The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Carefree. Carefree is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Carefree. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
"This is another great park in the Maricopa County Parks network, very similar to Estrella or White Tanks in design and layout, in north Cave Creek/Carefree area (take 32nd Street north from Carefree Highway"
"Very well kept full service campground with super helpful staff."
$150 / night
"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."
"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."
$35 - $99 / night
"Due to extreme heat, I recommend visiting in the fall. Winter, spring, and summer can tend to very uncomfortable.
Loved the variety of hikes here, anything from easy to medium-difficult."
"We opted for a site with electrical and water ($30 vs $20) so there were mostly RVs. Large pull through with fire pit and bbq grill and metal picnic table."
"Campsite 6 is the first one on the right, across from the Camp Host site, and as close to the entrance has you’re gonna get."
"Good price, friendly staff. Clean restrooms, and fire pits. The hosts are incredible Ty yu"
"Basic bathrooms available. Steep decline into the river right next to the sites. About 10-15 sites available, first come, first served. Pretty secluded and private."
"My site backed up to the river and I was able to hammoc next to it. Short drive to horseshoe lake. Very dusty"
$22 - $170 / night
"Perfect for the campers that still want amenities , such as showers, flush toilets and running water.."
"Located just 1.5 hours from Phoenix, this is a super easy getaway from The Valley. "
"Very clean. some sites have an outdoor kitchen. close to the road but we didn’t notice noise. A decent size dog run and a small rec center that I didn’t have a chance to see."
"I arrived after hours, but some of the staff still on site saw me grab my check in materials at the office."
"There are several fenced in and cleared dirt areas to park and pull through trucks, a camper, tent and car, etc. any vehicle can make it to the staging area, road is easy to travel."
"Huge area to disperse camp with an actual bathroom. If you dont mind occasional off road vehicles driving through during the day, its a good spot with plenty of room."
"The park has beautiful hiking trails and a great nature center, which offers activities and the regional library. There are a couple of playgrounds in the park as well. "
"There was a gate attendant when we checked in around 6 pm on a Monday and we were given an information packet with information on the campground, nearby facilities in the town of Surprise, and trails,"
TravelerVery clean. some sites have an outdoor kitchen. close to the road but we didn’t notice noise. A decent size dog run and a small rec center that I didn’t have a chance to see.
GuideMy visit was to the Cave Creek Regional Park (since there's no "official" description of what Cave Creek Rec Area is defined as, and the website link goes to an outdated Maricopa County webpage).
This is another great park in the Maricopa County Parks network, very similar to Estrella or White Tanks in design and layout, in north Cave Creek/Carefree area (take 32nd Street north from Carefree Highway and you basically dead-end into the park. . .
They have a large Nature Center with lots of desert creatures inside including a big fat rattlesnake, gila monster, black widow spider and some scorpions to safely check out up close, plus a big outdoor enclosure for a desert tortoise. The best part of this park is the outdoor theater seating for events and HUGE picnic area with paved parking, shaded tables, and even a basketball hoop. The camping area is the first turnoff, just inside the park, and has an RV dumping station and about 30 multi-use sites laid out in a big loop. One cool extra is that several of the sites have a 16x16 foot pipe corral on them, so you can camp with your horse without keeping him tied to your trailer overnight. They also have horse rentals just outside the park (seasonal, no summer rentals) and several events monthly such as guided hikes that you can find on their online events calendar.
GuideVery well kept full service campground with super helpful staff. I recommend sites with canopies if you don't have solid air conditioning as it can get hot in the sun and there's very little natural shade. All sites have power and water. There's a dual lane dump station on the way out of the park.
LegendReservations are necessary, as many people grab these spots, and often for long stays (14 day maximums). Due to extreme heat, I recommend visiting in the fall. Winter, spring, and summer can tend to very uncomfortable.
Loved the variety of hikes here, anything from easy to medium-difficult. The individual sites are pretty small and hard to put a tent anywhere but the paved drives into each nook, much of the ground is covered in small plants and cacti. There's a picnic table/bench thing at each spot, plus a fire pit grill (which is the only place you can burn). Bathrooms and showers are on site and worked great during our stay. Bring plenty of water to hydrate with!
TravelerI am not sure where the pictures posted here are from but it is definitely not from this campground.
It is a nice little campground with a pool and small launder mat room. Bathrooms are always clean. The spaces are close together so if you are spot picky (want more of a personal space feel) you will need to get recommendations or visit it to mark your spots.
Saturday nights include karaoke by the pool or live cover band. My kids enjoy staying here but be warned that "resort" should be taken lightly. There is a "playground" which consists of a metal swing set, uncovered and a small basketball court. This is also right near the dog pin area.
You are off a major road so near by shopping is a breeze but you will not be forced to hear the traffic so no worries there.
GuidePerfect for the campers that still want amenities , such as showers, flush toilets and running water.. Campsites had campfire ring, picnic table at each site.. had cell service every now and then can hear traffic from a nearby Main Street which meant to close to town for me..
GuideChecked in on a Sunday for a one night stay at Buckhorn CG. Campsite 6 is the first one on the right, across from the Camp Host site, and as close to the entrance has you’re gonna get. I expected to hear traffic in and out, but the site sits a nice distance back from the CG entrance road. Parking area was large enough to accommodate a couple of vehicles, and the site was roomy, with a few tent location possibilities. Site was raked and free of any trash, and a good distance from neighboring site. Loved the large concrete picnic table. Nice metal firepit and water on site. Really quiet— just the nearby chatter of birds and coyotes serenading. You won’t get a ‘dark sky’ night here, but the light noise from Phoenix makes for beautifully silhouetted saguaro cacti. Restroom and shower facilities were clean.
LegendCampground Review
We LOVE Houston Mesa! This is our second time staying here, and we had an even better time this time then last time (and we had an amazing time last time, so that was hard to beat).
Located just 1.5 hours from Phoenix, this is a super easy getaway from The Valley. Houston Mesa Campground is also right off the main highway of town, so if you forgot something (or just want McDonalds instead of hot dogs) you can find civilization about 2 minutes away.
This time we went up with friends and stayed at sites Black Bear 4 and 5. These sites were PERFECT to book together, since they made one huge space when connected. We had 3 families, each with large tents, and had plenty of space. We will stay at these same sites next time. The bathroom is also right next to site 3, so it was easy to walk to.
Bathrooms are clean and have flush toilets. There are showers available at a central shower building, but we did not use those.
Each site comes with a picnic table and a fire pit (complete with BBQ grill topper). I also found the sites to be freshly racked on arrival, so that was nice.
There is also a great nature walk at the park that you can do with young kids. Every few feet is a sign describing local animals and plants.
A short 15 minute drive away is the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park -- a must see in the area! Beautiful and easy hike to see a absolutely gorgeous natural wonder.
Product Review
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - at Houston Mesa I was testing the GrubStick Deluxe Kit.
Wow. Wow. WOW. This set is a GAME CHANGER for campfire cooking. We have been using dinky little forks forever and having to buy new ones every few trips because they get bent out of shape or burned up. This kit will last you FOREVER. They are so well made!
This kit includes two grippy telescoping handles, and then a ton of accessories (2 fork toppers, a cage for whole S’mores, a cage for burgers, a small metal rod to make bacon cups, and a large metal rod to cook dough). There are also 4 other accessories, like hot pags and cage openers that are thoughtful additions. AND they come in their own mini duffel bag!
My friends were seriously blown away when they saw our set and were asking so many questions about it. My favorite part was the dough rod, because we made delicious campfire cinnamon-sugar crescent roll cylinders!!
5 Stars for GrubStick, can’t wait to try out new recipes!
Check out my video review here: https://youtu.be/JPNznJ7wApE
LegendCamped here for two nights and enjoyed it very much. Sites are large and well maintained. We opted for a site with electrical and water ($30 vs $20) so there were mostly RVs. Large pull through with fire pit and bbq grill and metal picnic table. Many have views of the Superstition Mountains. We reserved ahead of time which is good as the campground was full when we arrived. There is overflow camping if no sites available. Bathrooms were clean and one had showers and filtered water, a nice bonus. I only saw two bathrooms (there might have been another in the newer loop but we didn’t explore that) so they were not real close to our site. Several hiking trails directly accessible from the park. A variety of ranger led programs but unfortunately none during our stay. You do have to put up with the annoying train whistle from about 10-6 from nearby Goldsfield “Ghost town” but otherwise it is probably the quietest campground I’ve ever stayed at. Only issue we had was with over-eager volunteers who yelled at us and told us we couldn’t park outside the showers. (We had moved from our site to use the showers after our hike and before leaving).
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Carefree, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Carefree, AZ is Cave Creek Regional Park with a 4.5-star rating from 17 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Carefree, AZ?
TheDyrt.com has all 15 glamping camping locations near Carefree, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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