them. The price of one ticket covers both National Monuments and Tuzigoot is only 4 miles from the campground. Within the campground, there are three lagoons and miles of trails to hike or bike. The bathrooms are well maintained, and the showers had great water pressure. We were in site 91 which was a large site and level, but the metal picnic bench needs to be replaced. Brush between the sites adds privacy. Staff and the camp host were all very friendly and helpful. Firewood can be purchased for$8 cash from the camp host. The dump station is on the way out of the park is easy to access. Overall, we enjoyed the park. It was very quiet and a great location to multiple attractions.

Perfect place to stay to visit, Montezuma Castle and Tazigoot NM

We pulled into our spot at Dead Horse Ranch as the temps crept below freezing. This was our first night ever in a campervan, and we were feeling very fortunate for scoring the last site with electricity. 

.

It snowed in the night (February) and we woke to discover that the bathhouse was heated with free hot showers. This, combined with dishwashing stations (again with hot water) and friendly campground hosts, made for a lovely stay at Dead Horse Ranch.

  

The only downside was the lack of privacy between sites - fine for van or RV camping, but not ideal for tenters. 

  

There are a couple of nice trails in the park, one leading into Old Town Cottonwood - try Old Town Cafe for their flaky croissants! Dead Horse Ranch is about 30 minutes from Sedona and fantastic hiking, which we took advantage of all three nights we were there. 

  

Bottom line, this was not a wilderness experience, but Dead Horse Ranch provides nice sites and great amenities, and you can't beat the convenience of the location.   
  

We preferred the Red Tailed Hawk loop to all the others, and really liked sites 57 - 64 for the views and access to trails.

Great Amenities, Little Privacy

The quail campground is a nice spot for small to midsize campers and tents. Our spot number 19 is perfect. It was close to a trail going down to the river. We like it so much we will try to book that spot again next year. The hosts were very nice and the bathrooms were very clean. What more could you ask for?

Sweet spot

We stayed 2 nights in Red Tail Hawk loop and one night in Quail loop. We preferred being on the hill in Red Tail Hawk. Great amenities. Bathhouse, playgrounds etc. 

Different loops, different views

Great area with lots to do and see.  We stayed in Red Tail Hawk campground. Host was helpful and friendly. Restroom was clean! 