Best Tent Camping near Holbrook, AZ

After driving some 3 hours from our last destination and exploring the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert in the harsh wind, we were exhausted upon pulling into our campsite at Holbrook Petrified Forest KOA. Seeing how windburn we were from the journey, we were offered an upgraded "super tent" site upon our arrival for only a $5.00 charge. The appeal was such that we jumped on the opportunity.

To those unfamiliar with KOA campsites, they offer a variety of options for campers from primitive camping to improved campsites for both tents and rv campers. Super tent sites include electricity and runnin water as well as private yard area for campers. At this particular site it offered a wind shield fence and private treed yard which made for a much more camp friendly experience after the long day.

We had neighbors on the other super tent site which were delightful and we greatly enjoyed conversations with them throughout the evening. The campground was filled with friendly faces! 

Perhaps one of the most exciting features for us after such a long cold journey from our previous campsite was the amenities throughout the grounds which included a cook station open to the public and heated bathroom and shower facilities. The grounds were well kept and easy to navigate by foot.

In the evenings and mornings there was a cook on duty which offered everything from hot dogs to New York strip in the evening and all you can eat pancakes or other breakfast items.

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All in all we give this site a 5 of 5 Bunnies because of the cleanliness, friendliness and overall amenities.  There were no real areas of improvement we could see to make our stay better!

Probably the most beautiful campground in Arizona. Just outside Show Low, in the eastern part of the state, you are nestled in the pine & juniper of the region. Despite being in the middle of a developed area, once in the park, you feel appropriately isolated. We were at a reserved tent site (Osprey 12). All tent sites overlook the lake & a couple of them even have creeks running through them after rain. Visited family on a full hookup site & while the pads are huge, it seemed like you were more exposed to your neighbors. The tent loops all have access to a vault toilet & the middle loop has showers as well (the other loops are still walking distance from showers). There are several day use areas & boat ramps to the lake. Saw (& heard) many different birds & animals. Can't wait to go back.

We came at night and was not easy to navigate. Once we were led in, had a nice, peaceful, quiet stay. Very nice host, Janet, and another guest. This location is primarily for small vehicles, tent, camping, van camping. At this time nothing much larger than 30 feet. All in all a good night and a great view.

We love this campground. Place to get out of the AZ heat with full hookups, bathrooms, showers, tent sites. In the pines just a beautiful place. Plan ahead as they are booked most of the time. About 6 months to 1 yr ahead to plan this trip.

The KOA in Holbrook, AZ, is conveniently located just west of Petrified Forest National Park. A quick 10-minute drive to the SW entrance will reward you with a quiet, easy entrance to the park. From there, you can drive through the park and end up at the main visitor center on the northern end, near the Painted Desert.

This campground has a nice, yet older, playground, a swimming pool (open seasonally), and offers full hookups (including cable for an extra fee), tent sites, and cabins. The "kamping kitchen" is open for cowboy cookouts, including dinner and breakfast (at extra charge), and we sampled their all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, which was the best one our 5-year-old ate on our entire trip! Right near the kitchen is a sampling of petrified wood to get you in the spirit of exploration. The owners are very friendly, and even in June this campground felt uncrowded. Sites are a bit close together, but with our small 17-foot trailer, we had plenty of room, a picnic table, and fire ring. The owners were also helpful about giving directions and suggestions about all the attractions in the area. There is also a laundry room on site.

This is a nice, modern campground in a state park that features stone ruins. I visited the Homolovi 1 and 2 sites. They were mostly rubble, but there were some intact walls and a large storage pit.

The campground is large, and sites are nicely distanced from one another. However, there is very little shade or privacy. When I visited in June, there were also high winds. These died down after dark, but made setting up the tent a fun challenge. Each tent site had a paved driveway. This was nice, but made tent stakes placement a little awkward. I had to tie one line to the picnic table.

Bathrooms were clean and modern, with hot and cold water.

Awesome scenery. But the camp ground can get very busy. The site are ok in size but some sites are very close together. There are showers and flush toilets if you are into that. To get to the lake from the tent sites you have to climb down a pretty steep rocky hill or drive to the day use area. We fish for catfish and have caught a few here but also got skunked a few times. I've stayed here June July and October. Dont really recommend fall really windy cold and rainy. But not not many campers that time of the year.

Located very close to Show Low and right on the Lake - this campground is big and amazing..! Also has a broad selection of campsites ranging from simple tent camping all the way up to large sites with full hook ups for RV's and travel trailers. The views are amazing at all the sites taking in the lake. Lots to do in the water here that's for sure..!

Campsite is clean and very easy to reserve ahead of time on the supported website which is very easy to use and see all the items open.

Extra bonus for this Campground, should you need to, you can cancel your reservation up to 1-2 days out.

Since there are no developed campgrounds inside Petrified Forest National Park, you have two options: choose a private campground outside of the park, or grab a permit and set off into the backcountry. We did both during our visit in August 2015.

We were pleasantly surprised with our campsite at the KOA outside of Petrified Forest. Typically, we prefer campgrounds that are more scenic and rustic, but after a few weeks on the road, we enjoyed the amenities (hot showers, coin laundry, wifi, all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast) and convenience (less than 30 minutes to the park) of this KOA. We chose the “deluxe” tent site, which, for $2 more than the regular tent site, offered a covered picnic table, hot & cold water, and electricity at the site. The campground was nearly empty at this time of the year, so although the sites are close together, we felt alone. The only downsides would be the less-than-inspiring scenic views and the cramped sites during peak season.

The proximity and position of this campground to the national park allows for easy visiting and minimal backtracking. We’d suggest starting your trip along Highway 40 to the northern Painted Desert Visitor Center to get acquainted with the park, then making your way south and exit near the Rainbow Forest Museum. Simply return to the campground via Highway 180.

Inside the park (north to south), here are the must-sees: the Painted Desert National Historic Landmark (try to time it and attend a free ranger guided tour), the Blue Forest, Jasper Forest (below this overlook was our favorite trail of the park!), Crystal Forest, and the Giant Logs area. Don’t forget to stop at both visitor centers for more information about this fascinating geologic anomaly.

You can read much more about our four days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Petrified Forest)

We booked the last site available so I think with some careful reviewing of site map and asking over the phone about specific needs this is a 5 star spot, but it isn’t particularly pop up friendly. There are primitive tent sites and an assortment of electric + sites. The grounds are gorgeous, lots of space around the lake, so so so very quiet and clean. We have a small pop up. Generally we chose more primitive or small electric only sites. No rigs like ours were in the tent area so not sure if that is an option. Almost ALL the spaces are side by side shared double lots in the cinnamon teal loop. At least 40% - amazing if you’re group camping, but I like my space and privacy. Quiet hours 8pm- 7am. Showers/toilets in each loop. No outlets in bathroom for hair drying etc. showers were cold after minute 2 and each unit was a full bath so also cold and wet. None of this would matter at a cheap site but a hook up is $65/night. Surrounding town is cute with amenities. Visit The House for a meal.

I had my reservations about going here. I thought would see the park in 20-30 minutes. We took almost three hours to drive the 25 miles through the park. Some areas are very austere, however the OTHER areas more than make up for it. The Petrified Forest is NOT a bunch of rocks laying around. (Ok there are plenty of those too) but awe inspiring views and colors that will blow you away. Please, if you are traveling Route 66 (I-40) and you are near Holbrook AZ, you will not be disappointed.

Campground Review:

This campground was priceless. We stayed at site 11 and it was perfect in reference to the bathrooms for late night use. The campground is a loop with lots of wild Arizona desert brush for little boys to explore. This loops also makes some campsites inconvenient to the bathrooms and FREE showers. Check the site map before reserving. The restrooms and FREE showers were very clean and spacious. The campground was also very clean. I did notice, on our visit, there seemed to be many more RV's than tents. Also, not a lot of families with young children although my children loved the park. The sites are open so there is not a lot of privacy, however, they are spaced apart so you are not on top of each other. The rangers and volunteers were very friendly, knowledgeable and patient with little boy questions. Our first hike was to the Visitors center through wild Arizona desert and cows with a beautiful view of a snow capped mountain. I was very impressed with the Native American history at this park. Each site has a fire ring, grill, and tent pad (with eye hooks all around). The eye hooks were very handy because the winds got a little gusty one night. Also, did I mention the cows???

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. Today I tested "MOUNTAIN HOUSE HOMESTYLE TURKEY CASSEROLE" https://www.mountainhouse.com/m/product/homestyle-turkey-dinner-casserole.html

1. This meal was an easy perfect Easter lunch on the day we packed up to leave.
2. The instructions were spot on and easy to follow
3. My husband and I enjoyed this meal more than the kids did but the flavor was great. The chicken was nice big pieces, there were lots of veggies and the stuffing was the best.
4. Took up very little space in packing, light weight, very filling.

I typically rate campgrounds as they fit into 1 of 5 categories. This campground will be rated as a Basecamp — grounds that offer a comfortable home base that you’re happy to return to after a day of exploring the surrounding area. Ratings for this category are based on: Value to cost: 3 Overall grounds: 3 Utility of sites (hookups, layout, accessibility): 3 Local Attraction Proximity: 4 Reservation Process/Ease of Getting a Site: 5 Amenities: 3 Customer Service: 4 Cleanliness: 3

We’ve come to expect about the same consistent standard for most KOA Journey Campgrounds in which we’ve stayed. Reliable hookups, level sites, minimal privacy for standard sites, limited space between sites and basic amenities. This KOA fits comfortably into this standard. Sites were pretty close together with just a few young trees between, but the grounds were only about 50% full during our visit, so it felt spacious. Our site was level and hookups were steady but a little beat-up (electric box, water spigot). WiFi was very good, only got a little spotty in the evenings. The only amenity we used was the pool, which was large and a nice temperature, but not frequently skimmed and not much on the pool deck for lounging. Great for a dip, though. The nearby playground looked like it left something to be desired, though we didn’t test that theory. There was no road noise, the grounds were silent at night.

The front office was nice enough, no complaints, and the reservation system was straightforward, as always. At $50/night on average, there wasn’t a whole lot reinforcing the cost, but proximity to Petrified Forest National Park was certainly the reason to visit. It’s about 25 minutes To the park and it’s totally worth at least a half-day visit to explore, even if you’re just passing through. There are lots of reasonably priced gas stations, rock shops and fast food options nearby, but Holbrook doesn’t offer much more. I’d say the best option for any nearby proximity to the park, stay for 2 nights if you’re able.