Best Cabin Camping near Happy Jack, AZ

My family and I stayed here in a 34’ travel trailer for one night in late July. To get to the campground, travel thru the county park and follow the signs to Luke AFB recreation area. The campground is part of a larger complex that includes a lodge, cabins, and yurts. All amenities are shared so we had access to a large playground, basketball and volleyball courts, the store, and the bathhouse. The county park itself has playgrounds, an amphitheater, bike trails, and an awesome disc golf course. At each site is a picnic table and a fire pit, with hookups for electric and water. Our site was huge, but others can be a bit tight. Adjacent to the campground is the fairgrounds, which is bordered by an unattractive chain fence. The pump-out station was backed up and unusable while we were there. I’d say the best aspects are the price and the convenience to Flagstaff which is only three miles away. We would stay again.

If 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).

RV or tiny homes…this place is AMAZING. We were in the RV side very clean, level elite back in with a concrete patio. Picnic table AND propane fire pit provided. The clubhouse has a bar and grill with a GIANT patio, live music, a store, heated pool and spa, a large game lawn and trails behind. Backs up to a national forest. Bathrooms and laundry clean and convenient. Well organized and friendly staff. Cons: trains in the distance and some interstate noise but that’s to be expected. The camp is NOT right up on the interstate you just can see it from various sections of the camp. We only had one neighbor at our site since it was on the end which was nice. Would DEFINITELY stay again.

We had previously stayed in a back country yurt in the summer months, this time we decided to stay in a cabin in the front country for NYE. It was quiet, especially considering it was NYE (no wild parties, noisy neighbors, etc) which was nice and what we were hoping for. The cabin is stocked with firewood for the stove, has a small table and two chairs, and a queen sized mattress/pad and a bunk bed with mattress pads. Some of these cabins are renovated, but the one we stayed in was not. Still found it to be comfortable. Note that you do have to bring your own sleeping bag/bedding. The lodge had bathrooms, including showers, flushing toilets, and two sinks. There are pit toilets outside but I went inside to use the bathrooms (they are open 24/7). The lodge opens with staff in the morning and there is free coffee/hot chocolate for those staying/camping at AZ Nordic Village. You can also rent snow shoes or cross country skis here during the day in the winter. I enjoy staying here, both front and back country are great.

We stayed here over Labor Day weekend 2019. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the most remote yurt, Morning Glory. Morning Glory has great views and several people (staff and other visitors on the trails) mentioned that Morning Glory is the best yurt to stay in since it is both remote and it has amazing views of the San Francisco Peaks. Additionally, Morning Glory is also placed in the middle of a field with a nearby bench which is also really nice and makes this particular yurt feel serene. Arizona Nordic Village, previously known as Flagstaff Nordic Center, has a lodge, front country cabins and yurts (which are all within a few hundred feet of the lodge and nearby the highway), as well as back country yurts that range 1-3 miles away from the lodge (Morning Glory is a back country yurt). For the back country, AZNV offers gear shuttles at an extra cost of $40. However we packed all of our belongings in since we were not staying for more than a few days. Yurts and cabins come with a battery operated light inside, a propane grill and stove next to the cabin, porta potty a few yards away, nearby picnic table, 2 twin sized sleeping mats, and 2-4 folding chairs (2 in small yurts; 4 in large yurts), a small trey table, and stove (and stove brush and pan to clean ash out), and a fire ring. From what I can tell they also give you some firewood and a 7-gallon jug of water to put out your fire. For an additional cost you can purchase additional wood, which I did since I was unaware they would supply some firewood, but we hardly used this since we did not require the stove in the cabin since the weather at night is in the 50’s. We did try the stove out and found that 4 pieces of wood heated the cabin up a considerable amount within the span of a few minutes. After booking you get a confirmation email with details for your trip. The day of check in I got a courtesy call and was told I could stop in the lodge at check in for a nap and more info. The staff we encountered were all super friendly. We were told there is a black bear that roams the area but we did not see it and heard the bear usually does not make its way up to Morning Glory. Additionally, while vehicle are not allowed in the Forrest, Morning Glory is near a Forrest fire road which had some vehicles on it; I’m not sure that this is common— may have been due to the long holiday weekend. Additionally, I believe AZNV has one or two trucks and ATVs they use to help transport gear. Overall, I had fun and would go back. I don’t love paying for camping (We usually do free dispersed camping and pitch a tent), however this area is fun enough I would go back. The yurt experience was on par for what we are used to when it comes to camping, but it was nice not having to pitch a tent, blow up an air mattress, etc. Lastly, they do haul out your trash for you. I do recommend bringing baby wipes since the trails are dusty, and a headlamp for at night.

Cell service: I have Verizon and had four bars at the Morning Glory yurt and service at the lodge— however, service between the two was spotty.

We stayed at this campground for 3 nights in mid-October and recommend this state park for camping in the Sedona area.

Pros:

-all sites in the Blackhawk Loop where we stayed had a level pad for tents (either small gravel or a wood platform), picnic table, and fire pit (though they could not be used due to a fire ban

-can easily fit 2 smaller tents on the tent pad or 1 jumbo family tent

-good amount of shrubbery in between sites so it didn't feel like you were right on top of your neighbors

-driveways have space for 2 cars if needed

-shower house was fairly clean and had hot showers

-dishwashing sink behind the shower house was a nice perk

-usable cell phone service (T-mobile)

-no tent sites with power if you need that.  We filled up an air mattress using the outlet in the bathroom which worked fine.

Cons:

-sites really vary in terms of how far back from the road they are.  Our site (122 in the Blackhawk loop) was a bit back from the road and had plenty of shrubbery, but some don't have as much privacy

-not a ton of water fill up stations, but our loop was pretty small, so it was fine

-you have to pay $15 per night for a 2nd car, which was a little steep, but given the campground is reasonably priced, this was fine

Came out for some camping, hiking, and fishing with the extended family. Wasn’t much of any of this at this campground.

Camping area was without any shade and made up only a few square meters of the complex. Site caters to the RV crowd, which is just fine as some of our group was looking for this and others rented a nice little cabin along the river. Only problem was that the facility was overrun with the annual crowd, which spent more time glaring and sneering, than minding their own. A few nice souls about, but more of the bitter old timers.

Hiking trails were advertised, but they were short and combined to less than 3km. Many were partial trails as they are undercutting them to add more RV parking. Hiking along the river is possible with the gate code you can get from an employee, but it is overgrown and not suited for small children.

Fishing is possible with a hike of less than a 1km and following the wash makes this a good morning activity for the entire family. A friendly resident was kind enough to hike the trail with us, showing us the waterfalls and fishing holes.

The facilities themselves, were actually quite nice. As expected from a retirement complex, there were daily activities, pool, billiards, shuffle board, and a Wi bowling league. Plenty of coffee, clean restrooms, free WiFi, and friendly staff were to be found every morning at the main lodge. Well maintained roads, cabins, and grassy areas(marked common areas, but locals claim them as their own and attack like rabid dogs if you walk on them), made the place acceptable.