Best Cabin Camping near Blue, AZ

Recent Cabin Reviews in Blue

14 Reviews of 8 Blue Campgrounds

• 

  Carl L.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 22, 2023

  Brook Char Campground

  Bogus

  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....

• 

  Ashley F.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 9, 2023

  Behr Art B&B

  A wonderland of flowering gardens, art, and stunning mountain views!

  Ashley here from The Dyrt! We are so excited to welcome the owner of this unique cabin listing. Enjoy a soak in the hot tub, gaze at the starry night sky, and listen to the silence. Views of the Mogollon Mountain Range, and 300 yards from Whitewater Creek. Check them out and post your review!

• J

  JOHN T.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 20, 2022

  Coronado Trail RV Park 55+

  Quiet Adult Oriented CG In The Pines

  We spent 8-nights here (June 7-15, 2022). CTRV is a quiet, adult oriented, RV park in the pines of Alpine. This is a very nice, easy access CG with level back-in gravel sites. It is a great base camp to visit the area. There are plenty local attractions: lakes, rivers and streams, wilderness and national forests. Activities include: fishing, biking (wish I brought my mtn bike), hiking/walking and ATV trails. The elk herds out number the cattle– a morning and evening spectacle! We did not make use of the laundry, bathrooms or showers. The WiFi was good as was cell phone reception (we lost both for 2-1/2 days due to a fiber optic cable break near Show Low/Springerville).

  The owners, Sherrie and Paul, are awesome! We would definitely stay here again.

  (Side note: Coronado Trails Cabins is NOT affiliated with CTRV)

• 

  Taryn S.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 2, 2021

  Brook Char Campground

  Some of the best tent camping in AZ

  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.

• 

  Candy P.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 30, 2020

  Brook Char Campground

  Tent Camping with a view

  This tent walk in site has been our family favorite for decades. The sites have plenty of room for 2 tents. There is a clean bathroom in the campsite as well as water. This sites are across the small road from the lake. This is our favorite place to camp with other family members since the sites are close together. Easy walk to the lake.

• 

  Hannah L.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 24, 2020

  Brook Char Campground

  Unclear Directions

  The directions given on the site for how to find this campground were not very clear. We spent a lot of time double and triple checking where we were to make sure we were going the right way. We ended up giving up because it was getting dark only to find out later that we were very close to it. The drive to the campsite is incredibly beautiful, though. It is about 2 hours east of Show Low. I’m sure it would have been beautiful if it weren’t so hard to find and we had better directions.

• 

  Cassandra L.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 17, 2020

  Hawley Lake Apache Indian Res

  Secluded Oasis

  Great place to hike, camp, rent a cabin or relax. Fishing in the area with cabins or camping depending on what you prefer. We have rented a cabin every August and the weather is wonderful. Some rain but very green and lovely outdoors.

• 

  Hayley K.

  Legend

  

  Feb. 17, 2020

  Hawley Lake Apache Indian Res

  Camping for Nearby Lake Access

  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. It boasts some amazing fishing for the native trout species- the Apache trout. The fish are stocked, so it may not be a true experience for some but most of the access to the native fish in their native habitat is restricted or non existent to protect these beautiful creatures. The lake offers paid access on a day to day basis. A total of 25 permits per day are offered to keep fishing pressure in check. But these permits are non refundable so don't reserve too early. 

  Permits and information can be found on the website but customer service can be difficult. Camping is available on a first come basis at Hawley Lake which also offers great fishing and beautiful scenery. Be aware that I did experience some free range cattle snooping through the camp at 2am which was a bit unexpected. Also, being in the mountains, it was pretty cold at night. 

  The area we camped in was open and the roads were well marked. Campsites were situated near fire rings with only the occasional picnic table. There were four pretty well maintained portable toilets near our camp as well. Be sure to review the rules and regulations on the website as some areas are off limits and to make sure you have all the proper permits for fishing and/or camping.(State and local licenses required for fishing)

• 

  Christa D.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 12, 2019

  Hawley Lake Apache Indian Res

  Our favorite place to escape!

  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. Campsites are first come first serve and both times we went in August and there were plenty of spots to chose from. Be sure to get your fishing license and permits in town, it’s a long drive into town from the lake. Bring rope to protect your campsite from wild horses and wandering cows. Overall one of favorite places to camp!

• K

  Kamala G.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 9, 2018

  Brook Char Campground

  beautiful!

  spot 12 is the best for tent camping and closest to the water. bears frequent the area so you must lock up all food and trash in you car over night.

• 

  Krista Z.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 18, 2018

  Hawley Lake Apache Indian Res

  Ranger Review: The ICEMULE Pro X-Large at Hawley Lake Campground

  Campground 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.

• C

  Cyndi S.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 31, 2017

  Brook Char Campground

  4 great days of camping!

  Spent 4 days of solo camping at Brookchar. 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. Elk, deer and plenty of skunks (who waddled thru the campsite but never raised their tails). Rained a couple of hours each night but it lulls you right to sleep. Definitely a return trip in the spring....

• 

  Liza C.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 12, 2016

  Hawley Lake Apache Indian Res

  Hawley lake

  Some campsites were just recently upgraded with metal picnic tables.. Fishing was on point this Labor Day holiday ..

  FYI- be sure to put food away nightly , the cows are no joke.. They get into everything !!!

• S

  Sandy G.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 13, 2016

  Hawley Lake Apache Indian Res

  Awesome view!

  This is probably the most beautiful campground I have been to so far. 80 degree days and 50 degree nights. Perfect for campfires under the blanket of millions of stars. The lake was amazing and quite beautiful. Fishing from our kayaks was a blast even had boat rentals available. Plenty of wildlife and cows for your viewing. Well worth the 4 1/2 hour drive from Mesa.