Best Tent Camping near Fort Mcdowell, AZ

Tent Camping Reviews near Fort Mcdowell, AZ

654 Reviews of 19 Fort Mcdowell Campgrounds

• 

  Tara S.

  Legend

  Feb. 22, 2023

  Roosevelt Lake - Cholla Campground

  Peaceful Spot in the Winter

  We spent 3 nights here in February, and while it was chilly, the place was very quiet and the stars were amazing! There are no hookups here, but there are bathrooms with flush toilets (some have showers), and there are faucets with potable water. There's also a boat launch and a few playgrounds for the kids. 

  There were mostly RVs here, but the waterfront tent sites are amazing if you don't mind walking in from the main parking area (it's not a far walk).

  Each campsite has a picnic table with a shaded awning and a fire pit, but you have to bring in your own wood or gather it from the surrounding forest. Saw lots of birds here - cactus wren, quail, finches, warblers, and road runners.

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• R

  Rebecca S.

  Scout

  Feb. 29, 2020

  Roosevelt Lake - Schoolhouse Campground

  Quiet with Gorgeous Views

  Right on beautiful Theodore Roosevelt Lake. Nice sites, decently spaced (except 204 and 205 are pretty tight), beautiful 360* mountain views. Well kept. Nick, the host, is friendly and helpful. There are no showers, but there are a few flush toilets. No water hookups, but potable water is available at the restrooms. No electric sites, but we had all the 110 power we needed from our solar panels/inverter system. I’d give this 5 stars if there were a dump station, but there isn’t. The boat launch is very nice.

• 

  Donna V.

  Traveler

  Apr. 8, 2022

  Houston Mesa Campground

  Nice and quiet

  We enjoyed a couple of days car/tent camping at this multiuser campground . We parked on a private shaded pad next to a fire pit and table. Very quiet (mid week). Showers were closed but the bathrooms were spotless. Camp host on grounds firewood for sale. Close by Payson.

• 

  Whither W.

  Traveler

  Feb. 1, 2021

  Bartlett Flat

  Crowded and loud on weekends, peaceful when not

  Super accessible from the Phoenix area, very easy to find. You can choose your own camping spot, and there are many existing stone fire rings and pits that are spaced out decently across the area. The earlier you arrive, the more spots you'll have to choose from; most are filled by sundown. A sedan can easily get across the Flat with some careful maneuvering. Vault toilets are all the way at the entrance of the Flat so plan accordingly. (Or... bring a trowel.)

  Lots of families, which means kids, music, and laughter. Never a bad thing, but even if they're not particularly loud, there's no trees or shrubs on the shoreline to dampen the sound and it carries pretty far—especially when kids figure out the lake is basically a giant echo chamber!

  The wind can really whip across the lake when it picks up, and it makes it hard to pitch a tent or run a stove. I recommend setting up camp up by the trees if you don't plan on boating/fishing/RV camping to give yourself a bit of shelter from the wind.

  No hiking or trails to be had here, but definitely a relaxing, pretty spot.

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• 

  Justin M.

  Guide

  Apr. 23, 2023

  Maricopa County Park Lake Pleasant

  Enjoyable time

  Camped 5 nights at the desert tortoise campground in my NoBo travel trailer. Semi developed so no hook ups. Bathrooms were clean and the area was well kept. The spot includes a ramada with picnic table. There is also a fire ring pit w/ grill which you’ll need to bring firewood for. I fished off the shoreline which was only a few hundred feet from my spot. The spots are relatively close to each other and tent camping is also allowed. Water is clear and very nice. Wild donkeys from old miners back in the day still roam around. They are very accustomed to humans so won’t hesitate to steal food. Definitely something to watch pets around as well.

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• 

  csey R.

  Traveler

  Jul. 6, 2022

  Houston Mesa Campground

  Houston Mesa Campgrounds AZ

  • Great location
  • close to Phoenix
  • close to Payson
  • close Tonto Natural Bridge
  • close to undian ruins, creeks, hiking, and fishing
  • we came the day after July fourth Independence Day! Many of the holiday campers did not clean. Leave no trace! The Campgrounds stewards slow to cleaning campsites.
  • overall camp host are great and helpful and the campsites nice
• r

  rob D.

  Guide

  Feb. 28, 2024

  Lake Pleasant Regional Park Campground

  Desert Tortoise Campground

  This review is for the Desert Tortoise Campground. Overall, I enjoyed my stay here. Campsites are decent but a couple of shortcomings.

  PROS Campsites have covered pavilions with a picnic table, fire ring, and gravel drives. Bathrooms are dated but clean and in good working order. Portable water is available at the rest rooms. Dumpsters are available.

  CONS No hot water in bathrooms. No showers. Other campgrounds within the park had showers that you could use, but there was only one functioning bathhouse. No dishwashing station available. Boat noise on the lake is sometimes a disturbance.

• 

  Jeni G.

  Scout

  Oct. 18, 2019

  Tonto National Forest Riverside Campground

  Cool spot, too much trash

  The river was beautiful! The camp spots were close to the river with nice big fire rings. Just like a lot of low desert camping in Arizona it’s dusty and dry with lots of prickly plans. But the trail and the trees near the river were lush. My biggest complaint about the spot was all the garbage everywhere. Come on people, burn your trash or take it home! There’s no need to trip over piles of water bottles & beer cans, cigarette butts, McDonald’s wrappers and plastic bags.

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  Pat P.

  Scout

  Nov. 24, 2020

  Canyon Lake Marina & Campground

  Noise all night long and not from Campers

  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.

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