Best Campgrounds near Clifton, AZ

Stayed here in one of the three semi-completed campsites. Nice place to throw down off the beaten path. The entire grounds are a work in progress tho and the sites are littered with sharp objects like screws, nails, etc. So I had to setup shop outside the campsite a bit.

The construction crew has equipment all over the place. The team arrived early in the am and started all sorts of racket.

Beware: A resident construction camper is occupying one of three sites and he ran his super loud generator nonstop from 5pm onward. It was still going when I left around 7am. I didn’t sleep at all.

Several RV and tent camping sites. Beautiful view of the mountains. The night sky is dark and the campground is quiet and peaceful.

Great spot in the middle of nowhere. Still good and clean facilities (pit toilets and hot tubs) thanks to the volunteer hosts. A big thank you for their work. The hot tubs are really hot! One star less due to the rough dirt road the first couple of miles off the highway. Not recommended with a standard trailer/car and some small damages are almost guaranteed. Due to this it's not worth for only an overnight stay. Take more food and water with you and enyoj this special place for a couple of nights.

Spent two nights here at the exact place where Google Maps says you have arrived. Very secluded and quiet!

Our site was pretty much a gravelly level area. We were just above the dam.

There is absolutely nothing at this site to create shade or a wind block. Fortunately we had only light breezes at dawn and dusk. It can feel really cold in the morning before the sun comes up even at 40.

I have been full timing in my 22 ft travel Trailer for 2.5 years.. this easily is one of my fav spots. Camping is $3a day near the hot wells but outside the recreation area, is all BLM camping. Hot wells right next to our spot were amazing. I just wish they were working all 24 hours a day. The wells are pumped by a solar pump so cloud coverage or night mean the solar pumps aren’t pumping. But they fill up about an hour after sunrise and about an hour after sunset it drains. We were the only ones there for 4 days. It was awesome

Not much for camping area, but it’s right on the creek and secluded and quiet. No toilets. No trash. Verizon in and out. 4x4 needed to exit. Road is a couple miles, rough, and one shallow water crossing.

This is an overlook of the Gila Valley with a wall to keep people from driving off. Verizon works. It dead ends just past the wall. You could camp here in an RTT. There is a place further down that has a couple dispersed areas by the creek. Marijilda Ranch Road. It’s rough but worth the run. Pictures in this review are of that area.

There are vault toilets there. There is a few places one could pull off for a quick sleep, but not a campground at all. Little further south are places in the trees further off the road on the right hand side .2 and .6 miles down.

The road in turns to dirt for a brief minute, then back to paved. It winds and there are some tight turns. You turn off the pavement to dirt the last 1/4 mile. Wouldn’t take anything over 35’ 5th wheel. $5/night is not bad to have vault toilets, water spigot, picnic tables, river close. Biking trails, horse trails, hike trails, OHV trails all close. There are corrals at the “Host” site. There is a boat ramp 2 miles before the campground. There is one farther up also. Not sure about at the campground. No Verizon signal here.

Cottonwood Campground: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)

Overall Rating: Not an appealing campground except as a stop over. Security: no Usage during visit: light Site Privacy: no Pad surface: Dirt Reservations: No Outside Road Noise: This cg is right off the highway. Some sites back up towards the highway. Through Traffic in campground: No Setting: Under tree canopy. Solar: solar looks to be pretty good in most sites.
Insects: Did not seem to be a problem during our brief April visit. Host: No Sites: Near highway. Site 1 backs up towards the highway.

Not many spots. Had to squeeze in between a couple people. I’d say there are about 20-25 spots in total if you don’t mind being a little close. What amazing 360 views of the sky. You feel like you are in a globe.

A small campground overlooking the Gila River. Only about a half dozen sites but very lightly used and isolated. $5 fee. Closest stores are in Clifton, and the little station in Three Way. The road to the campground from US-191 is dirt, but easily passable by any vehicle that isn't a lowrider. Good condition. 

Gravel tent pads, awnings, grills, firepits, and clean restrooms. No hook-ups or water/sewer. Decent T-Mobile service, nice BLM Ranger checked on us both mornings. Woke up to the mine blasting one of those mornings, but that wasn't entirely unexpected. 

Overall a great place to stay, would recommend.

All the facilities are very clean. $3/night and you have two hot wells to soak in during the day. This is a recreational area for OHVs so expect to hear people having fun on the weekends.

This campsite is a repeat location for family. I almost didn’t even want to post a review so I could keep it hidden. Located right next to a large meadow, we almost always see elk or deer. There is also a nice trail next to a creek but the path was over grown when we tried to hike down it. The road down to the campsite is in good shape, but the sites are small. Perfect for 1-2 tents.

Vault toilet and no other amenities. Bring water.

This is a popular site for hunters during elk/deer season. We often find carcasses and bones around the site.