Best Cabin Camping near Aguila, AZ

Every time I mention Alamo Lake, even people who have lived in Arizona forever say "where"? It's quite a drive to what feels like the middle of nowhere, but totally worth the trip. It's like a mini-Lake Pleasant without all the jet skies and power boats. Campgrounds are basic but serviceable and the far side of the lake has nice sandy beaches for additional camping outside the official park.

I just returned from a camping trip here this weekend and the lake was totally different from my last visit. This lake is not fed by any dedicated water source and it was designed for flood control, so it's level varies greatly from year to year based on winter rain/snow fall during the previous winter. The lake this weekend was THREE TIMES bigger than when I saw it in the spring of 2016 - about 17,000 acres and close to full right now. I'd love to give the park a one-star review just so no one will go there and it can be my great little secret! The drive there is a bit boring, and it's funny to note that while driving the 30 miles or so out Salome road, the "watch for cattle" signs are paired with warnings painted on the road AND rumble strips about every 300 years while in Maricopa county, but as soon as you cross into La Paz county the yellow signs and road paint continue, but the rumble strips disappear :)

There are 5 camping sections with different amenities for each - I prefer the B section because most of the sites have views of the lake, but section A has showers near the cabin rentals (they are only a short walk from B, so it makes staying closer to the lake a win still). Sections C, D, and E are off the first road you can enter and are much more primitive, although they are serviced by their own launch and fish cleaning station. Sections A and B are near the ranger station/camp store that sells all kinds of stuff you might forget and snacks, and has a gas pump outside (I did not inquire about purchasing gas and the pump looks like it's quite an antique. . .)

It's a bit desolate and can be hot and to be honest, kind of boring if you don't have a plan. I love taking my kayak because it's so quiet and it's a great lake for birding - I saw tons of migrating water birds this weekend, as well as an osprey, Harris hawks, and an owl early this morning. There are also tons of wild burros, coyotes, and other desert creatures. This is a fishing lake and pretty much everyone who drives all the way out to Alamo Lake is going for the same reason - to sit in a serene lake on a quiet boat and catch a ton of fish. This is not a hiking lake - I did not see any trails other than just paths here and there through the park.

This is our go-to spot in the winter. 2 hours from Phoenix. This is all ugly desert landscape, but the lake is nice and the night sky is AMAZING! We pay $22 per night for water and electric. Spots are pretty close to each other. They have a ranger store that sells pretty much everything. The bathrooms are always clean with flush toilets and showers. The weather is close to perfect in the winter, gets pretty cold at night. I wouldn’t recommend going in the summer as the temps reach well over 100. We have fished there, but have never caught anything. The fishermen on boats bring in a ton of fish, so if you have a boat then you’ll have better luck. It’s always very windy at night, so remember to put your awnings up! We made that mistake our first time there. I’m sure we’ll go back next winter since it’s close to Phoenix and reasonably priced. We get pretty good cell service too. There are a ton of spots and are reservable online. They also have small cabins you can rent.

Alamo Lake is a long-time favorite spot. Only a couple hours West of PHX and some great views with an abundance of SxS / ATV trails. Alamo Lake is also very well known for it's fish (especially bass & crappie). Section C has Water & Electric. Section D is primitive and as such, less crowded. This is a great place Oct - April. Outside of those dates, you'll want Electric so you can run the A/C. Wi-Fi & cell service is questionable. Some spots are good, others are not. While I've done a lot of work out here, try to stay off the devices, PCs and TVs. Enjoy what's out here!!

Truth be told I prefer camping at elevation with pine trees etc. It is winter in AZ so that was not an option for this trip. Our friends found this place and booked the sites. We were in the Ramada section. It has electric but no water at the sites. There are about 10 total sites in this section with a bathroom (clean). Our site was not level from to back so we had to lower the camper to about 3 in off the ground in the front. There was a tree which was nice but it also meant I had to park far from the power for the site. The cord reached with just a little slack in it. Ramada section is in the Maintenance area or the campground so I got to see a shed, tractors and Diesel tanks from my door. The lake was about 3/4 mile from our site. The camp rangers were very nice. The campground was clean and the general store was good too. Overall not my vibe for camping.

Alamo Lake State Park is one of our FAVORITES!!!! Great camping with large spots that aren't on-top of each other. Site amenities go from Full-Hookups to primitive. If looking for primitive, there's no need to camp in the campground. There are HUNDREDS (of not thousands) of places to camp outside the park. Look for signs for "The Wayside" and head that direction. Park where you like (off the road). One of the reasons we like the Park (especially in winter) is because the heater often runs all night and it with AC hookups, we don't worry about the heater fan draining the batteries. Also, we know that we can get WiFi in "Section C" and still have great views!!!! As for the Wayside, plan on visiting!!! Wonderful, family owned business that are doing their best to promote SxS, UTV, ATV 4x4 exploring in the area. There is also a runway just West of the restaurant/bar and it's common to see small airplanes visiting for breakfast or lunch.

I grew up in Arizona and had never been to Alamo Lake.  The lake is kind of in the middle of nowhere but what a hidden treasure. We camped there in March 2018.  It was on the warm side.  The area is best suited for camping October - March.  This is the desert people.  Or if you have a giant RV with air conditioning and cable television, you could go anytime.  Fish early in the morning and late at night. 

The campground is rather large with different areas for tent camping and hook-ups.  We stayed with an electric and water hook-up in a pop-up tent trailer.  There were lots of big rigs and toy haulers.  We definitely had toy envy with only our pop-up and kayaks.  This is a big ATV area so there were lots of ATVs riding around.  People also had speed boat and canoes.  The campground was not completely full even though it was Easter weekend.  It was also relatively quiet.  The bathrooms were sparkling clean and had nice showers with hot water.  There was also an AMAZING fish cleaning area at each campsite loop.  If you aren't really a campsite person, there is dispersed camping available by the shore but you need to drive down a dirt road through a tiny fork in the road "town" called Wayside.  There is a bar/restaurant/store/campground/gas station in Wayside.  The next town is about 30 miles away.

We found some great fishing which is unusual for Arizona.  We caught bass, bluegill and catfish.  We saw people catching a lot of fish.  They have bass fishing competitions at this lake and I can see why. 

The lake is surrounded by pretty red mountains. The sky is a beautiful blue.  I highly recommend the area.  Not too crowded, good fishing, nice clean campground.  What more could you want but maybe a nice cold beer!