Best Tent Camping near Coolidge, AZ

I don’t know why they bother be so strict with noise from campers after 10:00. You can’t see it, but your 20 feet off the main road and if you are there on a weekend the road noise from the motorcycles and cars racing up and down the road to and from the bar will keep you up until 3:00 in the morning. If you manage to fall asleep finally by 3:00 and you are in a tent, be prepared to be woken up again at 4:30 when the boaters start launching their boats 5 feet from the tent area. I did not find the camp staff helpful, including the fact that we got there at 2:00 which is check in time and had to wait 30 minutes for someone to show up to open the gate. We had very little interaction other than that. Obviously the noise is not their fault, but if you are planning on tent camping there you need to be aware. It may be a good spot for RVs that have some insulation from the road noise and are further away from the boat docks, but if your tent camping, find other places. Note - no water available at all to tent sites. Not even a shared spigot. The bathrooms were not working while we were there. They did provide a temporary trailer for showers and toilet but it was poorly stocked and filthy the entire weekend.

This is an amazing place yo camp and hike. The views of thd mountains at sunset is surreal. Immaculately maintained. Water and electrical hookups as well as tent camping dry spots. Very hot in the summer but heavenly in the winter.

A beautiful desert park at the foot of the Superstition Mountains. One of the cleanest campgrounds I have ever been to. I have only tent camped alongside a camper on an RV pad, but the space was more than ample for both. Lost one star because you can hear noise from the nearby "ghost town" attraction.

Almost an urban park just due to it's proximity to the city of Mesa, Usery park offers great tent camping, group campsites, as well as RV Sites with Electric and Water hookups. Dump station on site. 

Usery is a great jumping off point for hiking in the National Forest. There is an extensive trail network both in the park and connected to the Tonto National Forest. One of the most popular is Wind Cave Trail.

There is also a world class Archery Range here. There is a usage fee of about $2 (at time of this writing) on top of your park entry fee, but kids are free.

One of the most striking campsites I’ve ever been to. We were at site 135 which isn’t on a loop but rather off the main road but that wasn’t a drawback. It was a short walk on a path to the flush toilets and showers from our spot too which was a plus. Water there too. We were tent camping with two young kids (2 and 4) and this was a great spot for that. The pull in wasn’t very long FYI. Rangers were nice, sold ice and other items at the camp store. Only drawback was the signs to find your loop/site were a bit confusing but it could be because we’d never been there before. 😜

There are 28 RV spots and 18 tent sites. There are restrooms and showers, although on a holiday weekend, they can get gross. The view from site C, D, 1-14 is the closest to the water and in my opinion, the nicest sites. There is a beautiful hike just across the road. The views from the top of the mountain are amazing. The water and the views are breathtaking. We had several RV's side by side which helps as the sites are close to one another so if you have noisy neighbors, I could see that being an issue. We had a wonder trip and will be returning in October.

You are RIGHT on the lake but not worth it to me. It’s quite pricey! (& minimum of a two night stay!) All the tent campsites are side-by-side; no privacy whatsoever. A lot of RVs & generator near by. (I don’t want to listen to that.) The “bathrooms” are porta potties that don’t look like they are cleaned often. The guy at the front gate only knows how to check people in, nothing else (aka: can’t tell you if you can’t get a site or not). He told us to go online but the website doesn’t allow you to do same day booking. We didn’t end up staying because I can’t see spending over $100 for that spot.

Campsite 36

Spent the night close to home as my dog had never been camping and I wanted to see if he liked it (he does!).

Booked online about two weeks prior for a Monday night stay and most of the campground was available. When I arrived about 75-80% was full, so good idea to book ahead.

Some of the sites are super close together, especially on the newer loops (sites 75-104 and 106-134). They'd be ok with a trailer, but I'd feel cramped in with my tent. The main part of the campground where I was is a bit more spread out, with vegetation between most of the sites.

My site had a big pad for the tent that was raked, a picnic table, a fire ring/grill, easy access to the hiking trails, and a great view of the mountains.

Beware during the winter as the wind can come up during the night and morning hours, so stake your tent down well. It got up to maybe 15 mph, so not super strong, but typical for the edges of the valley.

Staff was friendly, and the bathroom was clean. I didn't use the shower.

One specific note about my site 36: don't book it if you'll be taking a 5th wheel or really any trailer. The access road is narrow and the parking spot is at a 90° angle so it'd be very difficult to back into. Better to pick one of the pull thru spots. If you have a campervan or are tent camping then it's a great spot.

I'm glad I came here. Can't wait to come back! This would be an epic place during a full moon, or really anytime it's clear to see the stars. Too bad it was cloudy my entire stay.

Kudos to the wonderfully friendly guard at check-in. However, Canyon Lake Campground was easily the worst stay I have ever encountered at a camp site and I was quickly reminded why I do not stay at shared campgrounds very often. But the temptation of sleeping next to a lake and the gentle lapping of waves on the shore lured us in. There was no gentle lapping, and because our site was full of trash and because the trash bins themselves for the grounds were overflowing, there was a swarm of bees hovering around the trash can area. And what I later realized was likely a sugar high from their regular soda consumption from the cans strewn around, the jacked up bees hovered around our morning breakfast, coffee, and dinner and buzzed us regularly. One truck down the row of tightly crammed tent sites blared loud music over his speaker (yes just one, the other side was already blown out) for most of the sunset, and the site across from us allowed their chihuahua to bark obsessively at every passerby for quite some time. The group directly next to us slept split between a small tent, the truck bed, and inside of their truck. Hardly the "camping" experience most people generally consider. I highly doubt anyone in that camp ground was out to "experience nature" quite the same way that we were.

The more manicured RV sites were on a grass lawn and all led right up to the water, so I imagine their experience, aside from the shared bees and trash cans, could be quite different than ours.

We couldn't run away fast enough in the morning.

If you want the environment you expect Arizona to be, this is the place. Plenty of spots to choose from, open to all types of camping. I chose to tent here, but the majority of people were in RVs. Spots weren’t too hard to find although there were a lot of people. The roads back to it were pretty poor farm roads, but any type of car can make it. No amenities, good cell service. Would stay here again

They have both cabins and rv and tent the views are amazing 👏 stafed great . Just make sure you read the rules for cabins vs tent ⛺️

Stayed here one night driving through. Came after hours and set up a tent.

Wife’s first camping trip in a tent. She loved it.

Very clean. Loved the designated tent area. Everything was in great condition and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful.

Oak Flat is a Forest Service campground in the Tonto National Forest and is about 90 minutes from Phoenix. It's a short distance off a windy mountain highway which means it's easy to get to but traffic can be heard from camp. (Luckily it's not a busy interstate and traffic is pretty infrequent at night.) It's not spectacular location but there are decent views of the oak scrub desert surrounding the camp.

There are a handful of campsites with picnic tables and firepits, plus several flat and open areas for RVs or tent cities. Some sites are open and others have a few shady tree for hammocks, slacklines, and more. There is a bathroom which was clean and well-stocked with toilet paper, despite the campground being quite full when I stayed here for a few nights in April. There is no water, however, so be prepared with as much as you'll need. The elevation is just shy of 4,000' which means nights are typically a few degrees cooler than in the Phoenix area.

There are no hiking trails from the campground but there is a network of dirt roads which take you back into the desert scrub oak forest and through hundreds of bouldering problems of all levels. Just a few miles away, however, the Arizona Trail crosses the highway and heads north into the Superstition Wilderness.

This campsite is pretty basic but is a good place to kill some time, especially given that it's free! It's also a great place to set up your base camp if you want to do some bouldering.

Sites are spacious and well dispersed, but the free-roaming cattle make this less than ideal for tent/car campers. It's a little unnerving to step out in the dark!

Lost Dutchman is one of the best campsites to wake up in. One of my favorite trails in Arizona.

A beautiful park with a challenging hike. Great stop off or home base to see a lot of great arizona attractions like saguaro national park, tombstone and tucson.

This is a beautiful place to camp most of the year. The Summer sun ☀️ can be brutal of course. I love to stop here on my way to New Mexico. There is something about being in the middle of the desert with the backdrop of the mountains and cactus 🌵 that just helps you breath a little better. Watching the sunset each night is breathtaking. This campground is just off the road but far enough back that you don’t hear all the road noise. Each spot has a picnic table with awning so you have some protection from the sun. Each spot has a fire pit and smaller rocks that make a nice “bed” for your tent ⛺️. The spots are pretty far apart so you don’t feel like you’re right next to your neighbor.

The campground has a total of 85 electric sites for both tent and RV camping. Sites are suitable for RVs and/or tents. You can have up to 4 cars on each site. There are 4 sites that are handicapped-accessible. Unfortunately there aren’t any water or sewer hookups available. There is a dump station available. Access to all sites is paved. Sites are fairly level and are located in a natural Sonoran Desert setting.

$30 per night / per vehicle (October – May) $25 per night / per vehicle (June – September) Additional vehicle $15 per night / per vehicle Group Camp Areas: $15 per night / per vehicle + Group Reservation FeeBoth back-ins and pull-throughs are available. No maximum size limit (except no tractor-trailers allowed).

First I have to mention the bathrooms, the showers are incredible. There are tent pads or set up your camper or RV. Electric and water at every site.  The view is incredible no matter where you are camped.  Hiking trails and picnic sites all over. Enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.

This is one of many outstanding Arizona State Parks. Sites are clean and most level with mix of electric and non electric. Suggest you make reservations well ahead for busy winter months!

While the sites at Lost Dutchman State Park are quite close together, the views and hiking trails are awesome! We camped in a campervan here (site 106) and it was perfect. We were in the 'rustic' loop, which consisted of sites without water or electric, and we could see Flatiron Mountain from our campsite.

My only complaint with the site is that it was quite a long walk to the restroom! Tent campers may not be able to find a suitable spot to pitch as the sites are small, but if you can get a site between 33 and 40, you should have room to pitch a tent. There are also hiker/biker campsites that require a short walk. These have amazing views, as do the cabins. 

We would definitely stay here again - maybe in early March so we can see the wildflowers blooming!