Sinkhole Campground, near Payson, Arizona, is a cozy retreat tucked away in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. With its proximity to Willow Springs Lake, it’s a prime location for those looking to fish, kayak, or just soak in the serene surroundings.

This campground features 26 sites, perfect for tents, RVs, or even glamping. Visitors often highlight the cleanliness of the facilities, including well-maintained vault toilets and a water source for filling jugs. As one camper noted, “The hosts were polite, attentive, and clearly take good care of this area.” 

The area is surrounded by Ponderosa Pines, providing a lovely backdrop for your camping experience. While some sites are a bit close together, the peaceful atmosphere and the chance to spot wildlife, like elk, make it worthwhile. Hiking trails are nearby, and the lake is just a half-mile walk away, offering a great escape for those wanting to explore. 

Whether you're looking to unwind by the campfire or enjoy a day on the water, Sinkhole Campground has the essentials for a memorable outdoor adventure.

## Overview

 Located in the ponderosa pine forest, this campground is within walking distance of Willow Springs Lake which provides boating and fishing opportunities. Hiking and mountain biking opportunities are nearby in the non-motorized Wildlife Area. The General Crook National Recreation Trail is also within a mile of the campground. Be prepared for rain, often heavy, through July and August. Expect cool to cold nighttime temperatures.
## Recreation

 Fishing and boating are available at nearby Willow Springs Lake which is approximately one mile from the campground.
## Natural Features

 Sinkhole Campground is surrounded by ponderosa pines. The entrance, roads and back-in section is asphalt. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Woods Canyon Lakes is located approximately 10 miles west off of Road 300 and Road 105. The store at the lake has boat and kayak rentals. Gas, phone and groceries are available approximately four miles east at Forest Lakes. 
## Contact Info

 For facility specific information, please call (928) 535-0181.

Sinkhole Campground

Searching for the best camping near Forest Lakes, AZ? There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Arizona camping adventure.

Forest Lakes

The Best Camping Near Forest Lakes, Arizona

We visited here for a night get away from Scottsdale. It's amazing! We sadly only camped one night. It did hail on us, but the site was excellent and we had a view of an elk feeding in the field from our tent. It was very close to the lake if you wanted to fish, boat, SUP, etc. Overall a great experience. Very close to the Mogollan rim.

Great get away!

This is the only campground near Willow Springs Lake. Only 26 units but a good spot for even large trailers. No utility hookups. You are about a mile from the lake but it stocked alot with trout during the summer. The campground is right off the US 260 so you get noise from the highway. Still a very nice spot for tents and trailers.

Nice small campground

**Campground Review**

Sinkhole Campground is relatively small compared to most of the campgrounds in this area. There are a total of 26 sites, and 13 of them can be reserved online in advance. These sites are spread over 2 loops, and each loop has 1 bathroom building with a men’s and women’s side. There is a campground host at the entrance, as well as an above ground water source (it does not claim to be drinking water but the info on Recreation.gov says it is drinking water). There are also dumpsters, but they have a sign saying it costs $3 per bag of trash to use them.

The bathrooms are nothing fancy, but they were clean, had toilet paper, working locks, air freshener, and they were regularly maintained. The vault toilets have the smallest seats I’ve ever seen, but again… they were clean. There was a “sewage” smell for about 10 feet around the bathroom building, but absolutely no smell inside other than the air freshener.

The campground was laid out in a different way than I’ve seen in any other campground, but it seems to work. Each site from 1-13 (as far as I noticed) was designed to be passenger side facing in a circular design that means you are not walking out to face your neighbor doing the same. We stayed in site 5, which is considered a group site with site 4\. Thankfully, we were there with 2 other families, and we had both site 4 and site 5\. Honestly, if we had been in either site without being there with the other family it would have been awkward. I’ve posted pictures because it will be very hard to explain. Basically, it’s 2 parking spaces that are extra-long, and one has an extra 10 feet at the back so the idea is that both RVs will open about 5 feet apart.

The campground is roughly a half-mile walk from the Willow Springs Lake. We ventured to the lake a few times and I swear each attempt to get to or from the lake resulted in a different path taken. It was odd to think, but I do not believe that these are highly traveled paths since there are multiple places you can drive right up to the lake and many of the trails looked overgrown. If you stay at Sinkhole, I strongly suggest you check out the lake. It was very pretty even with the water being roughly 5 or 6 feet low. We went fishing a few times and caught a few small trout, hiked about a quarter way around the lake, found a geocache, and just enjoyed the scenery.

**Product Review**

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. On this trip, I tested the [Women’s OOriginal Sandal](https://www.oofos.com/collections/womens-ooriginal-sandal). The OOFOS sandals (or flip flops as I can’t help but call them) are kind of amazing. They claim to be recovery shoes. I had NO idea what that meant until I had them. Basically, these are meant to be worn after any type of high impact activity such as running, hiking or anything else that keeps you on your feet for an extended period of time. I’ve been wearing them daily for the last week. I’ve worn other shoes to work and then come home to my OOFOS… amazing. I’ve worn my OOFOS to work.,.,. amazing. I’ve gone hiking for a few miles then come back to camp and put on my OOFOS… amazing.

These sandals claim to float and be washing machine safe. I did actually put them in the lake, and, thankfully, they do float. They aren’t so buoyant that you can’t walk in the water with them but they aren’t like trying to step on a boogey board. Bottom line is if they end up in the water they will float. I think this adds to the “perfect” checklist for any boater because who loves being out in the lake and losing their stuff!? I’ve also put them through my washing machine and they have come out the other side much better than when they went in. I have a High Efficiency set which often means “really” dirty stuff like these shoes won’t come out clean on the first wash but these look pretty good! Also, there is no degradation of the material or the structural integrity of the sandal.

I can’t truly tell you what the sandals are made of… but it’s a high density foam of some sort. They are soft enough that you would want to believe they are memory foam, but they don’t hold your shape when you take them off. The shoes are very supportive and when you take them off they instantly retain their original shape. They have arch support, which for me is often a bad thing. I generally have flat feet but the arch support on these is comforting and actually worth wearing. There is a pattern on the inside of the sandal which gives you grip when your feet are wet or slippery. They also have tread on the bottom of the sandal that will prevent you from slipping in slick conditions. I wore them around camp for a few days and had no issues with the dirt, asphalt, pine needles, etc.

Overall, I have fallen in love with my OOFOS. They are great for day-to-day wear and amazing for recovery wear. The wide range of color choices means you can easily find a pair that will fit in with your style. The foam is supportive and easily beats out any general flip flop for comfort in daily wear. I’ve used them after 8 hours of standing on hard wood… I’ve used them after 8 hours at the office… I’ve used them after 4 hours of hiking… and I’ve used them just because… and all of these are amazing.

Ranger Review: Women’s OOriginal Sandal at Sinkhole Campground

Sinkhole campground is located in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest close to Willow Springs and Woods Canyon Lakes. The campground is small, paved and heavily covered in Ponderosa Pines. There are no hookups, but water for filling jugs, is available. Dumosters on site. Clean vault toilets are available. Firewood is for sale from the host. $18 a night. Cell service is 4G 2 to 3 bars on Verizon only. Many hiking trails nearby. Groceries and restaurants are six miles away.

Near Rim Lakes

Willow Creek Canyon Lake is a peaceful lake with gas motor restriction. I parked on the Northeast side and walked the quarter mile to the lake. Not overcrowded like the boat ramp. Few people fishing, swimming and just relaxing. 

Beautiful Lake

My dog and I love it up here during an Arizona summer. Nice and cool with the Willow Springs lake nearby. Clean good camping.

Favorite of mine

Easy to find, exceptionally clean campground, and just a walk away from the lake. The hosts were polite, attentive, and clearly take a good care of this area and bathroom facilities which were especially clean. Drinking water available and firewood for purchase. The only downside was the campsites are a little bit close together so not much privacy there. Will likely be back!

Great clean location!

Thank you 

Overall great experience camping here. Wife and I tent camped here for 2 nights 3 days. Sucked that we couldn’t have a fire due to a fire state-ban. Close to the highway but not bad on highway noise. Our site was 7 which faces east. Lake is half a mile or so we kayaked so we drove it. 

Photos of Sinkhole Campground

Real photos from real campers