Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest campgrounds just for you. Find the best campgrounds near Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, AZ. Read reviews from campers like you and find your perfect campsite.
"We camped here when we had a permit to fish at nearby Christmas Tree Lake. Christmas Tree Lake is a beautiful little lake nestled in the White Mountains of Arizona on Apache land."
"Hawley Lake is the perfect escape when you want to get out of the heat. Pristine views, cool weather during the summer and clean facilities almost make you feel like your not in Arizona anymore."
$26 - $90 / night
"It is still a great place to escape the desert heat. It was 115 when we left the big city."
"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."
"There is a loop around the East side with many different sites. There is a host there also.Tables and fire pit at most sites and some within walking distance to lake to fish."
$20 / night
"Lots of shade and easy paths for walking around the grounds, plus there's potable water at several sites."
"Located next to Big Lake, the campsite was in a great location. Firepit, picnic table and restroom facilities close by. The camp host Bob was very nice and had plenty of firewood for purchase."
$25 - $80 / night
"The grounds were clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Bathrooms and showers are on site and several dumpsters are nearby to get rid of trash."
"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"
$100 - $1000 / night
$16 - $150 / night
"Biggest downside it is RIGHT off the highway so expect road noise.
About the loop (single spaces called Brundrett 1): There are 12 spaces with co-ed bathrooms (toilet only)."
"The campground is right off the highway so there was a fair amount of traffic noise, but not unbearable."
"They do have a bathroom. It does make for a relaxing night after a short hike to the falls. The road back is a dirt road with a cliff on one side. Saw cars back there so not a bad road."
LegendThe name is a bit deceiving. The campground is designed for groups (there is a wide open group space and a loop with 12 spots that can be reserved for groups) BUT when the loop isn't reserved for a group you can stay in a single spot. Plus a day use area. Biggest downside it is RIGHT off the highway so expect road noise.
About the loop (single spaces called Brundrett 1): There are 12 spaces with co-ed bathrooms (toilet only). There are 2 large BBQs at the end of the loop, covered ramadas with picnic tables, and an oversized metal fire pit. Plenty of people were there in 5th wheels. Downside... The spaces are pretty close together.
About the group site (Brundrett 2): It's a large open space (there are some tree around the outer edges and on one side). There is a private bathroom and it's close to one of the loop bathrooms and it's close to the day use bathroom. Covered ramadas, picnic tables, BBQs, and an oversized metal fire pit. There is also a few scattered picnic tables, standing BBQs, and fire pits.
RangerEnjoyed three nights and generally had the place to ourselves excluding the host. The host was very nice. The fee station was out of order during our stay, so we paid via daily tickets at a place in Globe on our way out. The campground is right off the highway so there was a fair amount of traffic noise, but not unbearable. Little to do in the way of hikes within walking distance, but we enjoyed walking around the campground and into the woods to the north and east. Verizon service was great the entire time. Sites are well maintained and level. Vault toilets were clean. Each site has a steel fire ring and grate as well as a nice metal picnic table. There a a few group areas with full grills and communal tables. The campground appears fairly new.
GuideWe'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.
TravelerThere is a loop around the East side with many different sites. There is a host there also.Tables and fire pit at most sites and some within walking distance to lake to fish. We went to fish and it was quite slow but going back end of May 2020 with an RV.
GuideMy family stayed here for 3 nights. We originally booked a site with no hookups but asked during check in and one was available. The grounds were clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Bathrooms and showers are on site and several dumpsters are nearby to get rid of trash. The on site store sold firewood, bait, fishing and boating gear, snacks and souvenirs. The fishing was decent for catfish but you have to compete with the strong winds. Very few boaters when we were there. The petroglyphs were awesome with some nice hiking trails.
LegendCampground Review
I remember camping at Hawley Lake all the time as a kid and it was one of my favorite places to be. After this trip back as an adult I noticed things have changed quite a bit. Do not get me wrong… it’s a beautiful lake with plenty of camping in a pine tree forest. However, there were some areas for improvement.
For starters, the roads are not marked very well. For example, you do not know how to get to the general store until you are almost to the general store. Generally, this does not bother me because I just turn on Google Maps and find whatever I need but there is intermittent cell service at best (with Verizon). Once in a while I’d catch a bar of 4G but most of the time was on “analog” or had no service at all. Along these lines, the campsites are not designated at all. Basically, you can just park and setup wherever you want. I felt like we were a bit encroached upon because of this.
There are bathroom buildings but all the ones I saw were closed. They then would have a few port-a-pottys sitting out in front of the building. The port-a-pottys weren’t well kept and were rarely stocked with toilet paper. There was trash everywhere! We walked to the ramadas by the lake and the fire pits were full of plastics and other garbage. There were constantly beer bottles left next to the port-a-pottys and randomly around camp and the lake. There was a bunch of stray garbage (including a very sharp sheared off tent pole) left in our campsite before we arrived.
The icing on the cake was the attitude of the fellow campers. There were generators running almost all night, loud music, and like I said earlier there was some weird lack of boundaries between sites.
So now that I have told you what I didn’t like about Hawley Lake let me tell you what I did like. The lake is very large and very beautiful. Most of the shoreline is easily accessible for fishing or lounging lakeside. Words for the wise you can not swim in this lake. There is a little boathouse that offers boat rentals if you would like to venture out into the water.
The weather is a wonderful escape from the valley. There is rain almost every day (varying between light afternoon showers and heavy storms). The camping fees are paid by the car and are very affordable ($9/night/car). If you plan to purchase your camping permits at the lake be sure to bring cash. The General Store does offer some essential items and has a small café with hotdog/hamburger type foods. There are cabins available for rent lakeside as well.
Product Review
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. On this trip, I tested The ICEMULE Pro X-Large. The ICEMULE Pro X-Large was bigger than I had expected. It makes total sense once you think about it because it holds 24 cans and ice but it still surprised me. When I was filling the cooler or trying to get those last few precious cans out of the bottom I have to stick my entire arm in all the way in up to my armpit.
The cooler is made of a very thick and durable flexible plastic type material (kind of like an above ground pool siding). It has been super rugged and did not get scratched or torn up when we have used it on a pool deck, thrown it in the truck bed (with the scratchy spray in liner), or when being toted around camp and to the lake. The cooler has an adjustable bungee cord on the front. At first, I was not sure what we were going to use that for and the more we take out the cooler I find the possibilities are endless. We have been using it to carry our silicone cups, extra sunscreen, a spare hat, etc.
The cooler has a fold top design with a buckle. I do not have any other bags that close this way so it was a bit odd to get used to and is a bit harder to do when it was full. When properly closed the cooler will float. I was shocked to find that even full of cold beverages and ice the cooler floated when I pushed it into the lake. This is a great feature if you want to use it for boating, kayaking, or tubing.
We have been using the cooler quite a bit and in a few varied conditions. One of the examples I will share is that we used it for a poolside BBQ in Arizona. We filled it with 30 cans and bottles and about a bag of ice (which is far more stuff and less ice than suggested). Our beverages stayed perfectly chilled in 100+ degree weather even though we were in and out of it constantly and after 8 hours, there was still ice in the bottom.
We have also used it without ice. We put in 12 cold drinks to start with and even without ice they were cool 3-4 hours later.
The last example I will share is that we put 3 bags of ice and 6 cans in to it. After 48 hours there was about 75% of the ice still left in the cooler!
If you do use it to its full capacity, I suggest that you fill it on an elevated surface. With 24 cans and 3 bags of ice, you will be looking at around 40 lbs of weight and when I tried to pick ours up from the ground it threw me off balance a little. After that, I would fill it on a picnic table or counter top and it was so much easier to just turn around and pick it up from carrying height. The straps on the bag are very padded and very comfortable even when it is full. There is a chest strap but no hip strap. If I could offer a suggestion to ICEMULE for improvement, it would be to add a hip strap to help carry the weight.
TravelerFHU 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
GuideWe stayed here in March 2017. It was a good price for hookups, plus your only feet away from the water. The spot we stayed at had Ramada’s. The sites were very close together. Weather was nice, but super windy. Ranger store on site with gas. Ranger was very nice. Bathrooms were clean wIth nice showers and flush toilets. Fishing was pretty bad, not one bite in 3 days. Scenery was mostly desert, which I’m not a big fan of. We went with some friends who got a spot right next to us. It wasn’t busy at all, we reserved spots online but it wasn’t necessary. We live in Phoenix, so it’s about 4 hours away. Not worth the drive, but we were dying to go camping and our forest spots weren’t open for the season yet. Most likely won’t be back.
GuideIt 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest is Hawley Lake Apache Indian Res with a 4.5-star rating from 6 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 8 glamping camping locations near Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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