The best camping near
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, ARIZONA

This campground was beautiful and the sites were so big and spread out. We got 4 sites and ended up only using 2. We were right in the trees and our sites backed up into a meadow. There were not a lot of “amenities” at the campground but we didn’t need any of that. There was an outhouse near our site and it was kept pretty clean. We had 5 adults and 10 kids so we kept to ourselves the entire time we were there. I highly recommend this campground.

Quiet, beautiful, and clean. We even had visits from deer, a very bold skunk, chipmunks, squirrels, and blue jays. The camp hosts were delightful, too!

Dirt lot with turnouts with shrubs and pines offering decent privacy and quiet. There are cement pads for vans or smaller RVs in some spots, and fire pits. The lake is now more marsh with abundant bird life. A gas station / convenience store is across the street. Good Verizon!

This is on the mogollon rim so there is some great hiking and sightseeing nearby. Several lakes close also. 

Very crowded but has full hookups. General store across the street   It’s ok for a quick stop but not a favorite

Great people working there, seemed quiet until our neighbor turned on the construction site generator for 4.5 hours. Weekends are very busy, but noisy which is ok if you don’t mind motorcycles and generators. We were looking for quiet this trip so we only stayed one day.

Went up for Labor Day weekend with my kids. We had a blast. Campsites were nice, bathrooms were well maintained (actually had flushing toilets). The lake was beautiful. We rented a boat from the marina and spent about 3 hours fishing. Perfect weather. Wildlife: we saw blue jays, squirrels, chipmunks, as well as several elk who wandered through camp in the early evening. We will be going up to Big Lake again next year, if not sooner.

Really great camping spot during Covid large spots spacious and a quick hike to the lake amazing spot to escape the heat with two roads to get in

Weekends are the worst. People respect no space.

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.

We only stayed a night but we liked it a lot. No internet service and poor phone reception (T-Mobile) which was a little issue for us as we are traveling cross country and we need to confirm some of our upcoming RV stops. We wished would have stayed longer to be able to enjoy the park but definitely coming back for a long stay visit.