Best Glamping near Carefree, AZ

Lost Dutchman is one of the best campsites to wake up in. One of my favorite trails in Arizona.

This is one of many outstanding Arizona State Parks. Sites are clean and most level with mix of electric and non electric. Suggest you make reservations well ahead for busy winter months!

Arizona State Park campgrounds are generally developed to maximize profit at the cost of minimizing camper experience. Lost Dutchman offers one bath house to service five or six loops of campsites piled one on top of the other. Because there are so many sites, the campground is managed like a military operation with untold Numbers of rules and regulations to understand and follow. If you fail to follow, a Ranger will be by to repremand and straighten you out. Coyoties are bold here and will enter your camp even if barking dogs attempt to deter. I reserved four nights but left after two. Tortilla Flat SP up in the Superstition Mountains NEAR Canyon Lake or BLM/National Forest dispersed camping is tmore to my liking.

We've camped at Houston Mesa Campground several times and consistently have a fantastic experience. Here's why we give it 5 stars: 

Amazing Staff: The camp hosts are incredibly friendly and helpful, adding to the welcoming atmosphere. 

Spacious Sites: We love the ample space at each campsite, allowing us to park comfortably and spread out for a relaxing stay. Our kids adore playing in the dirt and exploring the trees. 

Nature's Playground: The campground's proximity to swimming holes, hiking trails, and the charming town of Payson provides endless opportunities for exploration and adventure. Serene Setting: The abundance of trees creates a peaceful and shady environment, perfect for escaping the Arizona sun. 

Clean Facilities: The bathrooms are well-maintained and clean, ensuring a comfortable stay. 

Dry Camping Friendly: We appreciate the ability to dry camp at Houston Mesa, making it a budget-friendly option. 

Heads Up: While Verizon service isn't optimal, it's manageable. Additionally, campsites near the freeway can experience some road noise. However, the convenience of having Home Depot and Walmart nearby outweighs these minor drawbacks. Overall, Houston Mesa Campground is a fantastic choice for families and outdoor enthusiasts seeking a comfortable and scenic camping experience. We highly recommend it and will definitely be back soon!

Beautiful retreat in the Arizona forest. Saw many different birds while there, especially hawks. Could smell skunks but none seen at the campground. Was warned by rangers that bears had been spotted in the area, so keep that in mind with food and trash.

Each site I saw had a good amount of space and wasn't right next to other campsites. We were lucky and got shade in our campsite. Plenty of hiking opportunities nearby, and a caves not too far away.

The restroom facilities were clean and included flush toilets. Showers were available for $3 (coin operated).

Gear Review: This contains a review of the LuminAID Packlight 16 and the LuminAID Packlight Spectra, which were provided to me free of charge***

LuminAID's lanterns are a gamechanger. Seriously. They are incredibly lightweight, bright, float when inflated, and most amazingly are solar powered.

The Packlight 16 resembles a pillow and has several settings depending on how bright you want it. I was able to read a book with the Packlight 16 hanging from the ceiling of my tent. Everyday I set it outside to charge for a couple hours and have yet to see it run out of energy, even when left on the dimmest setting for several hours.

The Packlight Spectra is a fun little box shaped lantern that has seven colors (including white) and a color-changing mode (see the video I included in this review). The first color is red, which is nice when you don't want to scrub your nightvision.

I'll definitely be ordering these for my friends. They are great for hiking and the perfect addition to an emergency kit (when folded the Packlight 16 is about the size and weight of an emergency poncho).

This is a very well-kept campground. It is has restrooms and showers. The sites are nice and mostly flat and nicely groomed. The staff here is very friendly and helpful! I really enjoyed it and I will be back. I have a virtual job and I was able to work from this campground with no real issues with network connectivity for a full week.

My husband and I have camped here occasionally for several years and we have always loved it, for the most part. Until fairly recently when it began to get more popular and crowded. People will tend to set up camp almost on top of your site and persist to blast music throughout the night or be extremely loud and even more so, extremely dirty. We have always looked forward to our quiet nights away from usual civilization and would stay awake to hear the coyotes howl, along with the rest of the wildlife. But it is getting extremely difficult to enjoy ourselves lately. I understand that some people like to go party there but why they assume the whole camping area and wildlife want to hear their blasting music all night... Is beyond disrespectful. Besides that, they messes, garbage, and filth they leave behind is horrendous. It makes my heart sad and I can only imagine how it is affecting nature and the campsite itself. If you go on weekdays, you have a better chance of having a peaceful getaway. Overall, it is beautiful and serene. We catch plenty of fish and enjoy some time on the lake with our boat. The marina is accessible to guests and is decently stocked with basic needs and supplies, as well as basic groceries. It's a shame that we are limited on places we can camp like true campers, because others can't appreciate the idea of truly "roughing it" or basic camping. We have built many good memories there and try to enjoy ourselves as much as we can. It is most beautiful in spring months.

Spent two nights in January. Facilities were clean round the clock, shower water was hot, staff friendly , and hiking trails directly from the campground.

Well maintained facility just outside of the quaint little town of Cave Creek. Lots of room between sites, which each have a picnic table in a beautiful desert landscape. Campground host and museum staff were all super friendly.

I love these sites, they seem to really embody the AZ southwest camping experience for me. Our site had a view of a trail where we watched equestrians ride by sporadically throughout the evening. We saw some snakes, coyotes, and other wildlife. This is a very nice site, and a quick drive from Phoenix.

Great place to get away from he city and enjoy a little nature. We had a great time sitting around the fire and looking at the stars. Great hikes nearby too to enjoy.

We stored our RV here for several years and they were easy to deal with. No hassles. The RV Park itself is nice and has a swimming pool and a little social area where they have game nights and parties.