Best Tent Camping near Benson, AZ
Looking for the best options for tent camping near Benson? Find the best tent camping sites near Benson. Search nearby tent campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Looking for the best options for tent camping near Benson? Find the best tent camping sites near Benson. Search nearby tent campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
The story of Saguaro National Park dates back much farther than its establishment in 1994. Prior to this, the area was designated a national monument in 1933 as a way to preserve the unique Sonoran Desert landscapes of the Tucson and Rincon mountain districts. This saved the area from the ranchers and miners who settled in the area in the 1880s. These followed the Spanish explorers who established a military fort in Tucson in the 1770s, nearly a century after founding a mission in the ares in the 1690s. Petroglyphs and potshards indicate that the Hohokam peoples inhabited the area for more than a millennium prior to the Spanish. Travel back even farther, and there’s a complex geologic history of exactly how the landscape came into being—and why it’s worth preserving.
Camping in Saguaro is like entering a time machine. With no campgrounds in the park accessible by vehicle, the only way to camp is to hike in to any of the six designated campgrounds. The trails to get to the campgrounds typically start from developed roads and trailheads, but venture deep into the Sonoran backcountry, where only the rocks, plants, and animals tell the story of a landscape that’s changed little—with the exception of who’s occupied it—for the past several thousand years. One of the more popular campsites for those looking to bag 8,482-foot Rincon Peak, is the Happy Valley Saddle, which lies in a grove of scrubby pine and juniper forest, about halfway along the hike to the peak.
This small campsite is located on the east end of the Rincon Mountain District. The campsite is accessible via a 3.9-mile trail that climbs 2,000 feet from the Miller Creek Trailhead. The road to this trailhead is not maintained, so may not be passable by passenger vehicles, or following inclement weather. The site offers three spaces for pitching tents. The water supply at nearby Miller Creek is seasonal at best, so visitors should plan accordingly. There are no facilities here, so hikers should exercise Leave No Trace and pack-it-in-pack-it-out practices. Camping in the Saguaro Wilderness backcountry requires a park-issued wilderness permit, which can be acquired in person at the park visitor center, or by submitting an application in advance.
$8 / night
You may camp outside of developed areas across most of the Coronado National Forest at no charge. We recommend that you stop in to one of our five ranger stations to pick up a free travel management map so that you are aware where vehicles are and are not permitted.
Potable water, restrooms, and other amenities are not available at dispersed sites. If you choose to camp outside developed areas, be sure to bring adequate water or be prepared to purify any water source before drinking. No permits are required to camp in wilderness areas.
The Coronado National Forest has a 14-day stay limit on all camping. Areas designated as “Day Use Only” are limited to posted hours, no overnight use.
This small, sheltered campground is tucked away just off the Catalina Highway, along the rocky streambed that forms the floor of upper Bear Canyon. Campsites are nestled under a canopy of ponderosa pines, junipers and oaks. Some sites are located right along Bear Creek among large rocks. The Creek generally only flows during rainy periods or during the Spring snowmelt, but be vigilant of flash floods.
$10 / night
In 1884, Levi Manning emigrated from Mississippi to Tucson, Arizona, and after some years established L.H. Manning and Company. He later expanded his business interests with ranching and acquired a 160-acre homestead in the Rincon Mountains. There, at an elevation of 8,000 feet, amid pine forest near a perennial spring, he selected a site for what would become his family’s summer home. Manning hired local workers to build an 11-mile wagon road to the site, which was used to transport the tools and materials used to construct his remote, five-room retreat. However, Manning would only enjoy his mountain getaway for a couple summers before his homestead was absorbed into the newly-formed Coronado National Forest in 1907. For the next half-century, the Manning Cabin was used mostly by Forest Service fire and trail crews. During this time, it went through various states of disrepair and reconstruction. From the late 1950s until the late 1970s, the cabin was largely abandoned until it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. One again restored and back in operation, the Manning Cabin serves as a base for area research and backcountry rangers. The cabin is not open to the public, but visitors can hike to the cabin and pitch their tents in the nearby Manning Camp. This small campground has six tent sites that can accommodate up to six people each. Camping here requires obtaining a Saguaro National Park backcountry permit, which can be acquired at a park visitor center, or by mailing in a request form in advance. There are several hiking trails that can be used to get to Manning Camp. All are long, and all are difficult. The trail from Happy Valley is 9.8 miles (one-way), and gains a total of 4,700 feet of elevation. This trail starts at the Miller Creek trailhead, near the eastern border of the park, and requires driving an unmaintained forest road; 4WD and/or a high-clearance vehicle are recommended. From the Loma Alta trailhead, in the southwest corner of the Rincon Mountain Unit, the route is 13.5 miles (one-way), and gains more than 5,700 feet of elevation. The trails to Manning Camp climb through a mix of desert scrub, oak woodlands and conifer forests. This area is home to black bears and mountain lions; store all food in the camp’s bear-proof lockers. Hikers should follow LNT guidelines, and treat all backcountry water sources.
The name Prison camp came from the Federal Honor Camp begun in 1937 to house federal prisoners supplying labor to build a road providing access into the Santa Catalina Mountains. Prisoners had been convicted of federal crimes ranging from immigration law violations to tax evasion to bank robbery. During World War II, many of the prisoners were conscientious objectors whose religions prohibited them from serving in the military. Some were Japanese Americans protesting the “Japanese American Relocation,” the largest forced removal and incarceration in U.S. History. After the Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, over 100,000 Japanese Americans, many American Citizens, were imprisoned in crowded internment camps for fear they would conduct espionage and sabotage along the west coast. Gordon Hirabayashi was a senior at the University of Washington in 1942. He challenged the constitutionality of internment based on race or ancestry. He turned himself in to the FBI rather than report for relocation. He was convicted and sentenced to serve at the honor camp in the Santa Catalina Mountains. In 1987 Hirabayashi’s case was overturned. A federal commission determined that the internment had been motivated by racial prejudice and wartime hysteria. In 1988 the Civil Liberties Act was signed by President Ronald Reagan, which acknowledged the injustice and apologized for the internment. In 1999 the Coronado National Forest renamed the site in honor of Dr. Hirabayashi and the other resisters of conscience who were imprisoned there. Dr. Hirabayashi and others attended the dedication ceremony.
Benson KOA is a quiet and peaceful campground north of Benson Arizona, and the best kept secret in Southern Arizona. From here you can make several day trips to explore many attractions like Tombstone, Bisbee, Chiracahua Monument, Fort Huachuca, and the Saguaro National Park. Tucson is only 40 minutes away and there are lots of things to see there. Book your Vacation at Benson KOA and enjoy all of Southern Arizona! Store hours are 9 am to 5 pm 7 days a week except major holidays. Check in time is 3:00 pm during our peak season which is January thru April. Other times of the year Check in times are flexible. Check out time is 11:00 am. We do sell firewood and have portable fire pits for sites without fire pits. Pool hours are 10:00 am to dusk. Quiet hours are 10:00 pm to 7:00 am.
50 Max Amp
70' Max Length
Wi-Fi
Cable TV
Propane ($)
Kamping Kitchen
Firewood ($)
Dog Park
Pool to open soon!
Camped 14-15 March 2021 - Minutes from the hustle and bustle of Tucson and Oro Valley, but surprisingly quiet. Catalina State Park Campground has two campsite loops- A and B, as well as the Ringtail group tent site. I tent camped at site A16, which was a decent distance from the neighboring sites. The loops and parking slips are asphalt paved. Familiarize yourself with the site map, because most of the campsite numbers were on posts set back a distance from the road, making it tough to locate some of the sites, especially if you’re arriving after dark. Campsites are typical desert sand, with mesquite and palo verde trees. I had plenty of location options within the site for setting up my tent, but had to choose carefully, as to not sleep atop an access hole to the round-tailed ground squirrel burrows that are in abundance throughout the campground. The site had water, an electric hook up (which I didn’t need), a nice sized thermoplastic polyethylene coated metal picnic table (easy to clean), a raised BBQ grill and a beautiful view of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The restroom and shower facility in loop A was clean and adequate, with three toilet stalls (one of which was ADA compliant, as well as two showers (one being ADA compliant). Signage on ADA shower stall indicated adaptive equipment (shower chair, etc.) was available through the camp hosts. An open breezeway between women’s and men’s restrooms includes a sink, soft drink machine, a small “Take a book, share a book” cabinet, and informational bulletin boards. A posted sign indicated wifi password for the campground, but whenever I tried to connect, I got a prompt that it was unavailable. I had a strong Verizon signal. Per another sign posted in the breezeway, the 48-day Bighorn Fire of June 2020 burned almost 120,000 acres / 25% of Catalina State Park. Because of vegetation loss, the Canada del Oro wash (along the main road between the entrance/ranger station and the campground) is prone to flooding when it rains at higher elevations. The wash has been running black with ash, and for longer periods of time than before the fire. The ash coats the sand, preventing the rainwater from being absorbed, creating the potential for flash floods. The Romero Trail to Romero Pools has been closed since the fire, with signs indicating reopening in May 2021. There are still plenty of miles of beautiful desert trails to enjoy. There are two large grocery stores and two gas stations within five miles of the campground.
Nice, clean campground, along the Mt. Lemmon Highway. Better for tent camping as there are beautiful, individual walk-in sites that are fairly private.
Tons of rec opportunities right from camp: hiking, mountain biking, etc.
Very Awesome Resort, very clean site Enjoy my tent site. Friendly staff da Bar n Grill was great. Very clean bathrooms and showers!!!
Nice RV hookups but great tent sites as well. Desert vegetation so don't count on much shade. Best in the fall or spring. Summer is Hot!
Super cheap. The sites and restrooms needs some tlc. We were the only ones in the tent camping area which was a plus. This campground is good if you r doing tours in the day or just need a trip to get out.
Everyone was super kind and sweet, restrooms/laundry center were very clean and well maintained. Tent camping spots are in front of the park, where the truck wash across the street can be heard prevalently. Cats everywhere are cute and sweet but I’m pretty sure they use the tent spots as their litter box.
Me and my family did a 1 day tent camping trip to Catalina state park. And we all absolutely loved it there. The bathrooms are super clean, the staff was very helpful. The camping sites are great, lots of space. Would definitely recommend a trip to Catalina state park.
Spencer Canyon campground in Mt Lemmon is nestled under the pine trees and boasts a 15-20 degree drop in temperature from nearby Tucson. Bear boxes are provided as are vaulted toilets. I’ve seen trailers travel down the canyon, but I wouldn’t try it. The roads are steep and narrow. Perfect for tent camping
We pulled in after dark and were gone by morning! We wanted somewhere to see the stars! It looked like a super clean park with paved roads, plenty of RV hookups and bath/shower house. We did tent camp. I wish we could have stayed longer to see the caverns, but this was just a pit stop on our road trip!
Tent camping, Cabins, RV Camping, ton's of hiking from various levels of difficulty. Kartchner Cavern's is the main attraction here. Call ahead for availability and tickets. But don't miss all the other amazing hiking trails and nature center. Also check out the other astronomy programs they have from time to time. Tuscon is a "Dark Skies" community that offers amazing views of the night sky.
This sky island campground in Mt Lemmon is perfect for a quick weekend getaway from Tucson. The weather here is 10-15 degrees cooler than the city. This campground is small, with tent sites tucked away between pine trees. A vaulted bathroom is at the center of the parking lot.
This USDA Forest Service campground is a very nice one. Nicely laid out sites, well maintained bathrooms. It’s easy to walk to the lake from the lowest tent sites. We stayed here in fall, and imagine it’s heavily used in summer. There’s a great trail around the lake. $20 as of November 2020.
This place is perfect for dry camping a short distance from historic Main Street Tombstone. There were no amenities, so be prepared! You cannot beat the price! For car/tent camping there are some private spaces with a little shade and evidence of past campfires. Be sure to stay to the left of the sign to go into the lower camping area. Pay your 10 bucks at the drop box.
Camping at Kartchner Caverns was wonderful! It seemed like the sites were geared towards RV campers, but tent camping would work out ok as well. The camping area was somewhat open, but the sites aren't too close together that you feel uncomfortable. The obvious draw is the caverns which could occupy a couple day of a persons camping trip. Because of this attraction, it does get rather busy but camping is still not disturbed too much.
Nice little place to shower, and relax. Lots of wildlife. Though I would say tent sites are a bit pricey, compared to all the free camping in the area. Extremely affordable for RVs compared to area though. Bisbee is a wonderful town and I’d def recommend checking it out while you’re around. An air bnb in the area would be spectacular!
Patagonia Lake Campground is well maintained. Very busy in the Winter months so you must make reservations well in advance. The visitor center is great if you have children, they have all kinds of activities for kids, and a junior ranger program. The RV spots are full hookups no sewer but there is dump station there on the premises. They have tent camping right by the lake as well. Cabins will be completed in October 2018. Staff very friendly and the grounds are well maintained. One of our favorites.
Small campground with 28 level sites. All hookups avail. Tent sites offered dry or with electricity. $17.00 - $20.00. However, those sites are next to club house. We elected to take a full hookup site, although We only needed electricity. $27.00 + tax with Good Sam discount. 1 shower for all and 1 ea toilets for M& W. Nice club House with pool tables, TV’s, etc. Great wi-fi and cell coverage (AT&T). Great accommodating host, clean facilities, great views.
Fun place to spend a couple nights :) The camping area seems designed with RV campers in mind, but tent camping is possible as well. I would say the sites a a bit close together for my taste, but still manageable. Site #16 treated us well! The amenities were very nice and clean! A nice feature is the lake and boat rental within the park. Bird watching is very popular here we learned as we talked to others at the park. (There are also a few boat in camping site, which seems like it would be a fun adventure! We did not explore this on our visit.)
This is an ok rv park. It’s not fancy. But it has what we need. We have reservations for a month. Had planned to stay at RV park down the road, but they didn’t have a working shower, and we didn’t think we could go a month without, This park has 72 pull through sites, water, 30/50 amp electric, and sewer. Monthly sites charge extra for electricity. There are 2 bathrooms/showers which are passable. There is a big dog run, and a small one for small dogs. They have laundry and an exercise room. Internet is spotty. There are a few tent sites. There is an RV service and sales facilities adjacent to the park
Made my reservation a couple days ago for a tent camping spot, but I have my Yukon set up as a sleeper currently. They informed me as I was checking in (it’s not listen on the site anywhere) that they don’t allow people sleeping in their cars. When I brought up that it wasn’t posted anywhere on the site and when I stayed in a KOA the night before and slept in my car, they worker informed me she wasn’t the manager so she couldn’t do anything about it. She was polite and was concerned about where I would be staying and offered to upgrade me to a cabin that I would have to pay for.
Updated :
After emailing the owner, my deposit was refunded in a extremely timely manner
What this campground lacks in amenities, it makes up for in its’ superb environment. Long grass, Mountain mahogany, pinion, oak,sycamore and juniper trees create a habitat for over 100 bird varieties and species. Deer roam around inside the campground perimeter and hiking trails lead directly out to miles of Mountain trails including to the top of 9427’ Mt. Wrightson.
There are only seven back in or curb side sites, and five walk in tent sites. All have water, picnic tables and fire rings. There is a building with pít toilets.
This is not a place for big rigs or glampers.
There is a lodgings nearby where an array of feeders attracts dozens of birds for Public viewing and where there is also a gift shop.
General: Large KOA campground laid out in typical RV style with no privacy/separation between sites. There is every imaginable kind of site here from tent sites (with water and electric) to back-in sites with water and electric to FHU sites, some with covered sites to sites with private pet areas or play structures. There are also cabins sprinkled throughout.
Site Quality: Most sites are gravel; some have grass. All are level. Amenities vary per site. Ours had a round table with four chairs (in lieu of a picnic table)
Bath/Shower: In okay condition but then I saw a sign that they were scheduled to be remodeled a few months after our stay.
Activities: There are so many offerings including two pools, a hot tub, a fitness center, corn hole, putting green, basketball, and bike/surrey rentals. Also a daily “schedule of fun” with daily classes including Zumba and yoga, arts and crafts, bingo, etc.
Other amenities: On-site restaurant (delivery to your camper available), laundry, little lending library, pet wash.
This campground is located in a less desirable part of Tucson with very few (if any) grocery stores, restaurants, etc. nearby. There is nothing scenic about the area and the campground is located on a busy street so you will hear road noise (and an occasional train). While we appreciated all the amenities, we prefer campgrounds with more privacy and scenery. This was a last-minute reservation when our plans changed and worked for an overnight stay.
Campground Review
Catalina State Park is just a bit outside of Tucson Arizona, and more importantly, Saguaro National Park. We used this State Park as a jumping-off point for our trip to Saguaro and it was a pretty good location for that.
Oro Valley is a modern area with tons of shopping and dining options right outside the park. This was very convenient for us to pick up McDonalds or grab something we forgot from the store.
The Park itself is stunning. Right up against the mountains, the views are gorgeous, especially at sunset. We were in campsite #A-23, which was AMAZING. Perfect for tent camping, the space is large and flat. You could easily fit several tents in this site.
We drove around campgrounds A and B and found the sites to be much more spaced out in A. Most of the sites were occupied by RVs, which made for a very quiet and non-stressful night!
Our site had electric hook ups and a water faucet. Also a BBQ grill and picnic table are provided. Wood fires are NOT permitted in the park.
Overall we LOVED this place. We will for sure return in the near future!
The Park also has a lot of amazing trails, including a very short hike to see Hohokam ruins which were so cool to see!! The kids loved this hike and the views were amazing.
Product Review
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - at Catalina State Park we had the opportunity to try out the Wenzel Camp Quilt (or 2!). These quilts are so great! Our old camp blanket had to be carefully folded in a particular way and then zipped up. These quilts come with stuff bags and you can just stuff the quilt in them when you are done! I now keep these in the car with me at all time, because you never know when you need a picnic blanket, or something to keep you warm!
For us, it is a no-brainer to just toss one or two of these in with your camping gear. Here in Arizona, the temperature drops fast once the sun goes down. Although it was over 100F during the day, it was still FREEZING cold in our tent at night. We were so grateful to have these quilts to snuggle up and keep us warm!
Campground Video
When spending time on the road many times you will find campsite after campsite that is welcoming but not quite like home away from home. But when you drive through Tucson, there is a mecca filled with winter bird campers and long term campers which create a home away from home.
With only tent sites available on the facility, we were fortunate to find a site, however when we arrived we were so excited by the facilities we extended our stay by a day.
Office staff immediately greeted us and let us know about the facilities, which happened to feature a mini golf course, an indoor events facility, 2 swimming pools and hot tubs, an indoor recreation area and multiple on camp fire chinineas. In addition there was a fishing pond and dog park area.
Each of the 4 campsites were considered to be regular campsites instead of upgrade sites but when we arrived it was the most delux sites we had encountered along the way.
Pad sites were large and the first to actually accommodate our large tent and the ground was u like any we had seen before at a site. The soft mulch was similar to that of a modern day playground and made for a much more comfortable sleep over the two days we were there.
In addition to the standard picnic table of most facilities, this campground offered a kitchen facility at each campsite including a large copper sink and food storage as well as electricity and overhead lighting in the pergola designed to allow shade from the harsh Arizona sun.
It was the closest thing to glamping we had encountered by far!
Then as an added bonus, fresh fruit trees abounded ready for the picking. The front desk informed us of the allowance to pick what you want as everything was in season! An amazing treat on the road!
We spent many hours at the pool facility, enjoyed amazing neighbors, used the wifi and even did a load of laundry while in Tucson. The facility really was like a home away from home on the road.
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If the scale went higher we would rank it more Bunnies. There were no real areas we could see for improvement. Staff was very accommodating, long term and short term residents of the facility were amazing and this was a desert oasis like no other!
We have never been to a KOA before and 4th of July weekend was kind of a wild time for our first experience.
There were lots of amenities but because KOA’s are really really really full of families and young children—it was hard to find a time/ space to utilize them. At one point I counted 25 kids in the pool—not including adults.
The WiFi never ever worked but we had good Verizon and ATT service. Laundry was always full but we squeezed a load in. Bathrooms weren’t great- in the ladies room, the doors didn’t lock and they were always in gross state (not from lack of cleaning via management—just from overuse).
Our site was nice with a lime and olive tree on each side and a table and chairs. It was level and had enough space from our neighbors. We had a full hookup and everything worked well. Next door was a tent site and another RV on the other side.
The pools were nice including a jacuzzi and waterfall element, but just totally overrun. KOA texted us pretty constantly throughout the weekend with events we could participate in—for a fee. I’m not sure if this is standard or just due to the holiday. If you’re with a family, this is an obvious benefit for kids.
Seemed ADA accessible!Staff was nice and picked up trash from your site. There is also a restaurant and service center connected to the campsite. Restaurant not suitable for vegetarians or vegans. Service center won’t work on a rig older than 10 years.
Honestly, it was a very different vibe from our normal campsite and boondocking experiences. I’m rating as a 3, because I don’t think that the campsite capacity matched the need (the whole park was only about half full and totally overrun at every turn.) If you’re a young or old single couple, I’d rethink, this is definitely a family spot geared towards kids.
Looking for a nice 55+ campground near Benson, Arizona and Tombstone? This is a friendly and clean RV resort near it all. And, there are even lakes! They have pretty lakes stocked with fish for catch and release fishing. It is a true gem to find lakefront sites in the desert! The sites are back-in and pull-through with 50 amp FHU. Each site is gravel with a patio and picnic table. There are lots of desert trails to walk your dogs around the perimeter. All of this and really close to historic downtown Benson.👍🏻😊
To see videos on the campground and others, check out our YouTube channel: Jeff& Steff’s Excellent Adventure.
Great rving community that have rv sites available to rent. Close to Tombstone and Benson.
Benson, Arizona, offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for adventure and tranquility in nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Benson, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Benson, AZ is Happy Valley Saddle Campground — Saguaro National Park with a 4.8-star rating from 4 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 17 tent camping locations near Benson, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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