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About
Stewart Campground
Stewart Campground is a cool, shady streamside camp where sites are clustered under a healthy stand of Arizona cypress trees, with some picturesque old sycamores closer to the streamside. As with all Cave Creek campgrounds, birdwatching is good right in the campground. It’s also close to other areas that are less disturbed and therefore even more productive for adding to your life-list.
A short distance upstream from Stewart, the Vista Point Trail climbs above the canyon floor to offer unobstructed views of Cave Creek Canyon. Though this easy stroll has little elevation change, the view it presents is impressive. Other recreation amenities conveniently close to Stewart Campground include the Silver Peak Trail #280.
The South Fork area, famous for its birdwatching and beautiful riparian forest, is a short drive away. The campground is located on the Cave Creek/Portal-to-Paradise scenic drive.
Sites at Stewart have pull-ins making it one of the better places along Cave Creek for camping if you have an RV. Trailers to 16 feet are permitted.
Note: Black bears in area.
Access
Drive In
Operator
National Forest
Features
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Contact
Location
Stewart Campground
is located in
Arizona
Directions
150 miles east of Tucson. Access: From Tucson, take I-10 east 139 miles to US 80 (you will cross the New Mexico border to get to this intersection). Turn right (south) and drive 28 miles, then turn right (west) on the road to Portal, 7 miles. From Douglas, take US 80 east approximately 50 miles to Rodeo, NM. Two miles past Rodeo, turn left (west) on Portal Road. From Portal, drive west on Forest Road 42 approximately 2.3 miles to Stewart Campground. All roads are paved and suitable for passenger vehicles.
1 Review of Stewart Campground
First to Review
The Cave Creek Canyon on the western edge of the Chiricahua Mountains is a spectacular area that will completely take you by surprise. This cute campground tucked into the trees will charm your socks off!
Each site has the standard picnic table, bear locker, fire ring and lots of shade. The bathroom is a vault toilet, kept clean by the volunteer camp host, staying at Sandy Flat. This campground is rather small with just a couple small RV sites and lots of shade. Perfect for tent camping though. Great for warmer months, not so great for solar charging due to the shade, so we moved up the road to Sunny Flat campground. There are two small cabins available for rent near the forest visitor’s center, check with the Coronado National Forest, Douglas District office.
The area is a birder’s paradise and at certain times of year can get very busy. Great opportunities for hiking, biking and wildlife viewing throughout the entire mountain range. All the campgrounds are first-come, first-served.
There's not much in the area for food and gas, so come prepared. There is one small grill/basic grocery store down the mountain, but if you are looking for real groceries, shop before you come.