Looking for the best options for tent camping near Crown King? The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Horsethief Basin Recreation Area offers a variety of recreational opportunities including: hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, camping, fishing, and OHV riding. Castle Creek Wilderness is located nearby, and Horsethief Cabin and Turney Gulch Group Campground are available by reservation. Day use sites and trails are open year-round; overnight accomodations are not available during the winter. Scroll down (below the recreation map) to learn more about these recreational opportunities. Note: Until further notice, use of a high-clearance vehicle is recommended for those who plan to visit recreation sites in Horsethief Basin.
In 1908 the Arizona Power Company began construction of the Childs Power Plant. For more than 90 years, the water of Fossil Creek had been diverted by a system of pipes and flumes from its natural course to power the turbines of the Childs and Irving hydroelectric plants. During this time, Fossil Creek had been reduced to a mere trickle, compared with the normal one million gallons per hour flow once witnessed by early inhabitants of the region.
In 2004, APS, the current owner of the plants, agreed to decommission them and restore the creek to its natural flow. (From "Pine-Strawberry Archeological and Historical Society")
The area is now a very popular dispersed camping area. It sits below the remnants of the old power plant buildings on the edge of the Verde River. A short hike upstream and some wading will get you to the ruins of the Verde Hot Springs, a once famous resort.
Built in 1902, this historic schoolhouse and adjacent picnic area in Arizona's Prescott National Forest may be reserved for day use for groups of up to 60 people. The facility offers a picturesque, quiet setting with indoor and outdoor areas for weddings, reunions, luncheons and group meetings. The schoolhouse served about 10 to 15 children in the early 1900s. The building was an active school until 1952. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is used for administrative and training purposes.
Groups enjoy gathering in the outdoor picnic area during nice weather or heading indoors into the the two-room schoolhouse if the weather turns. A leisurely walk through the forest on the accessible, paved Groom Creek Nature Trail provides a nice afternoon respite, and visitors can camp nearby if desired. Prescott National Forest has miles of hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trails for visitors wishing to explore the area.
The schoolhouse building has two rooms with new furniture(tables and chairs) for indoor use. The outdoor picnic area is accessible and equipped with 10 picnic tables, vault toilets, an amphitheater (limited access) and parking for 12 vehicles or two buses. No drinking water is available at this site; guests must bring their own.
The group area is set in a ponderosa pine ecosystem, an area dominated by pines and mixed with juniper trees, Gambel oaks and native grasses. A multitude of colorful wildflowers bloom in the spring and during the summer monsoon season. Afternoon thunderstorms are possible from late June through mid-September. The forest is home to a wide variety of wildlife. Visitors may spot deer, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, rabbits, lizards, snakes and birds.
Upper Wolf Creek Campground is just around the corner if you want to camp overnight. Restaurants, shopping, historic sites and many amenities are nearby in the historic town of Prescott.
$150 / night
Recreational opportunities in the Cherry area include: camping, hiking, mountain biking, horse riding, scenic driving, and OHV riding. Trail markers will be added to the map as time allows. For now, please use the left-hand navigation bar to find more information about the trails in the area: Ash Creek #9705 General Crook #64 Medlar Springs #9706 Sheep #532 Grapevine Gulch Trail #9708 Thank you for your patience as we continue to improve this site.
The southern-most wilderness area on the Prescott National Forest shares a boundary with the Tonto National Forest. Recreational opportunities include: hiking, backpacking, and horse riding. Mechanized equipment of any kind is not allowed in wilderness areas. Trails in the Pine Mountain Wilderness include: Nelson Trail #159 Buck Basin Trail #158 Pine Flat Trail #165 Tule Rim Trail #162 Verde Rim Trail #161 Willow Springs Trail #12 The USFS Wilderness Stewardship brochure explains more about designated Wilderness and how you can become involved in helping care for this precious resource.
Guide
Gorgeous easy dirt road ~27 miles from i17/Bumble bee. (There’s also a much more difficult trail from lake pleasant that requires very experienced off-roading 4x4). Great food and drinks(alcohol) at the crown king saloon and Mimi’s Cafe. There are amazing camping areas just past the main town, and even all the way up near Horsetheif Basin which is about 7 miles past crown king(requires 4x4). There is also an amazing ~30 mile trail from crown king that leads all the way to Prescott called Senator Highway. This also requires experienced 4x4 and like the trail to Horsetheif basin, there are many areas that are only single vehicle width. Amazing weather all year round, but extremely limited travel available while snow is on the ground.
Ranger
We had a lovely time staying at the Willow Lake RV Park on our visit to Prescott. The bathrooms were spacious and there is a trail directly behind the park that leads out to Willow Lake and a plethora of trails for the trail runner/hiker/explorer. They have great wi-fi, the area has lots of trees and shade and picnic tables too!
We actually arrived late for check-in the the office left our our map and information for us.
We had a 30' RV we wanted to pull through and had no problems with this park. I'd recommend a stop-in here for sure! Their neat little tent-camp sites were even closer to the lake and the trails.
Guide
I've been trail riding in the Wickenburg area since I was a kid, and the rodeo grounds across the street from Constellation Park is a gathering site for just about everyone who heads out into the desert on their 4-legged transportation. On my most recent visit to Constellation Park, the park and rodeo grounds were empty, but this place fills up fast whenever there are events scheduled, and the sites are first come, first served with NO reservations system, so plan ahead!
There are 35 dry camp sites along a dirt road north of the rodeo grounds on Constellation Road in Wickenburg - they are primitive dry sites with no tents allowed - all camping must be self contained. Site fees are $8 per night, or $12 per night to have a horse corral included. Yes, I'm confused too - horses are ok, but tents are not? I'm not sure what the logic for self contained camping is for these sites, as they would make excellent car camping/tenting sites, but I'm not the one who makes the rules.
The park opens onto state and BLM land, which you can ride or backpack into with a permit -
https://land.az.gov/recreational-permit-portal
Wickenburg is already a relatively quiet town with not much traffic outside the US 60 / US 93 interchange for people traveling from Phoenix to Las Vegas, so it's nice and quiet up here. The road undulates up over small rises, so unless there's a late night at the rodeo arena, there are no lights to compete with the star gazing show either. Again, tent camping would make so much sense here. . .
I'd give the park 5 stars for the pretty desert views, quiet location and big skies if you were allowed to enjoy them outside of an RV. Oh well, we don't get everything we want, right?
Traveler
Had a great time here, clean bathrooms, spacious area to tent camp and friendly staff.
Guide
We tent camped here and it was still too hot in late summer months. Campsites were clean and ok size more for tent but kind of small for RV. There were lots of trees. Host was friendly.
Traveler
Friendly staff. Lots of amenities including hot showers, electric or tent sites, beautiful trees in large sites, pool, fire wood, laundry, and more.
Legend
What a cool little park. The campground was nothing fancy, but the park and lake were beautiful! The sites were a nice size and layout of the campground. Seemed like a place that tent camping would be best, but there were campers and RV's there too.
Guide
Nice park just outside of Scottsdale. Fun mountain bike trails. Clean bathrooms. Quiet in late December. Only 5 or 6 tent campers here. $22 night for tent site. We parked in our van. Can use showers at RV camp area. Great spot.
LegendNo tent camping. Self contained RVs only. Constellation park campground hosts horse events and rodeos that draw crowds from everywhere and of all ages. Campground is directly across the street from all horse and rodeo activities so this is very convenient if you are in the area for horsemanship.
TravelerMy husband and I tent camped here with one of our dogs while doing doordash in the area
Gorgeous trees fantastic fantastic views
If handicap id use electronic chair but for others of able body its a resort 🏕 ..pool and store and showers to bot
Traveler
This place has it all. River access, 2 lagoon areas, horseback riding (not affiliated with park), hiking, a playground with a zip line, fishing and Cottonwood is 1 mile away! There are full hook up sites and tent camping plus cabins. I love this state park- camp hosts are helpful.
Ranger
Lots to do in the surrounding area, including a winery right outside the gate. Good RV and tent campsites. Nice pool and spa area, lodge area, library and mini golfing green.
GuideThe map shows McDowell twice but there is only one. It us about 23K acres of beautiful desert surrounded by the Superstition Mountains. Clean campground and pretty quiet. Flush toilets, showers available in the RV campground. Fun MTB, hiking trails. We camped here twice in December 2020 because we liked it so much.. tent camping is $22/night. Highly recommend.
ScoutI tent camped last minute and it was one of the best stays my entire trip. The sound of the water running down the creek was peaceful and relaxing. The park was clean. At&t service doesn't work down there but they have WiFi available for a fee. Even with the lack of cell service, I highly recommend this location! Great for pets too!
ScoutLarge campground with beautiful views from every campsite. Desert camping so there are no tall trees for shade and it can get windy. Sites with good privacy, full restrooms with free showers. Tent sites are not as nice as RV sites with full hookup. Lots of trails for mountain biking or hiking.
ScoutCrown king has been an amazing destination for my family for years....
Love this place..
Guide
This park is quite large and has many camping options: day passes, tent camping, semi-developed sites, and fully-developed sites with awnings for big rigs.
There are many hiking trails too, for every level of difficulty.
The nature is splendid, with hummingbirds, chipmunks, and plenty of chollas and prickly pear cactai.
The ambience is quite festive, much more than what I am used to (although the noise may be due to the fact I went on NASCAR weekend).
ScoutLoLoMai is our go-to campground. It has an ideal 2h drive distance, is nestled into the oak creek canyon, and secluded from the road. Kids can roam freely. From sitting in the creek during the summer heat, to exploring the nearby wineries, venturing to the parks, or just sitting by the fire enjoying the cicadas sing, there is something nice for every day. The mix of full hookups, cabins and tent camping allows for every style that you might prefer.
Traveler
A dozen or so free tent sites. Tables, fire rings, grills. Vault toilets. Campers under 20’ should be okay. Larger RVs should consider a spot back off seven springs road. Going too much further up the road isn’t a good idea for RVs.
Road in is pretty good. Some washboard. Most vehicles will make it. I’ve done it several times in a compact car.
Late fall to early spring is best.
Zero cell service.
GuideOur kids loved this place. They have RV sites that can accommodate big rigs with full hookups and also a tent camping area. We stayed in the full hookups up area and we had a lot of space between our RV and the one the next to us. We didn’t feel crammed at all. There are lots of trees for shade and very spacious to hang out. Kids rode bikes all over. There’s a store that seeks a bunch of stuff. We were there in June.
Guide
Secluded dispersed camping in the woods just outside of the town Crown King. 4x4 is recommended, campsites are not accessible when snowfall has occurred. Beautiful wildlife including deer always nearby.
ScoutI've camped here twice, once solo in a tent and once in a cabin with my family and dog.
This facility is clean, quiet (depending on your site neighbors, of course), close to town, and has great amenities.
The tent sites had decent separation from each other with adequate shrubbery in between.
The cabin loop is wonderfully private from the rest of the park and a great getaway for anyone looking for some peace and quiet.
Bathrooms are well maintained, lots of trails, good fishing opportunities in the lagoons.
Absolutely will camp here again.
GuideThis park is so close to town, but far enough that you feel like you are way out. There are standard campsites (water and electric) as well as tent camping area. The sites can fit good sized rigs. There is a ton of trails for hiking, biking, and horses. Brand new showers, restrooms, and a dishwashing area. Dogs are allowed, but please keep them on a leash and pick up after them so we don't lose the privilege!
Here is a link to the Maricopa parks with maps: https://www.maricopacountyparks.net/maps/
GuideThis majestic spot is roughly ~26 miles (from Bumble Bee) of bumpy dirt roads, steep terrain, switchbacks, and the occasional one vehicle bridge. The main city of Crown King has a general store with essentials and a 1 pump fuel station. Prices are steep so best advised to fill up on gas and supplies before heading up. The Hazlitt Hollow campground and Horse Thief Basin Lake are ~7 miles from the main city of Crown King and definitely require a high clearance vehicle (4x4 highly recommended). Horse Thief Lake is truly a magical place and beyond serene. The lake fish species present include Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, and Muskie. The weather is very similar to Prescott with an elevation of 6,000 ft. Peaceful, quiet, serene, and soothing all describe this area perfectly.
LegendIf the sites had a little more privacy, I'd give five stars. Whenever I take my family, I remind myself I'm not there for the actual tent camping, I'm there for everything else the state park offers. There are about eight small cabins as well. This park offers a much needed break from the Arizona heat in the spring and summer months. The "lakes" are really more like ponds but plenty large enough to fish in as is the Verde River, running through the park. Make sure to go down and take a dip during the warm seasons. They've recently improved the playground for young ones and offer horseback riding as well. Facilities are always clean. If you're tired of camping food, drive down the road to Cottonwood and be sure to visit Larry's Antiques (if you're into that of course).
TravelerThisis a great campground for your fourwheelers or sidexside , the campground sits along side a great dirt road that will take you to crown king on one side and a creek to back off the campground.
GuideWe love heading up to Crown King! For dispersed camping, this place is top notch. When you head to town there are services, the saloon, breakfast joint, and pizza place coming soon. It’s not fancy but it’s fabulous! I can’t wait to go hideaway again soon.
Nestled in the beautiful landscapes of Arizona, Crown King offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts seeking adventure and tranquility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Crown King, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Crown King, AZ is Crown King Area (Horsethief Basin lake) with a 4.7-star rating from 7 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Crown King, AZ?
TheDyrt.com has all 15 tent camping locations near Crown King, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
