Another Maricopa County parks campground which is great for hiking and relaxing.
Very well taken care of. The park has beautiful hiking trails and a great nature center, which offers activities and the regional library. There are a couple of playgrounds in the park as well.
Some hiking trails are within walking distance of the campground, others you will need to drive to. Maricopa trail runs through the park.
The campground itself is very clean, including the restrooms and showers. It is quiet and the campsites all have electric and water hookups, picnic table and fire pit. Sites are far enough from each other so it doesn't feel crowded. Not much vegetation on the campground itself, so sunshine in abundance.
Maricopa County Park in Cave Creek. Very well taken care of.
The park has beautiful hiking trails and a great nature center, which offers activities.
Some hiking trails are within walking distance of the campground, others you will need to drive to.
The campground itself is very clean. It is quiet and the campsites all have electric and water hookups, picnic table and fire pit.
There is an older area, sites 1 through 42, which offers more space in between the spaces. the newer area, sites 43 through 55 are closer to each other, but still doesn't feel crowded.
We love camping here, its so close to home and it's dispersed! We usually camp right on the water. It can get really packed but we have never had bad neighbors. Seems to be kept pretty clean and there are restrooms.
Another well organized and well maintained park. You have to request month ahead if you are not staying for a long period of time.
I wanted to stay down by the lake but the washes are closed due to the flash flood risk. The recent fire much of the vegetation that stems the flow of water. I would imagine that the campground will open back up after monsoon season but might periodically close based on the weather patterns. At least until the vegetation regrows.
I ended up staying on the south side if Davis Wash just off Apache Trail in a dispersed campground. I was the only one out there which was nice and spooky. Being that it was Friday the 13th. I figured it would be better to be with the four legged creatures than the two legged. Better behaved. Nice night that cooled off enough to sleep at midnight.
This place is not the type of resort you "girl's trip" to. It's the kind of resort where you plan to spend all day on the lake and come back to a shower and a real bed. You can choose to camp in your tent/RV or start in the motel.
The resort offers:
- breakfast, lunch and dinner
- watercraft rentals
- two boat ramps
- convenience store
There is a $10 fee to use any of their land. Even if you're just launching your boat. Emergency personnel have a base on the property which is comforting. Cell service is scarce on the lake but works great close to the resort. Only gave the resort 4 stars because I prefer camping around less people.
Campground Review:
Crabtree Wash is a small campground next to the Apache Lake Marina and Resort. There are two ways down to the wash: one fun dirt road to take your 4x4 vehicle or service road 79. Service road 79 is the same road you take to the resort and is paved all the way down. Crabtree is run by the Tonto National Forest so you must have a Tonto Pass to enjoy the day or night. Passes can be purchased at any Tonto Ranger station, Canyon Lake or most gas stations on the way down Apache Trail.
The campground itself is fairly small and first come/first serve. This campground is unique because it is next to the “resort”. The campground has toilets and trash pickup. The resort offers many things for sale (firewood, ice, lunch…) so it’s like camping out in the desert next to a convenience store.
When planning a trip to Apache lake plan accordingly as this is a desert campground. In September I sweat bullets until about midnight when the temperature dropped. The lake the next day made it all better.
Product Review:
As a Ranger for The Dyrt (what I refer lovingly to as a Dyrt Ranger), I get the privilege to test products. At Crabtree Wash, I tested Primus’ Essential Pot Set 1.3L. I have been in need of specific camping pots as the kitchen pots I was using were not getting the job done. These pots were impressive.
The set comes with two 1.3L pots, one frying pan, a pot gripper and a carrying bag. First impressions: love the carrying bag, pans look well made and perfect size to cook for my one or two person camping trips.
I was able to throw my plate and silverware into the carrying bag with the pots so everything is self contained. The flying is nonstick and doubles as a lid to the pots. The pot gripper is okay, the design is akin to scissors. I’m planning on upgrading to the Primus Crimp Pot Gripper as I fully expect to drop a pan of boiling water because I loosen my grip on the gripper. Overall I am completely stoked to add the Primus pots to my camping gear.
This campground is not ideal for trailers as you park in a parking lot. There are pit toilets. Picnic tables at each site (5). There is a $9 per night fee and also a Tonto Pass is needed. Camping is only allowed from October 15th to April 15th. During the summer, the area is day use only.
Well laid out park large sites super clean restrooms. Bit warm to hot May to October
First, the staff is very friendly and accommodating. They’re open until 5pm on Sundays, which is rare here in Arizona. They only charge $145 for a week, which is $50-$100 cheaper than anybody else in town (most charge at least twice that, and some still make you pay for electricity).
As for the park, well it’s small and older, and most of the people there are full time. Still, it’s very quiet and far enough from town to feel some relief, while being close enough that you’re not cut off from the rest of the world. The WiFi is about the same as anywhere else, but cell service works fine.
I’ve now stayed here twice, and would say that if you’re looking for somewhere to lay your head for the night, or even a week, you could do much worse.
The owners are an older couple who were very friendly, and very accommodating. We called at 7pm on a Sunday looking for a spot that night. Even though they were technically closed they met us there, and helped us get set up. Ended up staying for an entire month, and had zero issues with this nice, quiet community.
We have camped here in the spring. Nice hikes in the area and a great place to get away while it is cool
Nice place to camp. All the roads are paved and full hookups. Many burros in the area.
This community has so many organized activities for residents. They have almost everything you would need on site. Everything for activities, concerts, games and shows. Great for snowbirds or somewhere you need to stay a few months.
This is a no age limit Rv park. Has laundry facility and clubhouse. No your ideal park if looking for something overnight or short time.
Really not much to brag about here, too hot for the summer season. Recommend coming here late Fall thru early Spring.
Hiking trails are well established and marked with emergency location tabs. Maricopa County park required fee. Has a wonderful library and nature center on site. Baseball and softball field, along with shaded ramadas for picnics and get togethers.
From beginning to end always great views from the trials. I can go for a few hours hike or all day.
Great spot if the lake is on the fuller side because you have access to the water right down the hill. We beach our pontoon every year. There are bathroom with running water and water available. No hookups on this loop. Well maintained.
Had a wonderful and peaceful night at the beautiful Leaf Verde. Didn't have much time to enjoy the amenities, however from the looks of the grounds and how the place was kept up, everything looked well taken care of.
No camping at this site. Only for day recreation. There is a fun offroading trail just east here.
Beautiful view of the backside of the Superstition Mountains. Most of the way to Roosevelt Lake is a dirt road. All vehicles can drive this trail. Few different lookout points with picnic tables and restrooms.
Easy to get a permit from the ranger station. Just email your name, address, phone number and driver's license number to sm.fs.mesa_ohs@usda.gov and you'll get your permit within 2 days for free. I love that it's not far out of town but an easy place to forget you live in town. I've seen all types of vehicles out there. Better to have a 4 wheel drive with decent clearance for some of the trails. Most camp spots aren't too deep in so it's easiest to access.
Moved to Buckeye in Oct of 2018, when exiting off Watson road off I-10 always seen the signs of the Skyline Regional Park. Spent a few months pushing it off from visiting, until I decided to go take the drive up and realized how this hidden jewel was in Buckeye. Well maintained and marked trails with unbelievable views. Restrooms at the parking lot very clean. Overnight campsites which are primitive. However a wonderful and peaceful place to visit to clear your mind or soak up the views.
My wife and I took a two day trip upto Lake Pleasant with our Coleman Camper and Bayliner Boat. It's just a 50 min drive from Buckeye, so it's very close and convenient for us to getaway and still have city amenities near by 15 min drive. The campgrounds are very well taken care of and the restrooms are clean. Unfortunately there was a Fire Ban when we stayed, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the nightlife of the stars and mingling with fellow campers. During the day the lake was so relaxing and refreshing during the heat of the desert. Took the boat as far north to explore the lake and the secluded coves this lake offers. The website makes it easy to pick your site based on availability, however during the week you probably can just pull in and grab a site.
My family & I had planned to head to a different campground but it was snowed in. After several hours of driving, we couldn't find anywhere! As a last try, we went to the Lost Dutchman State Park & were pleasantly surprised. We camped for 2 nights & had a great time. Excellent trails, beautiful views, friendly staff… overall a great experience that my 3year old still can't stop talking about.
We were here for 4 days and it was a great trip. A very quiet place for such a large park.
Very good amenities. Quiet. Not overcrowded, 2swimming pools, large laundry. Really suited our needs. We were there June and July 2019
March 20-22, 2019. Campsite #42. Site was right on the water, as quite a few are. There were other sites available that have amesome elevated views of the lake, and even more sites in between but we opted for the lakeside site(s) and it was perfect for us (2 families, 5 kids, 4 adults and our little pupperino Biscuit). There was a beach area on the grounds which was nice to play around and float about. The camp host, Nick, was great and the campsites and bathrooms were very clean. As we were packing up to leave, three airplanes flew over the lake about 40 feet from the surface of the water, flying threw the canyon. We were definitely caught off guard, but it was super cool and a nice way to say goodbye to a fantastic time at Burnt Corral. We would gladly go back and stay at the same site, or most of them really, with or without the flyover. But after hiking around a bit, for a more primitive or intimate experience, maybe we will try the Upper Burnt Corral area next time.