Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Ajo, AZ

Important: If you plan to arrive after hours you must call ahead so you can get the gate code. They gave us a temporary spot that was pull thru due to the time of our late arrival. Then at noon they escorted us to our site to set up for the duration of our visit. I included an images of daily, weekly, and monthly rates for 2023 and full list of amenities and the winter activities. There are also deluxe sites available. This camp ground is pet friendly with a dog park area and offered daily planned activities. We participated in game night, line dancing classes, aquatic aerobics in the heated pool, and the New Years party. The showers are very clean and the laundry room was immaculate. The sites have full hook up 30/50 amp and sites up to 100'x55'. They offer propane services. There isn't anything to do in the town.

This is a cozy (read: tight spaces) park to stay in to catch up on laundry and get your RV chores done. It’s also nice that it’s in town and you can easily walk or bike out and explore the small cute town of Ajo(pronounced Ahh-ho, not Ay-ho). Keep in mind that being in town on a main road, this is not a quiet serene park. The noise from the neighboring auto repair business was extremely loud during the day, and there is car noise from the road outside the park. 

Rates per website are$28/night but it says they offer Escapees, Good Sam, AAA, or Passport America discounts(though they do not appear not the PA website). Passport America is usually 50% off so we expected to pay $14, however, when we asked about it they said they offer too many discount programs to keep track and they simply discount everyone to $25/night. So in other words, the rate is $25. 

In all the BLM desert land we have stayed in, we have never heard coyotes so loud and close as we did at this RV park. They seemed to be howling from all directions here. Watch your dogs here, though the manager of the park has a small dog that runs loose with him. 

Park advertises itself as being pet friendly, but there is no dog park or dog walk in the park. We walked our dogs out to the street to go potty to avoid them going potty in front of someone’s space. 

Our spot only had a 30 amp outlet, but judging by the number of large 5th wheels and toy haulers there I believe 50 amp is also available. Pull through and back in sites both available. 

Park has wifi and cable. 

Bulk propane available at $3.50/gal. 

Laundry room was clean, one shower under construction and the other was dirty- would not use. Showers were 2.5 min per quarter, or 4 quarters at once for 10 minutes. No change or soap machine available, quarters available from manager per sign. 

There are water and sewer hookups at each site, or there is a dump and water fill available as well. If not staying at park, dump is $7, water is $5, or both for $10. 

Large trash trailer bin available, as well as a can for aluminum and a can for plastic beverage containers. 

Good verizon signal, though cell service almost unusable in the evening due to high usage in the area. AT&T signal was weak but usable. 

Pro tip: the Chevron across the street has a little separate food service establishment in the convenience store where you can get pizza, burritos, breakfast burritos, fresh baked cookies, etc to go! The pizza was surprisingly great! IGA grocery store also in easy walking distance.

From the first contact at making reservations, to the rescheduling, to the follow up contact to the check in and then the park it’s self….CLASS! Park is Clean, level, spacious, pool is heated, two dog parks. The park staff are solid rockstars!

We stayed here one night and would recommend it for anyone wanting to enjoy the night skies, having some distance between RV pull in's, and relax while driving cross country.

The staff was welcoming and showed us to our sites and ensured we hooked up with no issues.  Then, let us enjoy the night.

The dog run was great and well maintained.  We thought he pet rock cemetery was touching (passed on pets have rocks with their names on them laid out in a small memorial). 

We had a pull through full hook up site.  The site was required minor leveling, but no need to unhook. Wifi worked great.  There was road and rail noise though.

We are not sure if there are really any local attractions.

We stayed 2 nights here and it was very beautiful. Sites are close together. Lots of trails off the campground. Wish there were more that allowed pets. Had a nice visitors center and a amphitheater with evening shows. Generator hours limited but it wasn’t too hot in beginning of April. Highly recommend.

General: 208-site campground. No hookups but sections are separated into tent-only, generators allowed, and non-generator sites (which we were very happy to see!). Only four sites can accommodate RVs up to 45 feet; otherwise, there is a 40-foot limit. 

Site Quality: All are level and have generous-sized concrete/macadam pads (except for the tent sites which are all gravel). Although the sites are close together, there is ample foliage separating them. 

Bath/shower house: I never expect showers in National Park Service campgrounds so was pleasantly surprised to find showers here (in three of the restrooms). Otherwise, the restrooms were basic but clean. 

Activities: There is a.9-mile perimeter trail that allows leashed pets and the 1.3-mile Palo Verde Trail that leads to the Visitor Center from the campground. The 21-mile one-way dirt Ajo Mountain Drive is considered the most scenic area of the park but trailers, buses, and RVs over 25 feet are not permitted on this road. There are a few short hikes off of this road. You can also drive a loop around the area, but four-wheel drive is recommended. The night sky is stunning here and there is a telescope pad. The hour-long evening ranger talk was both interesting and well-attended. The Visitor Center was also a wealth of information.

Note: As others have mentioned, when we arrived, we were instructed to leave our hoods up to discourage the pack rats. Not a problem and we didn't see any,

Fair warning that I didnt actually get to stay at this campground, it was full already.  It has a very small amount of campsites, so not a place to count on without a reservation.  But if you are lucky enough to get a reservation, the campground looks great!  

When we checked out the campground, for future plans, (yet to be realized ;) ) it was a super quiet, almost secluded setting.  I think the noise level varies with who else is camping nearby, but I would imagine it is usually people looking for a more backcountry experience than they would get at a normal campground. We did not see water or fire pits. 

If you want a backcountry camping experience that is a little less daunting this is the place for you!  Lots to see in the park and then you can retreat back to your spot in nature! 

This campground is on my list of places to camp in Arizona on a future visit :)

This is a small RV park next to the community owned golf course. Full and partial hookups and also a dry camping area. Cell signal very good and close to AJO.

Camping area next to a big picnic area shelter. The original poster had pin at the ajo county dump which maybe is not far off in spirit! Note you need a permit to camp here...but guess you have to call the park folks. Cost and camping stay limit not clear on signs but office noted camping permit is free at office and camping limit is 14d but flexible.... Sign notes no alcohol.

Nice little park in Why -- because why not? :) Nothing really in Why -- a gas station, convenience store and breakfast/lunch restaurant. But it's a short (and beautiful) drive to the national monument and Ajo, if you need groceries or other supplies. Simple gravel pull-throughs. Not sure how really big rigs would do, but my little Casita snuggled in just fine with a decent amount of room around. FHU and decent cell service. Paid $30/night in cash. Nice view of the sunset and starry skies.

We stayed here one night over Veteran’s Day weekend and enjoyed the beautiful views, sunsets and the surprisingly cool 21-mile Ajo Mountain Drive.

Pros:

• Great bathrooms, very clean!
• At off-season, it was nearly deserted. Very nice and quiet
• Nice Visitor’s Center
• Nice tent pad sites

Cons:

• This campground is close to highway 85 and the traffic is ALWAYS audible
• No campfire rings; apparently you can have an off-ground fire pit but I saw nowhere online that that was an option
• Most campsites have zero shade. In the desert, this is a big deal for making it through the hot parts of the day, even in the fall/winter months
• In the off-season, many bathrooms were closed

After a winter storm prevented me from using my reservation at The Big Bend the past February I was faced with a dilemma. Where could I get a a site for 2 weeks with clean toilets, a place to wash the dishes and warm weather?

The answer was Twin Peaks!

Surrounded by the beautiful Sonora Desert, with hiking trails, the nearby towns of Why and Ajo it was an oasis from the IL winter.

The campground has been recent rebuilt, so everything was almost brand new. The staff kept it clean and it was not crowded.

I was able to get a site on a First Come basis without difficulty.

Unfortunately, due the pandemic, the showers were closed. Washroom facilities were closed on a rotating basis, but with 25% of the sites also closed, there was never a crowd or a wait. Fresh waster was 25 ft from my site.

Stayed here for three nights with the wife and kids in a tear drop type camper. It has a good amount of spots that are flat. We have never camped in the desert before, but it is still too cold for the woods. We enjoyed it and it really piqued our interest in desert camping. We did a short overland hike with no trail. We didn't see any hiking trails, so be careful you don't get lost. Ajo is real close and it has a couple little stores, gas stations, and like two restaurants. It does have a museum that was closed citing Covid. The mine museum was still open and very interesting. It even interested the three kids (6, 8, 11 years old). 

On our last night I saw bombing practice at the Goldwater bombing range. Just aerial flares and flashes from FAR away. I was surprised by it. It was NOT detrimental to our stay. 

May be our fall/spring camping spot.

Within just 20 miles of the Organ Pipe National Monument, Gunsight Wash allows dispersed camping up to 14 days. There are enough flat parking areas scattered throughout the BLM area to accommodate hundreds of rigs. You should be able to find a quiet spot, though it's unlikely that you'll have the place all to yourself. 

As with most dispersed camping areas managed by the BLM, there are no services for bathroom, water, or trash. There is a day-use rest area across the highway, but please do not dump your trash there (AZDOT will charge the BLM to dispose of this trash, and that will mean that the BLM will have to start charging us -- so be a good neighbor and dispose of your stuff in the nearby town of Why). 

The main road between Why and Sonoyta (Mexico) is very busy during the days. 

However, the border crossing is closed at night so being parked near the pavement isn't going to keep you awake all night. However, we found that getting further away made the hanging out around camp more pleasant.

There are many hiking and biking opportunities available just a short drive away into the National Monument. The Visitor's Center is also worth a visit, and the NPS campground is super cute and offers all the usual amenities of developed campground in the NPS. The town of Why is within 2 miles of the Gunsight Wash turn off, which offers a gas station and convenience store. Further up the road lies Ajo, AZ, which has more in the way of restaurants and grocery stores.

Wish there were more dog friendly trails, but that’s a park issue. Nice, level, paved , large sites. Generator area and hours. Neat visitor center within 1.5 walkable miles. Quiet, beautiful place. Be sure to take a drive😊