Looking for the best campgrounds near Lakeside, AZ? Lakeside is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Find the best campgrounds near Lakeside, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
Upper Campground
$25 - $65 / night
Rainbow is the largest campground in the Big Lake Recreation Area in eastern Arizona. Because of its proximity to the lake, size and the many amenities it offers, Rainbow is a favorite for families. Popular activities include hiking, horseback riding and fishing.
The campground is adjacent to 450-acre Big Lake, one of Arizona's top fishing lakes. The lake is known for its trout fishing, with rainbow, cutthroat, brook and Apache being the most sought-after species. The recreation area is also popular for hiking, mountain biking, birding and wildlife viewing. Curious campers can attend educational programs at the recreation area's visitor center.
The campground is adjacent to 450-acre Big Lake, one of Arizona's top fishing lakes. The lake is known for its trout fishing, with rainbow, cutthroat, brook and Apache being the most sought-after species. The recreation area is also popular for hiking, mountain biking, birding and wildlife viewing. Curious campers can attend educational programs at the recreation area's visitor center.
Rainbow Campground sits at an elevation of 9,000 feet in the White Mountains. It is a very scenic area, forested with ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, spruce and aspen trees, which provide ample shade. Summer temperatures are pleasant and cool, a nice respite from the heat of the lower desert. Visitors should come prepared for cool nighttime temperatures and occasional summer thunderstorms.
Visitors can explore endless vistas and take part in many outdoor activities in the surrounding Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, which encompasses 2 million acres of magnificent mountain country in east-central Arizona and New Mexico. Springerville, Arizona is the closest town to the campground.
$28 - $90 / night
Brookchar Campground is tucked on the banks of Big Lake in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. The campground is a small, tent-only facility comprised entirely of walk-in sites. Of the lake's five campgrounds, Brookchar is nearest to the water. The stocked lake draws anglers, and boat rentals and a boat ramp make it easy for campers to enjoy the lake's blue waters.
Big Lake is one of Arizona's top trout fishing lakes, with rainbow, cutthroat, brook and Apache trout being the most sought-after species. The recreation area is also popular for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, birding and wildlife viewing.
Big Lake is one of Arizona's top trout fishing lakes, with rainbow, cutthroat, brook and Apache trout being the most sought-after species. The recreation area is also popular for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, birding and wildlife viewing.
The campground sits in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest at an elevation of 9,100 feet. The area is scenic, forested with ponderosa pine, fir, spruce and aspen, interspersed with high elevation meadows. Summer temperatures are pleasant and cool, a nice respite from the heat of lower deserts. Visitors should come prepared for afternoon thunderstorms and cool nighttime temperatures.
For facility specific information, please call (928) 537-8888.
Several other lakes can be found in the surrounding area. Visitors can also explore endless vistas and take part in many outdoor activities in the surrounding Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, which encompasses 2 million acres of magnificent mountain country in east-central Arizona and New Mexico.
$20 - $32 / night
Timber Camp Recreation Area has one of the most popular family and group campgrounds in the Tonto National Forest offering both day-use sites and over-night areas.
Abundant recreation opportunities such as cross-country horseback riding, hiking, in-season hunting, exploring, off-highway vehicle use and wildlife viewing are in close proximity. In the spring, whitewater rafting trips on the Upper Salt River launch a mere 20-minute drive from the site. Brundrett 2 and the equestrian sites are excellent places to stage authorized outdoor group events (a separate permit may be required). While there are no dedicated equestrian trails, the surrounding terrain is ideal for cross-country horseback riding.
Abundant recreation opportunities such as cross-country horseback riding, hiking, in-season hunting, exploring, off-highway vehicle use and wildlife viewing are in close proximity. In the spring, whitewater rafting trips on the Upper Salt River launch a mere 20-minute drive from the site. Brundrett 2 and the equestrian sites are excellent places to stage authorized outdoor group events (a separate permit may be required). While there are no dedicated equestrian trails, the surrounding terrain is ideal for cross-country horseback riding.
Located within the Timber Camp Mountains and surrounded by a ponderosa pine and juniper woodland, this area offers a cool get away from the hot summer months. Five miles east of the site, the area eventually meets the ledges and beautiful vistas of the Salt River Canyon and the Salt River Canyon Wilderness.
Approximately 10 miles north along Highway 60, on White Mountain Apache Tribal Lands, lies Seneca Lake and Falls, a popular recreation area for sightseeing and fishing (WMAT permit required). As you continue further north along Highway 60, the road cascades down into the Salt River Canyon where several overlooks allow you to capture the magnificent beauty of "Arizona's other Grand Canyon". Only 24 miles south from Timber Camp, the City of Globe offers an array of restaurants, as well as antique, grocery, and feed and tack stores.
$16 / night
It had been 28 years since we last camped at Rainbow. It is still a great place to escape the desert heat. It was 115 when we left the big city. Five hours later we found ourselves camped at 9100 feet, enjoying the cool temps in the mid 60's and the passing rain showers. Aspens, pines, and wildlife were all in abundance. Big Lake is a good fishing lake too.
The sites have plenty of space, shade, and privacy. Roads are paved and in good shape. The restrooms were constantly cleaned by the very friendly and capable staff from recreation resource management which operates the campground for the forest service.
Firewood and ice are available (stage 2 fire restrictions were in effect so no campfires), water was convenient as was gray water disposal. There is a centralized dump station, showers, and a small but educational visitor center. Trash dumpsters are centralized and easy to access.
If you don't fish there is still hiking to Mount Baldy, and short scenic drives to the very small towns of Greer and Alpine. We enjoyed exploring the miles of scenic forest roads, and wildlife viewing. We saw 4 Mexican gray wolves which was very special.
This is a very popular campground that accommodates all types of rigs. They do have first come first serve sites available, but it is recommended to make reservations at least 4 days in advance. Reservations can be made at recreation.gov. It's always best practice to print a copy of your reservation. There is no cell service in this area.
We look forward to camping again at Rainbow.
We pulled in after hours and a ranger kindly helped us find our spot. She recommended a cool hiking trail to check out the next morning. Bathrooms and showers are super clean and well maintained. There is only one designated bathhouse building so if you park far, you’ll be walking a ways. Did I mention the views are gorgeous? The views alone are worth staying here.
The park was practically empty. The views are always amazing, and the weather was perfect. The wind picked up in the evenings to about 10 mph, but then was calm around 9pm. In the morning the lake was very calm, and taking the kayak out was so peaceful. I spoke with the ranger and ahead said next summer a vendor will have boat and jet ski rentals. Good and bad, but maybe that will help keep camping rates low. Highly recommend a trip here when you have a long weekend.
Reserved site #13 on line for August 15th. On arriving this site has no flat areas and you must pass directly through site #12 to access. The entire campground was EMPTY except us. We decided to move to site #12 to get a flat area. I informed the host out of courtesy of our move to the empty adjoining site. He said NO! I had to pay him $20 to make the change. If I did it on-line, it would be zero fee. THERE IS NO CELL COVERAGE at this campground, so it is impossible to go online and make that useless change. Another caretaker drove by and said he didn't see a problem moving if it was his call. The dude at Brookchar would NOT budge...he wanted his $20 bucks ( I have a senior pass and at worst it would have been $8.00). Told him to stuff it and to contact his manager. He refused. The other caretaker guy drove away and and said he would discuss it with her. Bear in mind, the entire campground had zero reservations for that evening besides us. He returned later to inform me that the manger had "OK'ed" the change for no fee. It is zero fee to change a campsites....zero! Unbelievable,,,,Beware....
Clean, quiet, open campground, tents, trailers and cabins. Very happy with the week we spent here
FHU available
Spacious sites
Wind does come up
Lake is down and good fishing
Clean restrooms and showers
Has store well stocked (no tobacco or alcohol)
Fish cleaning station
Nice viewing of stars at night
Quiet, cabins, tent sites, FHU available, beach camping.
Rangers on site along with hosts
Black top roads
Blacktop to park your rig. Some pull thru site
Mostly back ins
Large sites
Awesome cabins and the lake was great! The hiking and rock art was a cool addition !!
Nice campground out of the way. Very polite rangers. Sad the lake is so low ... climate change, but enjoyable 2 days. Petroglyphs were cool! Tip: best campsite would be #17 - trust me ;) Hottest, highest pressure (ie: exfoliating showers) I've ever had in a campground!
Once again we are the only ones here! It got a little cold this morning, down to 15 but the sunrise was awesome. Lots of nice spots, you can get everything from a small cabin to a dry spot down by the beach. Some of the bathrooms are closed for the winter but there are a couple still open. 30 and 50 amp power. Water at the pull through sites but you need to disconnect at night to avoid freezing.
Enjoyed three nights and generally had the place to ourselves excluding the host. The host was very nice. The fee station was out of order during our stay, so we paid via daily tickets at a place in Globe on our way out. The campground is right off the highway so there was a fair amount of traffic noise, but not unbearable. Little to do in the way of hikes within walking distance, but we enjoyed walking around the campground and into the woods to the north and east. Verizon service was great the entire time. Sites are well maintained and level. Vault toilets were clean. Each site has a steel fire ring and grate as well as a nice metal picnic table. There a a few group areas with full grills and communal tables. The campground appears fairly new.
Quiet and secluded with a huge lake!
Clean and peaceful area. Camped here as a jump point to the Petrified Forest Park the next morning.
Camped here in October 2016. My all-time favorite campgrounds. We tent camped and it was freezing cold, poured rain. We had huge sleeping bags and a little propane heater, and still really enjoyed it. Lots of area to hike and tons to see.
Spots are close to the lake which is really nice. The overall campground is nice and the spots were spaced out nicely.
Great lake view from all sites. Cabins and rv sites have easy access and parking. Nice bathrooms.
We stayed here for two days. There are some short trails with wonderful views of the lake and surrounding area, and there are petroglyphs to explore. Decent fishing, although the lake was flooded and murky while we were there, and we didn’t give it the best shot. It likely could be a really good fishing spot under ideal conditions. T-mobile service was awful, and the staff were super helpful and friendly. I’m sure we’ll be back.
You’re really roughing it here. The dirt washboard road getting in (45 mins) was enough for me to not love this place (I’m traveling with an infant and toddler). But, once you’re there it really is a beautiful place. The lake itself is awesome and the camping is primitive but awesome views. The little shop is closed, not covid related, looks as though it’s been boarded up and closed for a while. Make sure you get the correcting passes for camping and fishing permits since you’re on the reservation.
I have been coming up to the White Mountains since I was a kid. Rainbow campground has been our go-to spot for camping. There are 3 loops that are FCFS. The rest of the sites are reservations. The sites all have picnic tables and fire rings. There are full bathrooms throughout the area and pay showers when is not covid. Big lake is a short drive from the campground, where you can rent a boat, fish from shore and a small store with supplies. There is always wildlife around, especially skunks, so watch your pets. The sites are laid at where you don't feel like you are right on top of your neighbor. None of the sites in Rainbow have hook-ups, bit there is a dump station down the road. There is another campground for full hook-ups down the way.
We're frequent campers, and this is one of our favorite spots in AZ!
The tent-only campground is small, but the sites are large and have multiple great clearings for tents. Lots of shade and easy paths for walking around the grounds, plus there's potable water at several sites. Central bathrooms with running water are kept very clean, plus there's trash service and a (very friendly) camp host if you need anything.
Directly across a small road from Big Lake and the boat ramp. There are several places to go right down to the shore, and it's only a 5-6 minute walk along the road to the general store and boat rental area, where there's also a fish cleaning station. Brookchar is just down the road from the giant Rainbow Lake, so you'll hear some RVs and ATVs on the road, but very minimal.
We camped in site 12, which in our opinion is the best! Closest to the lake with water views, plus parking right outside your site for 2 vehicles (other sites, you park in a main lot). Bring your fishing gear and kayak/SUP (can also rent very reasonably)!
Over Memorial Day weekend, we saw highs close to 80 and lows in the high 30s/low 40s. Only sprinkled once!
It's also just an hour from Pinetop-Lakeside, so it's easy to make grocery stops or even grab a coffee (try Pinetop Coffee House + Roasters right on the highway!) on your way in/out.
With your permit to hike Cibecue Falls it gives you one night of camping at the camp ground. There is no power or water. They do have a bathroom. It does make for a relaxing night after a short hike to the falls. The road back is a dirt road with a cliff on one side. Saw cars back there so not a bad road. Also there is no cell service.
Great spot to relax after driving thru Salt Canyon. Very convenient, close to highway, with very little noise. ATT was full scale. We will return.
This tent walk in site has been our family favorite for decades. The sites have plenty of room for 2 tents. There is a clean bathroom in the campsite as well as water. This sites are across the small road from the lake. This is our favorite place to camp with other family members since the sites are close together. Easy walk to the lake.
Quiet, beautiful, and clean. We even had visits from deer, a very bold skunk, chipmunks, squirrels, and blue jays. The camp hosts were delightful, too!
I spent 2 nights on my rode trip from El Paso to Provo. I reserved site 9 on Recreation.gov. The host expected me. The site was shaded encircled by pine trees and it was cool in late August. The squirrels are voracious and chewed through my stuff sack with sealed food that I left on the picnic table when I went for a bike ride around the lake.
NF Big Lake Rec Area is developed around Big Lake, which isn’t big. I asked the tackle shop clerk about swimming and he warned of hooks and lures. He said the water was fine except for a film of algae. I didn’t swim. The campground seemed used by anglers and off-roaders.
I found the first non-motorized trail off the gravel Forest Service road by the lake. It wasn’t walking distance from the campground. The forest had burned in 2011 according to warning signs, but by 2020 there was new growth and plenty of trees survived. The trail teamed with wildlife. There were squirrels and chipmunks everywhere. I spotted a group of elk cows and later mule deer bucks. I observed at least 5 species of birds. The forest was alive with activity. I didn’t see any people on the trail.
There were many dispersed camping spots throughout the forest and several campgrounds along black river.
I had a big juicy burger at the Alpine Grill and Still, whose bar area was open for dine in despite the coronavirus.
Despite the development, I recommend it.
We only stayed a night but we liked it a lot. No internet service and poor phone reception (T-Mobile) which was a little issue for us as we are traveling cross country and we need to confirm some of our upcoming RV stops. We wished would have stayed longer to be able to enjoy the park but definitely coming back for a long stay visit.
The directions given on the site for how to find this campground were not very clear. We spent a lot of time double and triple checking where we were to make sure we were going the right way. We ended up giving up because it was getting dark only to find out later that we were very close to it. The drive to the campsite is incredibly beautiful, though. It is about 2 hours east of Show Low. I’m sure it would have been beautiful if it weren’t so hard to find and we had better directions.
Great place to hike, camp, rent a cabin or relax. Fishing in the area with cabins or camping depending on what you prefer. We have rented a cabin every August and the weather is wonderful. Some rain but very green and lovely outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Lakeside, AZ is Hawley Lake Apache Indian Res with a 4.5-star rating from 6 reviews.
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