Best RV Parks & Resorts near Coconino National Forest

I was really looking forward to Cottonwood camp, outside of the Sedona area.  The campground had excellent reviews so we booked three nights.  There are many different sections of the park and your experience overall could be impacted by which site.  We were in site 141 close to the main activity room.  These sites are very packed and there are a lot of long-term guests and it looks like it.  The other sites throughout the park are better, especially the ones on the ridge with a view.  

The other challenge was almost zero connectivity even using a hot spot.  I work remote so this was a challenge and I had to take work calls in the public lodge.  The lack of WiFi at all limited our other devices as well.  Not an option if you work on the road.

The area however has amazing natural beauty, parks and lots of hikes.  Some are dog-friendly, but some are not, so recommend checking.  The town of Sedona has changed over the years with many more tourists, traffic and high prices.  I would likely not return or stay somewhere more in nature, but with cell service as well.

In the off season, this sweet little national forest campground is a quiet oasis in one of the beautiful “islands of the sky” which are scattered throughout Arizona.  Up at 5000 feet, this place becomes a busy retreat for Tucsonians seeking to escape some of the summertime heat, according to the park ranger we spoke too. It's also a haven for birds!

The campground has designated section for RV’s and tents, though they are same price at just $10 per night.  Many pull-through sites are available for larger RV’s, as well as some back in spots. Each site has a HUGE cement picnic table and fire ring and are a nice size with plenty of space between sites. There are trash cans (though no recycling) throughout the campground, and a water spigot near the very clean pit toilets, thanks to the dedicated and very friendly camp hosts.  The tent sites overlook the Parker Canyon Lake and are quite spacious. There are few tent sites for groups too.

There is a nice boat dock, as well as small store near the water that sells snacks/drinks, bait, and a few camping necessities.  You can rent kayaks, paddle boats, SUPs, sailboats and small motorized fishing boats…or bring your own. There is also a nice and easy trail that follows the lake shore for about 6 miles, accessible to both hikers and mountain bikers.  From the lake trail, you can also access the Arizona Scenic Trail (the southern terminus is about 15 miles south of the lake). We also saw quite a few fisherman out enjoying the lake during mid-week.

The closest grocery stores and gas stations are in Sonoita, about 30 miles away.  Cell coverage is limited here as you are very close to the Mexican border – none in RV campground, just a bit of coverage in the tent campground.

RV or tiny homes…this place is AMAZING. We were in the RV side very clean, level elite back in with a concrete patio. Picnic table AND propane fire pit provided. The clubhouse has a bar and grill with a GIANT patio, live music, a store, heated pool and spa, a large game lawn and trails behind. Backs up to a national forest. Bathrooms and laundry clean and convenient. Well organized and friendly staff. Cons: trains in the distance and some interstate noise but that’s to be expected. The camp is NOT right up on the interstate you just can see it from various sections of the camp. We only had one neighbor at our site since it was on the end which was nice. Would DEFINITELY stay again.

The Sedona View RV Resort is a really clean and safe Park. The Staff is friendly and help you any way they can. They have Full Hookups with 30 & 50 amp service. They do charge a KWH fee for electric for a monthly stay. However their monthly charge is NOT high like other Resorts in Camp Verde.

They have a shower and laundry house. As of March 2021 showers are still closed due to Covid 19. Laundry is open.

Most sites are level but there are some on the outer parameter that you’ll have to work a little magic. Inner sites are fine.

If you like hiking, this is right next to the National Forest with a trailhead right in the Park.

Quiet at night. Watch the moon rise over the mountains.

I typically rate campgrounds as they fit into 1 of 5 categories. This campground will be rated as a Basecamp — grounds that offer a comfortable home base that you’re happy to return to after a day of exploring the surrounding area. Ratings for this category are based on: Value to cost: 4 Overall grounds: 4 Utility of sites (hookups, layout, accessibility): 3 Local Attraction Proximity: 5 Reservation Process/Ease of Getting a Site: 5 Amenities: 5 Customer Service: 4 Cleanliness: 4

Verde Ranch RV Resort is a newer RV campground located about 30 minutes South of Sedona. It offers lots of amenities including a big, lovely pool, laundry facilities, a decent sized workout room, a community center, pickle ball courts and more. In the age of COVID, a lot of these amenities are closed or restricted but we were able to use the pool on our visit. They offer different levels of sites based on price but we didn’t see much differentiation based on the price levels. We chose a covered site through their easy online reservation system as we were visiting in the dead of summer. We weren’t super stoked on our selection once we arrived. Our hookups were in the very far back corner of the space so we needed to choose between a small sliver of shade provided by the solar cover or the reach of our dump hose. Not ideal. We seemed to be in one of very few spots with this weird location for hookups. The end spots of the shaded area are hardly covered so it might not be worth it to you because these spots are pretty close together with no privacy in between sites. All sites seemed nicely wide enough to allow slide outs and big rigs. Plants between sites are all very newly planted and so don’t offer privacy yet.

From what we were able to access, the grounds seemed very clean and well maintained. The online reservation process was easy though it was hard to get ahold of the office prior to and upon self-check in. Staff we did encounter were friendly and, though there are a lot of rules, there was no policing.

The biggest draw for these grounds was proximity to Sedona (30 min), Montezuma’s Castle (10 min) and Tuzigoot (25 min). We enjoyed a visit to all 3 within our 2-day stay. We enjoyed our stay and the awesome pool in the desert heat but next time we might opt to stay a little closer to Sedona.

We spent 4 nights in #3 Mountain Lion loop. Pull through site that our 30' toy hauler fit nicely in. Would be tight for anything larger.

Really beautiful place with many trees. Convient toilets and showers. Showers are $3 for 6 minutes. We didn't use them. Lots of bear proof dumpsters.

Hosts were friendly and not intrusive. Firewood available for $8 a bundle. You can get the same firewood at the Circle K in Payson for $6.

Water fill and dump station at the campground entrance and several water hydrants throughout the campground.

The only reason I'm not giving this place 5 stars is because of the road and aircraft noise. It was pretty loud during the day but we didn't have any trouble sleeping.

Would definitely come back here.

The Thousand Trails Verde Valley RV Resort is a lovely Thousand Trails RV park located in Cottonwood, Arizona in the Verde Valley. The park is very well-kept and maintained and the staff is friendly and helpful. The premium sites are unbelievably huge in size and have upgraded FHU. The views from them are worth the extra $5-7.50 per night alone! They are level and gravel which makes parking a dream! The amenities here include pool, sauna, community room, shuffleboard, volleyball, basketball, tennis, mini golf, hiking trails, game room, pool tables, horseshoes, ping pong, dog runs, etc. The park is located just down the road from Cottonwood and the historic downtown district. There is a lot of things to do nearby including hiking trails, wineries and vineyards, shopping, historical sites, state parks and more! The only downside we have found to this park is the Wifi. Our signals have been pretty spotty here. This is definitely one of the nicer Thousand Trails parks we’ve been to and we will certainly be back. 👍🏻

For campground videos and more, check out our YouTube channel: Jeff & Steff’s Excellent Adventure.