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Best Equestrian Camping near Catalina, AZ

79 Reviews

Catalina State Park Campground offers equestrian amenities for riders exploring the Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona. The park includes a separate equestrian campground area that accommodates horses and riders with ample space for trailers. Horse owners can enjoy the equestrian area which provides more privacy than the standard campground loops. The trails are accessible directly from the campground, making it convenient for riders to explore without trailering horses to different locations. The campground remains clean and well-maintained, with staff regularly servicing the facilities. Water is available throughout the park for both horses and campers. Groups with horses find the equestrian camping area particularly suitable, with enough room to spread out equipment and set up portable corrals if needed.

The trail system at Catalina State Park connects riders to the extensive network within the Coronado National Forest, offering varied terrain and spectacular mountain views. Daily access to bridle paths allows for rides of different lengths and difficulties without leaving park boundaries. Horse-friendly trails include both shorter loops suitable for beginners and more challenging routes into the mountains for experienced riders. The park's location at the base of Mount Lemmon provides a cooler alternative to the Tucson desert floor during hot months. Riders report excellent trail conditions with well-marked routes that accommodate horses safely. Camping with horses is most comfortable during spring and fall months when temperatures are moderate. The proximity to Oro Valley offers convenient access to feed stores and equestrian supplies should riders need to restock during their stay.

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Best Equestrian Sites Near Catalina, Arizona (5)

    1. Catalina State Park Campground

    61 Reviews
    Oro Valley, AZ
    4 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 628-5798

    $50 / night

    "Catalina State Park in Tucson, Arizona, is a fantastic campground that offers a perfect blend of natural beauty and convenience."

    "There is a dump station and several picnic areas, plus short hiking loops and horse trails. AND the VIEW of the Catalina mts is stunning!"

    2. Reddington Pass Dispersed

    4 Reviews
    Saguaro National Park, AZ
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 749-8700

    "It’s a fun trail if you like a challenge of off roading. I wouldn’t recommend larger trailers or RVs to travel too far up the trail, we’ve seen them get stuck trying to turn around."

    "40 mile scenic drive on a 4x4 road, dispersed camping along the way. Extremely popular view to park off the road in the saguaros."

    3. Pima County Fairgrounds RV Park

    7 Reviews
    Vail, AZ
    31 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 762-8579

    $45 / night

    "Great place to stay for visiting Tucson and surrounding area. We stayed for a week while visiting Saguaro NP. Cheap with full hook ups. Busy location as they hold rodeos and horse events regularly."

    "FCFS, no reservations Park is frequently busy with events, rodeos, etc, which may limit access to some amenities. Drag strip next door may add sweet but brief engine noise"

    4. Colossal Cave Mountain Park

    7 Reviews
    Vail, AZ
    33 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 647-7275

    $10 - $15 / night

    "I want to give this place 5 stars but not having a natural water source and locking the gates at night don’t get ya 5 stars 🤓 ...I understand their reasoning behind locking the gates however; bad humans"

    "Nice spot just off the AZT, stayed while on a bike trip on the trail. Camped in the La Selvilla section in the back of the canyon."

    5. Palo Verde Estates & RV Park

    Be the first to review!
    Tucson, AZ
    23 miles
    Website

    $50 - $750 / night

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Recent Equestrian Camping Photos near Catalina, AZ

1 Photos of 5 Catalina Campgrounds

Equestrian Camping Reviews near Catalina, AZ

79 Reviews of 5 Catalina Campgrounds

  • Berton M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 31, 2023

    Catalina State Park Campground

    Base of Catalina Foothills

    Catalina State Park in Tucson, Arizona, is a fantastic campground that offers a perfect blend of natural beauty and convenience. The campsite is surrounded by stunning desert landscapes, with majestic saguaro cacti and rugged mountains providing a picturesque backdrop. 

    The well-maintained facilities and spacious campsites make it an ideal destination for both novice and experienced campers. What sets Catalina State Park apart is its remarkable proximity to the town of Tucson. Just a short drive away, campers can easily access the vibrant city to explore its cultural attractions, dine at diverse restaurants, and shop for supplies. 

    This accessibility makes it an excellent choice for those who want to enjoy the serenity of the outdoors without sacrificing the convenience of urban amenities. Whether you're into hiking, stargazing, or simply seeking a peaceful getaway, Catalina State Park offers it all. The stunning natural beauty combined with its proximity to town makes it a top-notch choice for a camping adventure in Tucson, Arizona.

  • Shawn A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Feb. 1, 2021

    Catalina State Park Campground

    One of the best!

    I loved this park. The staff was friendly and the camp hosts were so helpful. I stayed for 7 nights at the A site, B site, and Ringtail Loop. A and B have back in’s and pull-thru’s, & water/electric. There is a dump station and several picnic areas, plus short hiking loops and horse trails. AND the VIEW of the Catalina mts is stunning!

  • Candy P.
    Mar. 28, 2021

    Catalina State Park Campground

    Southern Arizona’s best State Park

    This campsite is in the heart of the Sonoran Desert on the outskirts of Tucson. You are minutes from the city, but still tucked into the valley of the Catalina Mountains. The perfect place for a desert retreat! Across the street (5 min drive for the campsite) you’ll find in ‘n out, Walmart, and other retail stores. Just down Oracle Rd. you’ll find great local restaurants... El Molinitos, Guadalajara Grill, Tap and Bottle, Village Bakehouse, and Truland Burgers. There is so much to explore in Tucson, but this campsite alone is a destination. If you’re lucky enough to be around after mountain snowmelt, you can enjoy the water. Hiking baths are aplenty as are the birds for birding enthusiasts. Campsites are clean and spacious. There isn’t much shade in the desert, so plan accordingly. Stargazing is great here. This State Park is a hot spot for locals, so hit the trails early in the morning or just stick to the campground on the weekends to avoid the crowds. The park and the adjacent mountain range suffered greatly from a large fire in the summer of 2020. Deeper into the park on hikes you’ll notice the devastation and also see desert regrowth. Be sure to check before you go as some trails are still closed from the damage.

  • Carly E.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 17, 2018

    Catalina State Park Campground

    Clean, spacious, lots of trails and wildlife

    We stayed 2 nights at Catalina State Park in early May. We were in site B48 - this site was at the edge of the loop so it was nice and fairly private - but there was very little shade. I probably wouldn't pick that site again in the warmer months! There were a lot of other sites that had some trees around them and seemed much shadier. Campground was very clean. Bathrooms were spotless with giant free showers, which was awesome. The bathrooms were a pretty long walk from our site (there is only one bathroom facility for that loop). There are some trails in the park. We saw (and heard) coyote, prairie dogs, and a rattlesnake eating a prairie dog along a trail right behind our campground loop! We explored nearby Tuscon (interesting town with really cool murals and a great craft beer scene) and Saguaro National Park (about 30-45 minutes away). The park is very quiet and peaceful, yet very close to stores and a main road if you need anything. The campsite we were in had full hookups for electricity and water (we were in a campervan and didn't need them but it was nice to have access to).

  • Ashley C.
    Apr. 22, 2019

    Catalina State Park Campground

    Ranger Review: Wenzel Camp Quilt at Catalina State Park

    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

    https://youtu.be/yw_dUs9b7aM

  • Abbey F.
    Mar. 15, 2017

    Catalina State Park Campground

    Clean and beautiful campground

    We camped in the overflow area of Catalina State Park. The campground was full, the there were a lot of cars, but everyone pitched tents in a large open area with a single large fire pit and picnic shelter. The campground had Very clean bathrooms with flush toilet and showers. The hiking trails were close by the campground and were really great hikes, with Romero Pools being our favorite.

  • Patrick T.
    Apr. 8, 2021

    Catalina State Park Campground

    Absolutely love Catalina state park

    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.

  • Krista Z.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 20, 2019

    Catalina State Park Campground

    Cute campground right on the edge of town

    Catalina State Park was beautiful in a very unique way. The campground sits at the base of the Catalina mountains and it made for gorgeous views. The landscape is pretty standard desert. There was a lot of plant life but not a lot of green. There are a ton of ants and other desert crawlies (just be prepared). Most of the spots are not well shaded so I don't think this is a very good summertime campground unless you are in an air conditioned camper of some sort. Some of the sites do have electric and water which is a nice perk. The campground is literally right on the edge of town. The road you take to get into the park is at a stop light intersection with a shopping plaza on the other side. Even with the close proximity tot he highway and town I didn't notice any unwanted noise.

    The bathrooms were really well kept and had showers that even in the cold of November were putting out hot water. There are a ton of neat little hiking trails through the park (and quite a few geocaches). I could totally see this being a fun place to take pictures just because of the views. If you are looking for a large group event they had some facilities that could accommodate. My biggest dislike about this campground is they do not allow wood fires at all. It makes sense because EVERYTHING there is super dry but with the cool night temperatures (even when it was hot mid day) you couldn't warm up with a roaring fire. As a workaround you can use the fake logs in the BBQ pit (but they didn't seem to put off enough heat for us) and it looked pretty silly having 5 people standing around a BBQ pit trying to warm up!

  • Jennifer H.
    May. 3, 2017

    Catalina State Park Campground

    One of the best!

    Catalina SP is amazingly beautiful! The group camping areas are set up very nicely being easy to do all camp activities in a large space. The camp is nestled into the mountains so it's so green and great for nature walks! We saw a pair of owls keeping their nest safe. Side note: the showers were awesome!

Guide to Catalina

Horse camping in Arizona offers a unique opportunity to explore the stunning landscapes while enjoying the company of your equine friends. With a variety of campgrounds catering to horse enthusiasts, you can find the perfect spot to set up camp and ride the trails.

Campers appreciate these amenities for horses

Equestrian campgrounds include scenic trails and facilities

  • Reddington Pass Dispersed offers a rugged experience with off-road trails perfect for adventurous riders looking to explore the Coronado National Forest.
  • Pima County Fairgrounds RV Park provides easy access to local trails, making it a convenient stop for those traveling with horses.
  • Catalina State Park Campground is well-known for its extensive network of trails that cater to horseback riders, ensuring a memorable experience in the great outdoors.

Most campgrounds have horse-focused amenities like water and shade

  • Colossal Cave Mountain Park features picnic tables and fire rings, providing a comfortable environment for horse campers to relax after a day of riding.
  • Palo Verde Estates & RV Park includes drinking water and ample space for horses, making it a practical choice for equestrian camping.
  • Catalina State Park Campground offers electric hookups and well-maintained facilities, ensuring a pleasant stay for both horses and their owners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Catalina, AZ?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Catalina, AZ is Catalina State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 61 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Catalina, AZ?

TheDyrt.com has all 5 equestrian camping locations near Catalina, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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