Best Tent Camping near Alpine, AZ

Camped here in October 2016. My all-time favorite campgrounds. We tent camped and it was freezing cold, poured rain. We had huge sleeping bags and a little propane heater, and still really enjoyed it. Lots of area to hike and tons to see.

FHU available Spacious sites Wind does come up Lake is down and good fishing Clean restrooms and showers Has store well stocked (no tobacco or alcohol) Fish cleaning station Nice viewing of stars at night
Quiet, cabins, tent sites, FHU available, beach camping. Rangers on site along with hosts Black top roads Blacktop to park your rig. Some pull thru site Mostly back ins Large sites

This is a great campsite that is full of amenities for FREE (donations accepted).

There are just a few spots and they are first come , first serve. We enjoyed chatting with the camp host and taking a walk along the hiking trails.

At over 9000 feet elevation, this is a great spot to beat the AZ summer heat. The sites are nestled away among the tree and feel very secluded considering how close together they actually are to each other.

Great for tent camping or a small camping trailer. Site have picnic tables, vault toilets, and drinking water

We love this campground because it is a little out of the way so there are usually spaces.  The spaces are large and nestled in a pine forest near the lake.  Clean restrooms and water available.   You can walk to the lake.  A nice place to kayak, bird watch and the sunsets are amazing.  The town of Alpine is small but there is a little store with food and camping items, a couple of restaurants and a nice bar.

We visit every year. The sites are spacious, there is are shared spigots and vaulted toilets in each loop. In the center, there are hot showers and traditional toilets. (The showers have been closed due to COVID). The campground is across the street from a gorgeous reservoir. Down the road is the Lazy Trout corner store with all the things you may have forgotten. If you feel like driving around, I suggest Big Lake and Alpine. It is a perfect area to camp, hike, explore and unwind. This year is much busier than other years, because people are eager to get out. However, be warned, we were the only ones wearing masks in public spaces, so be vigilant about your health before arriving. When we arrived last week, Rolf C Hoyer was at capacity. We were given instructions to the disbursement camping. It was free. The camp sites were really cool. You could see each camper put their little touch on the site. Of coarse, there were absolutely no amenities. Disbursement is a steep drive up a narrow, gravel road. After 36 hours, my ear lobes and face started bruising. Once the nausea set in, I knew I was not prepared to go 8500ft. Rolfe C Hoyer proper is not as elevated, and I never had issues there. But if you know that elevation maybe an issue, explore the surrounding areas cautiously.

I spent 2 nights on my rode trip from El Paso to Provo. I reserved site 9 on Recreation.gov. The host expected me. The site was shaded encircled by pine trees and it was cool in late August. The squirrels are voracious and chewed through my stuff sack with sealed food that I left on the picnic table when I went for a bike ride around the lake.

NF Big Lake Rec Area is developed around Big Lake, which isn’t big. I asked the tackle shop clerk about swimming and he warned of hooks and lures. He said the water was fine except for a film of algae. I didn’t swim. The campground seemed used by anglers and off-roaders.

I found the first non-motorized trail off the gravel Forest Service road by the lake. It wasn’t walking distance from the campground. The forest had burned in 2011 according to warning signs, but by 2020 there was new growth and plenty of trees survived. The trail teamed with wildlife. There were squirrels and chipmunks everywhere. I spotted a group of elk cows and later mule deer bucks. I observed at least 5 species of birds. The forest was alive with activity. I didn’t see any people on the trail.

There were many dispersed camping spots throughout the forest and several campgrounds along black river.

I had a big juicy burger at the Alpine Grill and Still, whose bar area was open for dine in despite the coronavirus.

Despite the development, I recommend it.

It had been 28 years since we last camped at Rainbow. It is still a great place to escape the desert heat.  It was 115 when we left the big city. Five hours later we found ourselves camped at 9100 feet, enjoying the cool temps in the mid 60's and the passing rain showers.  Aspens, pines, and wildlife were all in abundance.  Big Lake is a good fishing lake too.  

The sites have plenty of space, shade, and privacy.  Roads are paved and in good shape. The restrooms were constantly cleaned by the very friendly and capable staff from recreation resource management which operates the campground for the forest service.

Firewood and ice are available (stage 2 fire restrictions were in effect so no campfires), water was convenient as was gray water disposal.  There is a centralized dump station, showers, and a small but educational visitor center.  Trash dumpsters are centralized and easy to access.  

If you don't fish there is still hiking to Mount Baldy, and short scenic drives to the very small towns of Greer and Alpine.  We enjoyed exploring the miles of scenic forest roads, and wildlife viewing.  We saw 4 Mexican gray wolves which was very special.  

This is a very popular campground that accommodates all types of rigs. They do have first come first serve sites available, but it is recommended to make reservations at least 4 days in advance.  Reservations can be made at recreation.gov.  It's always best practice to print a copy of your reservation.   There is no cell service in this area. 

We look forward to camping again at Rainbow.

Clean, quiet, open campground, tents, trailers and cabins. Very happy with the week we spent here

Beautiful little campground!  Just 7 sites, walking distance from Hannigan Meadow, access for a nice trail to Aker Lake right in the campground.  Some mild road noise from 191, but very peaceful stay.  Every site will fit a small rv or tent.

Beautiful campground with plenty of shade. Drive up spots for tents and full RV hookups. During hunting season gets full fast.

If you aren’t camping over night they don’t want you Day using the site :/

Had a great time last August. We started at this campsite as we found it online. When we arrive there was only one other person there but very limited camping. There are only a total of eight sites all of which are set up for horses. All the stalls pretty clean and didn’t smell and the outhouse was kinda run down a little. Loads of spiders. We were aware that this was bear country but didn’t think to much of it being from Colorado. We had everything in air tight containers in the back of the truck locked up a night. After the first night we woke up to bite and claw marks on the tailgate of my truck. Wow. Our tent was 20 yards from the truck so the bear left us alone because we didn’t have any food in the tent. So plan smart and bring BEAR SPRAY. Even the hiking trails say to. Still great experience and we will be back. Please remember if you pack it in to please pack it out. We all can do better.

We're frequent campers, and this is one of our favorite spots in AZ! 

The tent-only campground is small, but the sites are large and have multiple great clearings for tents. Lots of shade and easy paths for walking around the grounds, plus there's potable water at several sites. Central bathrooms with running water are kept very clean, plus there's trash service and a (very friendly) camp host if you need anything.

Directly across a small road from Big Lake and the boat ramp. There are several places to go right down to the shore, and it's only a 5-6 minute walk along the road to the general store and boat rental area, where there's also a fish cleaning station. Brookchar is just down the road from the giant Rainbow Lake, so you'll hear some RVs and ATVs on the road, but very minimal. 

We camped in site 12, which in our opinion is the best! Closest to the lake with water views, plus parking right outside your site for 2 vehicles (other sites, you park in a main lot). Bring your fishing gear and kayak/SUP (can also rent very reasonably)!

Over Memorial Day weekend, we saw highs close to 80 and lows in the high 30s/low 40s. Only sprinkled once!

It's also just an hour from Pinetop-Lakeside, so it's easy to make grocery stops or even grab a coffee (try Pinetop Coffee House + Roasters right on the highway!) on your way in/out.