Searching for a tent camping spot near Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest? Find the best tent camping sites near Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Each tent site offers quick access to one or more of Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona's most popular destinations.
Cutthroat Campground lies at an elevation of 9,000 feet in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. It sits on the shoreline of Big Lake and affords visitors many recreational opportunities in a quiet, scenic setting. Popular activities include trout fishing and hiking.
Named after a species of trout, Cutthroat is adjacent to 450-acre Big Lake, one of Arizona's top fishing lakes. The lake is known for its trout fishing, with rainbow, cutthroat, brook and Apache being the most sought-after species. The recreation area is also popular for hiking, mountain biking, birding and wildlife viewing.
The campground is located in a very scenic area, forested with ponderosa pine, spruce, Douglas fir, and aspen trees, which provide ample shade. Summer temperatures are pleasant and cool, a nice respite from the heat of lower deserts. Visitors should come prepared for cool nighttime temperatures and occasional summer rain storms.
For facility specific information, please call (928) 537-8888.
Visitors can explore endless vistas and take part in many outdoor activities in the surrounding Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, which encompasses 2 million acres of magnificent mountain country in east-central Arizona and New Mexico.
$20 / night
$20 / night
THE BEST BASIC CAMPGROUND IN SHOW LOW, AZ. ENJOY PEACE OF MIND WITH YOUR FAMILY, PITCH A TENT OR HAUL AN RV DOWN TO THE LOT, JUST 20 MINS FROM PINETOP-LAKESIDE, MINUTES AWAY FROM MULTIPLE LAKES, TONS OF FUN STUFF TO DO IN THE AREA. ENJOY PEACE OF MIND IN NATURE FOR ONE NIGHT.
HOUSE RULES:
LEAVE IT AS CLEAN OR CLEANER THAN YOU FIND IT.
KEEP CAMPFIRES NEAT AND ORGANIZED FOR EVERYONE'S SAFETY.
DRINKING/SMOKING ALLOWED WITHIN REASON, ANY DAMAGE INCURRED TO THE LOT WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM THE RENTERS ACCOUNT.
MANAGEMENT NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENS ON THE CAMPGROUND, ITEMS LOST ETC.
CHILDREN ALLOWED.
THERE IS NOTHING ON THE LOT BUT THE BEAUTY OF NATURE. PREPARE ACCORDINGLY.
IT IS ARIZONA, BRING WATER.
AM AVAILABLE FROM 6:00 TO 6:00PM EVERYDAY FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
DOGS, CATS, GIRAFFES, ETC. ALLOWED. TAKE PICTURES IF BRINGING A GIRAFFE.
CONTACT AT 602-618-4564 FOR ALL INQUIRIES.
$50 / night
Traveler
The entire Mallard loop has generous paved sites. There is a picnic table and nice fire pit. Plenty of paved space to set up. Pines surround each site and provide ample shade. Each site has easy access to the lake. The bathrooms have showers and were spotless.
Legend
Rainbow campground at big lake is magical! This is the place to beat the heat and make summer memories. Tucked into the pines and aspens this campsite is a quick drive or hike down to the lake. You can’t go wrong with any of the sites, including the first come first serve loops.
Ranger
Wonderful campground with flat sites, well spaced. Pit toilets and a shower. Dump on site! A bit expensive for dry camping but there in no dispersed camping in Greer and the neighboring apache res requires a $9 permit to dispersed camp. Three reservoirs nearby to hike to or fish at.
Traveler
We had a great site near the rear of the park with many shade trees and plenty of room. In general the sites are quite close together, but the folks were friendly and very helpful.....
Traveler
Park is looking great. Great location between Show Low and Pinetop with Highway access.
Ranger
Right along the highway on a big climb from both sides. Maybe when the b/w photo was taken it was cool with 10% of the traffic now? The road is crazy busy these days. I would not recommend this location.
Ranger
The location is wrong! This is the coordinates - 33.76672° N, 109.35443° W This was so much more beautiful before the Wallow Fire. Please put out your fires! I grew up not far from here and always enjoy coming. There are small trout in the river and Big Lake, Crescent Lake, Mexican Hat Lake, Reservation Lake, and Lee Valley Reservoir all close. There is picnic tables, potable water in tanks if needed, vault toilets, fire rings all in the campground. The marina store at Big Lake and Crescent Lake both have stores with firewood. At the time of the posting, the camp host at Diamond Rock campground had firewood for sale not far up the road. Watch the corners going in and out as the OHV guys drive pretty fast and the road is narrow in many places. Bear Wallow Cafe is in Alpine and I recommend the pie!
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.
Ranger
Easy parking for out 25' rv. Only one other family here, and we only saw them when hiking torwards them. Cool and in the trees!
RangerThis is not a campground, but a spot to pull off the road when logging trucks are coming up.
Ranger
Always great fishing here. There is NO camping here. I repeat, NO CAMPING. But plenty of dispersed to be found up the road further all the way to Terry Flat. There are trails up the road and some OHV and a Jeep trail. There is housing when coming off the highway. Be respectful and don’t drive 45 down the road. Take your time and take it in.
Ranger
Quiet place not far off a Forest Service Rd.
TravelerThis plant is completely Uncultivated so beautiful!
Ranger
Nice quiet area. Small lake. Didn’t fish, so unsure. No amenities at all, which is fine. Road is a little rough going in, in places.
Guide
A small campground overlooking the Gila River. Only about a half dozen sites but very lightly used and isolated. $5 fee. Closest stores are in Clifton, and the little station in Three Way. The road to the campground from US-191 is dirt, but easily passable by any vehicle that isn't a lowrider. Good condition.
Gravel tent pads, awnings, grills, firepits, and clean restrooms. No hook-ups or water/sewer. Decent T-Mobile service, nice BLM Ranger checked on us both mornings. Woke up to the mine blasting one of those mornings, but that wasn't entirely unexpected.
Overall a great place to stay, would recommend.
Guide
Just an overnighter, very quiet, looks to very new. Good internet reception. Very level site, we didn't have to unhook.
Guide
We pulled in after hours and a ranger kindly helped us find our spot. She recommended a cool hiking trail to check out the next morning. Bathrooms and showers are super clean and well maintained. There is only one designated bathhouse building so if you park far, you’ll be walking a ways. Did I mention the views are gorgeous? The views alone are worth staying here.
ScoutThey have a registered sex offender here that hits on you if you cross his path. Meth heads around and dirty spaces. I'd avoid the place. Way nicer parks around with nicer management. It's a gross place. The manager walks around with a gun and they have cameras everywhere due to high crime.
ScoutThe Elk Horn is a beautiful and quiet community with great people
GuideThe park was practically empty. The views are always amazing, and the weather was perfect. The wind picked up in the evenings to about 10 mph, but then was calm around 9pm. In the morning the lake was very calm, and taking the kayak out was so peaceful. I spoke with the ranger and ahead said next summer a vendor will have boat and jet ski rentals. Good and bad, but maybe that will help keep camping rates low. Highly recommend a trip here when you have a long weekend.
Traveler
stayed here mostly to do some astrophotography as it’s almost 10k ft elevation and almost perfect bortle 1 skies made this a pretty ideal spot, i’d suggest bundling up as it gets pretty cold most nights of the year but was freezing when i went in october. definitely a wonderful and secluded campground.
Legend
-Update- 🛑Currently Closed 🛑
The NFS is repairing the bridge to this site, so it is closed until 2024.
———- Such a nice little campground- perfect for fishing. Right next to the river with trash bins and toilets.
The lack of trees make this site seem more crowded then it actually is
Sites are first come , first served.
Legend
This campsite is a repeat location for family. I almost didn’t even want to post a review so I could keep it hidden. Located right next to a large meadow, we almost always see elk or deer. There is also a nice trail next to a creek but the path was over grown when we tried to hike down it. The road down to the campsite is in good shape, but the sites are small. Perfect for 1-2 tents.
Vault toilet and no other amenities. Bring water.
This is a popular site for hunters during elk/deer season. We often find carcasses and bones around the site.
LegendThis 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
ScoutTHERE IS A a REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER DOING THE MAINTENANCE WORK ON THIS PROPERTY!! KEEP YOUR LOVED ONES AWAY FROM THIS PREDATOR IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOUR FAMILIES!!!
Scout
Reserved site #13 on line for August 15th. On arriving this site has no flat areas and you must pass directly through site #12 to access. The entire campground was EMPTY except us. We decided to move to site #12 to get a flat area. I informed the host out of courtesy of our move to the empty adjoining site. He said NO! I had to pay him $20 to make the change. If I did it on-line, it would be zero fee. THERE IS NO CELL COVERAGE at this campground, so it is impossible to go online and make that useless change. Another caretaker drove by and said he didn't see a problem moving if it was his call. The dude at Brookchar would NOT budge...he wanted his $20 bucks ( I have a senior pass and at worst it would have been $8.00). Told him to stuff it and to contact his manager. He refused. The other caretaker guy drove away and and said he would discuss it with her. Bear in mind, the entire campground had zero reservations for that evening besides us. He returned later to inform me that the manger had "OK'ed" the change for no fee. It is zero fee to change a campsites....zero! Unbelievable,,,,Beware....
Ranger
This campground at approximately 9000 ft elevation, has aspen trees throughout and is just gorgeous. There are two loops - one is reservation, the other is first come first serve. Each space has a table and firepit. The campground host also sells firewood for $10.
Tent camping near Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona offers a unique blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure, making it an ideal destination for nature enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
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