Are you an equestrian lover who prefers a more rustic experience when you visit Chiricahua? Finding a place to stay in Arizona while traveling with your horse has never been easier. At The Dyrt, you can find top-rated spots for horse camping, as reviewed by campers.
$20 / night
$25 - $40 / night
Guide
Quiet park, level and clean gravel sites. About 5 minutes from the town of Tombstone. It’s was getting down to freezing temperatures in November briefly over night. You can rent an outdoor fireplace and buy firewood on site too.
ScoutThe place was clean. People were friendly close to attractions and enjoyed our stay very much. Would recommend it. Five star bathrooms were clean.
GuideGrounds are well kept and staff are very nice. Highly recommend.
Ranger
Bumpy road washed out farther up but the dispersed area was fine. Pretty cold and rugged in Jan but really gorgeous. Creek runs near road.
TravelerThe people ar this place were very informative, the bathrooms were clean and it was a great spot to visit Tombstone. The dog spot was clean and fun.
RangerAbout a mile outside of Tombstone. Very clean, large/wide sites, nice pool, dog parks, large clubhouse with TV, shuffleboard, ping pong, etc. Very helpful staff. Lots of snow birds when we were here...we stayed 2 nights.
GuideThere are a lot of small campsites all grouped together in the middle of the camping area, but me and the guys picked site 18, which has a lot of flat area for several tents, and has a much more relaxed vibe. Campus nestled right against some beautiful granite features, and well covered by evergreen oaks. Easy access to hiking and adventuring in the granite boulder area. There was no drinking water when we were there late September, but there are several spigots around camp. Maybe they turn it on at some point. We really enjoyed this space
ScoutVery clean and nice grounds. The Pool was nice, nice facilities. We stayed here in a rooftop tent, it felt safe and nice here
ScoutWhat else could you ask for? Clean and quiet. Easy to get in and out. Great amenities. A short distance from town.
GuideSpent the weekend here and it didn’t disappoint. Great little campground. Lots are close together but we had great neighbors. There is no water and decent pit toilets. No cell service but that was what we were looking for. Great hiking in the area!
TravelerWe headed over here early on a Saturday morning and found a dispersed spot without a problem. Tons of spots available and some of the dips might require high clearance but we did fine with our vintage trailer and suburban. The spots are level and shaded (or full sun if you prefer). No water or amenities and hardly any cell service on Verizon but it was awesome. Would definitely recommend!
RangerAwesome stop! Great campground just down hill from old town tombstone! You wont be disappointed, nicely run and kept, everything you need. Lots to see and do in area. Sierra Vista is about 18 miles with excellent shopping. Bisbee is a fun drive through mountains and fun town to browse as well. Tombstone is well worth the visit, go see the Birdcage, well worth the tour of 1881 multiple purpose bar, brothel, casino card games etc. There is a great leather shop in town. G. D'AMBROSE, I highly recommend his leather work, top quality, I got my gun belt holster while in town, custom made to fit. It was Christmas week and he still got it done in record time, great guy, his saddles and other items were remarkable as well. There were lots of restaurants, saloons, shops, stage coach still running in town. Step back in time and enjoy the old west, dont forget to visit boothill for some of tombstone history. We were there for 9 days, but didnt see it all. The campground has a gate at rear corner, you can walk lots of dessert trails, or some brought there 4 wheelers , golf carts, and rode them. Campground had nice laundry, propane, pool, clubhouse, spaces had rail fences between and nice space. We decorated the fence with Christmas lites, many others did as well.
ScoutWe had a great time camping and hiking at Cochise Stronghold. Stayed at the main campground but will stay at down at the dispersed area next time.
GuideWe have a group that camps every Valentines Day at different places. The whole team here made our trip one of the best. Very accommodating. Lots of amenities. Friendly. Just to name a few. Highly recommend this well maintained campground.
LegendMy husband, myself and our 2 small dogs live in Tucson, AZ. We recently acquired a roof top tent and we’ve been trying out various campgrounds across the Southwest.
Dog friendly hiking opportunities from this campground on the Cochise Trail. I recommend arriving during daylight hours. We left after work, and it was harder to navigate the primitive roads back to the campground in the dark. You do have to cross the stream several times to get the the site. When we crossed the water was 3-6” deep and a few crossing are over rocks (not pavement). We had no issues in our F250, but any vehicle with a normal amount of clearance should be fine. We saw several small SUVs/crossovers, small trailers, a dirt bike and a Prius.
It’s a popular place and we were lucky to get the last site available that night. There are also dispersed camp sites (also popular) along the W Hunt Rd loop.
The campground has pit toilets (with 2 stalls each). Each site has a picnic table, a nice fire ring and a tall BBQ grill. The sites are close together. No water, so bring your own.
We will definitely return to the Cochise Stronghold area.
ScoutDry camping and good hiking. Cheap stay and deposit on honor system.
ScoutGreat place great staff new pool no dust great location easy access just north of town about a mile stayed three weeks last time will be staying again in 2020 really enjoyed our last time only place for us in that area 👍
LegendVarious Oaks and Alligator Junipers abound at this cute little National Forest campground tucked in the Dragoon Mountains, another of Arizona’s beautiful “Islands in the Sky.” Named for the late Apache leader, Chief Cochise, this campground sits at the base of a few absolutely gorgeous hiking trails and rock climbing areas.
Each site has a good amount of space but oddly a small amount of space for tents and RV’s longer than 24 feet won’t fit in most of the sites. There is no privacy in between sites, but each site has good tree coverage (almost too much for our solar suitcase on an extension cord). Each site has a huge cement picnic table, fire ring, and grill and there are a couple composting toilets. There was no drinking water available at the campground (the website says there is water), but there is a creek you can pull water from for filtering, so come prepared.
Important note: If there is rain in the forecast, be aware that you may get stuck in this campground for a couple of days, as you have to cross numerous washes on the road to/from the campground. We were there for 3 days before it was safe to pull a small camper across the “death wash” that grew to 6 feet high and 20 feet wide during a 24-hour rain event!
LegendSo everything in Tombstone is pretty much a theme draw trying to get you to spend a little but I will say that when we found this campground it was a little chuckle because all the different rows are named for different aspects of the western world which is known to be Tombstone. ( Like Lariat or Marshall)
What wasn't old though was the feel of the facility which had modern amenities such as a pool and nice restroom facility. I can only imagine in this area things are highly competitive so keeping to theme but also meeting needs of campers is very important.
Sure it is a little dusty like the west, but you are in Arizona so it can be expected.
They do have rustic accommodations and cabins for those wanting to get the real old west feel and also accommodate both RV and tent campers like myself which was really nice to find out. In fact there was an entire row just dedicated to the good old tent hombres (lol, we will keep in the western theme as well).
Everyone seemed very nice around camp and many were exploring in town at night at one of the many saloons and even asked us if we wanted to come with. They do offer a shuttle service as well for those not wanting to get swept up in the attempting to find a non-pay parking stop.
We paid $25 but had full service at the campground which also included laundry and ice availability without having to get in the car to find a different location. That combined with the pool made it worth every penny!
TIPS:
RangerWe went here for a quick overnight and it did not disappoint. The campground itself is pretty small and would be cramped if full, luckily it was no where near full when we were there (late fall). The rocks of the Dragoon Mountains are amazing and wandering among them is certainly worth it. We came back another time and discovered multiple dispersed camping spots on the Forest Service road that veers off just as you cross the Forest boundary as you head in towards the campground - this is where we will camp in the future (no fee). The hiking is amazing - head to up at least to half moon tank to see water and amazing rock formations.
GuideI love it here. The campsites are fairly small and there's not much room for tents, but you don't go to the Stronghold to spend much time at camp anyway. The climbing here is rugged and relatively undeveloped and the views are pretty amazing. The rock that's formed here is unlike anything else in the area and just spending time here far from civilization makes you feel like an Apache warrior hiding out in the mountains.
LegendWe loved staying at Cochise. The sunsets were amazing every night, there were tons of trees for shade and hanging hammocks and it was a great place to make a basecamp for a couple days of climbing.
GuideRustic camping paradise. Endless trails, with amazing sights at every bend. Stumble upon rivers, vistas, sunning reptiles, and imagine what its like to be a native, shaking up settlers and hiding from Colonialists.
I can't wait to go back. I went in March and the weather was perfect. Aim for spring or fall, and get in early to find a spot. There's always something available, but get in early to find the good spots, lots of them spread out! COCHISE IS THE BEST!!! Lots of rock climbing too! So much scrambling, bouldering, and trad and sport routes. You'll love it even if you don't climb.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Chiricahua, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Chiricahua, AZ is Cochise Stronghold Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 12 reviews.
