Looking for the perfect glamping experience near Congress? Glamping is not only a fun alternative to traditional tent camping, but also allows you to pack more or less gear as you see fit. You're sure to find glamping for your Arizona camping adventure.
This recreation area is part of Alamo Lake ACTIVITIES Boating Camping Fishing Hiking Picnicking Water Sports Playground Park Specialized Sport Site Other Recreation Concession Site: Groceries
$15 - $70 / night
Happy Endings Retreat is an amazing place to relax and enjoy nature! Off the beaten path and out of cell phone range, you can truly get “away from it all” here! The property is just 10 miles from beautiful Lake Pleasant and in the thick of prime hiking and miles of UTV roads. Do you prefer quieter activities? Contemplate nature in Hell’s Vinyard – where we have begun the process of renovating the 100-year-old vines or just sit by the pool. We are working hard to create a place for others to retreat and escape the city. Owners Kevin & Scott have been best friends for years and when this property came up, they knew it would be a great fit for two creative movie producers who love camping, hiking, and shooting. They are dedicated to developing Happy Endings Retreats’ 100 acres as an affordable place for people to enjoy the outdoors. You are sure to enjoy yourself and you won’t believe the view!
Legend
Located at about 203rd Avenue, on the westside of Phoenix, in Waddell Arizona is a tiny little Campground with phenomenal views. There is also a large group campground and a very primitive "camp ground" available, but primitive desert camping requires a LOT of preparation and packing in/out. There are numerous horseback, hiking and biking trails. Family campground has electric and water hookups with a very clean centrally located restroom, that hosts a shower and flushing toilets.
Views are amazing. Maricopa county operates the campground and has made significant improvements with ramada, gathering areas, grills, fire rings, monthly hikes, educational presentations, a huge public library...every bit in caliber with state and federal campgrounds.
Scout
I grew up in Arizona and had never been to Alamo Lake. The lake is kind of in the middle of nowhere but what a hidden treasure. We camped there in March 2018. It was on the warm side. The area is best suited for camping October - March. This is the desert people. Or if you have a giant RV with air conditioning and cable television, you could go anytime. Fish early in the morning and late at night.
The campground is rather large with different areas for tent camping and hook-ups. We stayed with an electric and water hook-up in a pop-up tent trailer. There were lots of big rigs and toy haulers. We definitely had toy envy with only our pop-up and kayaks. This is a big ATV area so there were lots of ATVs riding around. People also had speed boat and canoes. The campground was not completely full even though it was Easter weekend. It was also relatively quiet. The bathrooms were sparkling clean and had nice showers with hot water. There was also an AMAZING fish cleaning area at each campsite loop. If you aren't really a campsite person, there is dispersed camping available by the shore but you need to drive down a dirt road through a tiny fork in the road "town" called Wayside. There is a bar/restaurant/store/campground/gas station in Wayside. The next town is about 30 miles away.
We found some great fishing which is unusual for Arizona. We caught bass, bluegill and catfish. We saw people catching a lot of fish. They have bass fishing competitions at this lake and I can see why.
The lake is surrounded by pretty red mountains. The sky is a beautiful blue. I highly recommend the area. Not too crowded, good fishing, nice clean campground. What more could you want but maybe a nice cold beer!
LegendThis area is best for its hiking and photo ops, in my humble opinion. As with most desert campgrounds in Arizona, there is not much privacy between the sites but take advantage of the beauty. The waterfall trail is an easy hike and very doable with kids. You can only bring a stroller so far unless it's an off-roading stroller but the hike is worth it (especially if there's water flowing). There's a playground across from the trailhead in case all else fails and someone stays behind with he little ones. Restrooms are thoughtfully placed here. DO watch for rattle snakes on this trail and all for that matter. Also, bring a lot of water and then some. Stop at the Visitor Center and library on your way in. You're not far removed from civilization so anything you need is just a brief drive away.
GuideEvery time I mention Alamo Lake, even people who have lived in Arizona forever say "where"? It's quite a drive to what feels like the middle of nowhere, but totally worth the trip. It's like a mini-Lake Pleasant without all the jet skies and power boats. Campgrounds are basic but serviceable and the far side of the lake has nice sandy beaches for additional camping outside the official park.
I just returned from a camping trip here this weekend and the lake was totally different from my last visit. This lake is not fed by any dedicated water source and it was designed for flood control, so it's level varies greatly from year to year based on winter rain/snow fall during the previous winter. The lake this weekend was THREE TIMES bigger than when I saw it in the spring of 2016 - about 17,000 acres and close to full right now. I'd love to give the park a one-star review just so no one will go there and it can be my great little secret! The drive there is a bit boring, and it's funny to note that while driving the 30 miles or so out Salome road, the "watch for cattle" signs are paired with warnings painted on the road AND rumble strips about every 300 years while in Maricopa county, but as soon as you cross into La Paz county the yellow signs and road paint continue, but the rumble strips disappear :)
There are 5 camping sections with different amenities for each - I prefer the B section because most of the sites have views of the lake, but section A has showers near the cabin rentals (they are only a short walk from B, so it makes staying closer to the lake a win still). Sections C, D, and E are off the first road you can enter and are much more primitive, although they are serviced by their own launch and fish cleaning station. Sections A and B are near the ranger station/camp store that sells all kinds of stuff you might forget and snacks, and has a gas pump outside (I did not inquire about purchasing gas and the pump looks like it's quite an antique. . .)
It's a bit desolate and can be hot and to be honest, kind of boring if you don't have a plan. I love taking my kayak because it's so quiet and it's a great lake for birding - I saw tons of migrating water birds this weekend, as well as an osprey, Harris hawks, and an owl early this morning. There are also tons of wild burros, coyotes, and other desert creatures. This is a fishing lake and pretty much everyone who drives all the way out to Alamo Lake is going for the same reason - to sit in a serene lake on a quiet boat and catch a ton of fish. This is not a hiking lake - I did not see any trails other than just paths here and there through the park.
Scout
Scott and Kevin have a great piece of property they love To share! Located in a valley of the Bradshaw mountains just about and hour and a half from Phoenix, this is an awesome getaway- away from it all. I boondocked for a couple days and enjoyed the quiet solitude of the canyon, enjoyed hiking, and the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. It’s a rocky dirt road to get here, but my class C rv easily made it- and I’ve taken it in worse roads. Well worth the effort, give this place a try! thanks Kevin and Scott!
ScoutIf you are wanting to explore go here its nice and you can make all time of memories. Nice place to explore
ScoutI have tried to contact the ranch and got no response. I assume they aren't in business anymore.
LegendAshley here with The Dyrt. I had the pleasure of helping Kevin & Scott get their property listed with us. These two are dedicated to making this experience the best possible one for their guests. Lounge at the lake, hike in the fields, or relax in their renovated vineyard. Give them try and share your experience here!
Scout
Love camping love fission love having a fire when I’m able to in the winter doesn’t matter that rains or if it snows love camping give me some good spots and I’ll be there
TravelerWe liked it there. Nobody else on Friday night, plenty of space
The typical rumble strip dirt road to this point but easily doable.
Service: 1 bar Verizon
ScoutLittle dusty and noisy but plenty of room to camp and the trails are great!
GuideMiles of desert and washes to explore with tons of dispersed camping sites. Can get busy on holiday or event weekends but worth it otherwise. Some weekends have horse or Dirtbike events. Nearby washes lead to tons of trails near castle hot springs that can lead to various abounded mine sites (including Anderson Mill). Obviously not ideal camping in the summer but GREAT for the fall/winter/spring months.
ScoutHuge 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.
TravelerNature,wildlife awesome views what else do you need? Oh we will be back again!
LegendGorgeous place to visit or stay love it!!!! Huge park with nice campground. Sites near the ranger station are paved and level. No cell service unless you hike up a trail or drive to the dam overlook. There are only a few hiking trails(easy to moderate) but they are well maintained. The lake is a great place to kayak. We saw many birds and wild donkeys. The views are excellent. Hiking trails were at a minimum. Saw Borros& quail. Located in the middle of no where. Be sure to have full refrig and gas tank before you come in.(There is a convenient store on Rt 60 between Solome& Wenden). We camped at Alamo Lake in a 5th Wheel.
GuideWe love camping here. Well maintained and bit of a drive off the main highway but that is good in my book because of less people. There is dispersed camping somewhat near here for all the peeps that use ATV's on the abundance of trails. There are slot canyons to those that are adventurous. Wild burros make their presence known at night as well. The Alamo dam was built in 1968 by the Army Corps of Engineers. This created the present man made lake. There is actually a ghost down at the bottom of the lake. Before it’s construction, along the Bill Williams river, the town of Alamo Crossing was there. The town was established in the 1890s, abandoned in 1918 and sat in ruin for 50 years. So to this day one could scuba dive down to the bottom of the lake, which has a max depth of 80ft, and explore a flooded town on the bottom.
TravelerAlamo state park wasn’t all that bad. Due to the virus and our sons upcoming surgery plus several parks and lake being closed this was the only option. The wild burros are a very neat site and great to watch! The lake unfortunately was experiencing a blue green algae bloom 🤢 Park rangers advised to NOT let pets or small children in the water. And fishing was also a bust due to water conditions. Our trip was the end of May so we did experience 110° during our weekend stay. We used the Choilla camp ground (C12) nice pull through spot with water & 30amp and was big enough to accommodate a second vehicle with our Jetskis.
Over all we were happy with our stay and would recommend / plan to visit again in fall or spring when the temps are cooler
GuideNot a ton of dispersed camping around here but the spots we found were ok. You’re a short drive or walk to the water where you can boat, fish, hike. Pretty views when you get there. The entrance to the dispersed sites we found are to the left about a half of a mile before you enter the Alamo state park off of Alamo Rd. We were able to pull our 22’ travel trailer in, but it’s kind of a steep climb. Would recommend having a 4x4.
TravelerThe rangers and staff here were extremely friendly and helpful. The lake is gorgeous. Watch out for wild burro along the highway. I had cell service close to the lake but at the RV site I did not get service (ATT). The closest gas station is 45 minutes away. There is a shop up the road that sells 10 gallons in case of emergencies. I will return here. It was so peaceful and relaxing. Beautiful views and desert sunsets.
GuideI fought a Badger twice a night for three nights. The Rangers are aware of the issue but obviously nothing has been done. The Badger I delt with was 20-25 pounds and nasty. It tried to get in my tent and my Clam Shelter. I cleaned up the beach of plastic worms and fishing line. The campsites are kept nice and the showers are very nice. It's a drive to get to the park.
GuideAlamo Lake State Park is one of our FAVORITES!!!! Great camping with large spots that aren't on-top of each other. Site amenities go from Full-Hookups to primitive. If looking for primitive, there's no need to camp in the campground. There are HUNDREDS (of not thousands) of places to camp outside the park. Look for signs for "The Wayside" and head that direction. Park where you like (off the road). One of the reasons we like the Park (especially in winter) is because the heater often runs all night and it with AC hookups, we don't worry about the heater fan draining the batteries. Also, we know that we can get WiFi in "Section C" and still have great views!!!! As for the Wayside, plan on visiting!!! Wonderful, family owned business that are doing their best to promote SxS, UTV, ATV 4x4 exploring in the area. There is also a runway just West of the restaurant/bar and it's common to see small airplanes visiting for breakfast or lunch.
GuideCamped with our Class c RV. First night was. Dry camping. Cost $15. Included a cement pad , great view,picnic table & fire grate. Next 2 nights were full hook up by visitors office and small convienience store. Hiking trails, fishing and boating lake. Saw wild mules from campground. Hidden Jen in Central Az.
TravelerThis is a great spot that we’ve been visiting for years. If you like to explore, look no further. There are loads of trails heading every which way and you won’t be disappointed. Plenty of hiking, off-roading, fishing, etc. for the avid adventurer. Or, if you’re the type who likes to relax at camp with a book, carving, etc. with a good view, there’s plenty of that as well! Try for a site on the outside of any of the loops for better views. C-sites are closer to the trail access.
TravelerThis place is amazing. It’s feel like you are camping in wilderness. Lots of wildlife and beautiful views. The rangers are pretty kind. Plenty of services for campers (Tents, RV’s, cabins) and daily visitors.
TravelerThis was my first time camping since I was a kid. Was it the most beautiful place? No, unless it’s nighttime because the stars are beautiful way out there. The lake was nice, the campsites were immaculate, the bathrooms were incredibly clean, and the rangers were awesome and friendly.
GuideAlamo Lake is a long-time favorite spot. Only a couple hours West of PHX and some great views with an abundance of SxS / ATV trails. Alamo Lake is also very well known for it's fish (especially bass & crappie). Section C has Water & Electric. Section D is primitive and as such, less crowded. This is a great place Oct - April. Outside of those dates, you'll want Electric so you can run the A/C. Wi-Fi & cell service is questionable. Some spots are good, others are not. While I've done a lot of work out here, try to stay off the devices, PCs and TVs. Enjoy what's out here!!
LegendStopped here in route to grab a bit of fresh air and have a picnic. It’s a simple park with a nice lake for fishing. The campground seemed to be very basic with small not very secluded sites. It would be a fine place to spend a night, but not a destination for me. One huge attraction at the park is stargazing. It has amazing views of the sky and I can imagine on a clear night it would be breathtaking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Congress, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Congress, AZ is Alamo Lake State Park Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 24 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Congress, AZ?
TheDyrt.com has all 4 glamping camping locations near Congress, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
