Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Oracle, AZ

Spencer Canyon Campground sits at 7,900 feet elevation on Mount Lemmon, offering cooler temperatures and pet-friendly camping within pine forests about 22 miles from Tucson. Pets are allowed at all sites with standard leash requirements, and campers have access to bear boxes, water faucets, and vault toilets. Peppersauce Campground near Oracle permits pets year-round at its shaded sites where visitors frequently spot wildlife including deer, wild turkeys, and coatimundi alongside their dogs. Several campers report abundant wildlife viewing opportunities with their pets at these locations. Both campgrounds feature picnic tables and fire rings with Spencer Canyon providing over 60 first-come, first-served sites while Peppersauce offers a more intimate setting with $15 nightly fees.

Mount Bigelow Dispersed camping area allows pets with no fees, situated near established campgrounds with access to hiking trails suitable for dogs. Charouleau Gap Trailhead Camp provides multiple dispersed camping spots accessible in RVs up to 23 feet, though sites lack amenities like toilets or water sources. Dogs exploring these areas should remain leashed due to wildlife encounters and nearby academy traffic at Peppersauce. The Catalina Mountains offer significant temperature differences from Tucson below, making these locations ideal for summer camping with pets. During peak seasons, Spencer Canyon fills completely by Friday afternoon with most campers departing Sunday. Wishing Well RV Park provides full hookup options for RVers with pets seeking more amenities, including laundry facilities and proximity to Catalina State Park's dog-friendly hiking trails.

Best Dog-Friendly Sites Near Oracle, Arizona (96)

    1. Spencer Canyon Campground

    18 Reviews
    Mount Lemmon, AZ
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 749-8700

    $22 - $36 / night

    "Spencer Canyon Campground is a nice campground approx. 20 miles from Tucson up the General Hitchcock Highway(often called the Catalina Highway or Mt. Lemmon Highway)."

    "There is a lot of open area for my boys to run around and build a fort while I read a book next to the stream. Also it doesn’t seem to fill up as fast as the top sites."

    2. Rose Canyon Campground

    20 Reviews
    Willow Canyon, AZ
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 576-1477

    $31 - $180 / night

    "Plenty of good sleep to be had, which allowed me and my dog to wake early and explore the mountain tops... which was the secret place to find cell service, by the way."

    "I stayed 2 nights with my dog and it was a fantastic experience. The lake was beautiful, the creek made for lovely hiking, and the campsite hosts were friendly and helpful."

    3. Peppersauce Campground

    7 Reviews
    Oracle, AZ
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 749-8700

    $50 / night

    "This campground is located about 12 minutes outside of Oracle, AZ and is a great place to go to disconnect (no cell reception). We spent two nights here and had a great time!"

    "Most spots are roomy and Shaded, temps were really nice for Arizona in June, due to the elevation. Met a few campers that had been staying there since Wednesday, and they were really nice people."

    4. Mount Bigelow Dispersed

    8 Reviews
    Willow Canyon, AZ
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 388-8300

    "We drove 3 hours from Phoenix for a weekend in the forest, new to town and learning the ways of Arizona camping, didn’t realize fires are some times allowed and some times not."

    "Bunch of hiking trails near by, and perfect temperatures in the summer heat."

    5. Cactus Forest Dispersed

    33 Reviews
    Marana, AZ
    25 miles
    Website

    "However, watch where you step AND where you drive!!!!"

    "It is quite sandy and has some mogul sections where the water flows have washed some of the trail away but overall an easy drive."

    7. Gilbert Ray Campground

    75 Reviews
    Cortaro, AZ
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 724-5000

    $10 - $75 / night

    "The scenery here is perfect for Arizona. Great views of Tucson Mountain and surrounded by all kinds of hiking trails in the Tucson Mountain Park. The sites are gravel and mostly flat."

    "Fantastic place to stay in the Arizona countryside. Cacti everywhere! So cool!"

    8. Molino Basin Campground

    11 Reviews
    Willow Canyon, AZ
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 749-8700

    $100 / night

    "Pet friendly. Nice restrooms. Streams and trails."

    "We arrived on a Wednesday afternoon in late February and were pleasantly surprised to find this first come, first serve campground nearly empty."

    9. Wishing Well RV Park

    3 Reviews
    Catalina, AZ
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 825-3361

    "The park is near a highway. There is no shade. You can see Mt Lemmon from the park but otherwise there is no scenery. There are restaurants, hardware store in walking distance."

    10. General Hitchcock Campground

    7 Reviews
    Willow Canyon, AZ
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 749-8700

    $10 / night

    "Has some nice boulders to tuck your tent away in, and no really close neighbors. Seems like the rest of the sites you have neighbors right next to you, basically sharing a camp."

    "This campground is small, with tent sites tucked away between pine trees. A vaulted bathroom is at the center of the parking lot."

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Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Oracle, AZ

690 Reviews of 96 Oracle Campgrounds


  • k
    Jan. 12, 2022

    Tucson - Lazydays KOA

    Love Tucson KOA Lazydays!

    Plenty of space, the best dog parks ever!

  • Christy C.
    Oct. 14, 2021

    Tucson - Lazydays KOA

    Desert fun

    Very nice RV park. Clean and safe. Solar shades provide Clean power to park. Large and shaded dog park area for the fur babies.

  • Jill R.
    Jul. 30, 2016

    Tucson - Lazydays KOA

    Great KOA very dog friendly

    for a koa this place was surprisingly clean, I have two dogs, but this koa had a dog park that i was able to take them to in order to get all of their energy out before the long car trip. I would probably stay here again

  • Mstwister E.
    May. 11, 2021

    Tucson - Lazydays KOA

    Great Time!

    We just went camping here our first time last weekend and we had a great time! A very kid friendly campground, they had lots of things to keep you busy! 2 pools, a playground, game room, pickle ball courts, mini golf, RC car track, go-cart rentals, golf cart rentals, dog parks, activity’s for kids, you won’t be bored! Bathrooms/ showers were pretty clean and had a nice little store if you forgot stuff. 3 nice big propane fire pits by the entrance were perfect for roasting marshmallows. The BBQ Rush had great food if you don’t feel like cooking one night. Only $36 a night for a back in site with full hookups is a great deal! We had a blast and will definitely be back!

  • Reuben
    Nov. 1, 2021

    Rincon Country West RV Resort

    Decent location. Friendly folks and everything worked great.

    Most of Rincon Country West RV Resort is really for folks who are living them permanently or seasonally in their park model homes. Only in the far back corner is there really parking for JUST RVs.(Although even that"back corner" is probably home to well over 100 spaces.) So it feels like driving through a miniature suburban subdivision. It's location is in the heart of Tucson, so there's NO feeling of"getting away from it all" by staying here. In fact, your hear planes, helicopters& traffic. It's a city. But for us, spending 5 days exploring the area, it was a fairly central jumping off point for our explorations.

    We had a"deluxe" pull-through site, which got us a nice patch of grass, a charcoal grill, a picnic table, good water pressure, clean electricity and a site with two different dump spots. There was cable TV available and wifi, but we just used my Verizon hotspot for streaming some Netflix and that worked great. We were close to our neighbors, but not TOO close. The more "normal" spaces near us would have put you in much closer proximity to your neighbors. For us, it was worth the extra$5 or so per day. (Having said that, the place really is pretty pricey.$70 per day is near the top of what we've paid.) 

    The place has many amenities, none of which we availed ourselves of. We were really only there in the evenings and for sleeping. But pools, sports courts of all kinds, several nice dog parks, rec center, auditorium, etc. etc. I would think someone longterm would find lots to do. The security here is pretty stringent, which is nice. We'd certainly stay here again.

  • Karen  B.
    Jan. 14, 2023

    Cactus Country RV Park - 55+

    Not bad but…

    Convenient location just off I-10. Had some great sunsets. Park facilities are clean but a little run down. It’s more of a mobile home park and RV park combined. Some permanent stationary mobile homes and some RV spots with lots of yard stuff that makes it look somewhat junky. Pull through sites are very close together but level enough with gravel and a patio pad with table and fire pit. Dog park is all dirt but large with fresh water. Laundry is $1.75 for a large load both washing and drying. Propane fill available. Workout room was minimal but kept cool. Cactus garden was nice.

  • MickandKarla W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Feb. 19, 2024

    Tucson - Lazydays KOA

    One of the Better KOAs or Private Campground for that Matter

    We followed the website instructions to the campground(CG) by taking I-10 Exit 164B versus our RV GPS and Waze, which wanted us to get off sooner. After driving that route while staying here, we discovered that route would have been good as well. Check-in was easy and informative. We then drove ourselves to FHU pull-through site 1505 with a patio and fire feature. We maneuvered to get our 10’ sewer hose to fit between our two dump valves as the utilities are centered on the pad. This KOA is a true resort with major amenities, such as a pool, putt-putt golf course, pickleball, restaurant, and planned activities. At check-in we received a Tengo Internet WiFi code, so we tried it out. We were able to do sporadic email and texting. We used our Starlink the rest of the time as we were able to get a good shot of the north sky. We got 5 bars on Verizon. Water pressure in our site was good at about 50 psi. As we are dog people, we enjoyed walking our pups to the fenced dog areas and letting them run. In the front of the CG by the gate there’s a huge 1 to 2-acre fenced dog park. In the northwest corner of the CG, there’s another, but much smaller, fenced dog area, and then another even smaller fenced dog area around the corner from our site. They have a variety of sites with various amenities. As we have family in the area, we would stay here again. The next time we would get one of the sites with a fenced dog area, such as 1476-1479, which has a fire feature and a fenced Paw Pen around the patio. There are covered sites under the solar panels, but we would avoid those areas as pigeons are roosting above. Four RV techs were staying at the CG with signs in front of their campsites while we were there. The week in January we were here, we were able to get some work done on short notice. The CG website has good pics of their wide variety of sites and an expandable site map that identifies amenities. We are not normally high-dollar“resort” campers, but this CG was impressive.

  • Juliet L.
    May. 11, 2023

    Tucson - Lazydays KOA

    Wonderful resort

    This place is incredible. Huge gated property with many different site options. Each site offers a metal table with 4 chairs. Some have playgrounds, private doggy runs, a fireplace, a sky deck, a covered patio, and many other awesome options. There are 2 main community areas. The larger one by the front check in offers a BBQ restaurant, a pool with spa, gym, laundry, putt putt, pickleball court, basketball court, corn hole, playground, indoor rec room with games and pool and other outdoor games. There is also multiple events throughout each day, some for kids, some for family, and some for adults. The second area has a playground, 24 hour laundry, clean bathrooms, a dog wash, and a pool with a spa that is still a very decent size. There are also multiple dog parks and bathrooms throughout the park. Phone service for Verizon and ATT are not good, but they do offer wifi. Very quick check in and quiet neighborhood. Huge property so not all of the spots were filled during our time in May, so we had empty spaces surrounding us. The spaces are not tight at all and very easy to park in. They have curbside trash pickup 24/7, so all you have to do is leave your trash on the curb and you’re good to go! Overall wonderful stay and highly recommend!

  • Crystal C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 15, 2018

    Tucson - Lazydays KOA

    Best Campsites for Snowbirds In Arizona

    When spending time on the road many times you will find campsite after campsite that is welcoming but not quite like home away from home. But when you drive through Tucson, there is a mecca filled with winter bird campers and long term campers which create a home away from home.

    With only tent sites available on the facility, we were fortunate to find a site, however when we arrived we were so excited by the facilities we extended our stay by a day.

    Office staff immediately greeted us and let us know about the facilities, which happened to feature a mini golf course, an indoor events facility, 2 swimming pools and hot tubs, an indoor recreation area and multiple on camp fire chinineas. In addition there was a fishing pond and dog park area.

    Each of the 4 campsites were considered to be regular campsites instead of upgrade sites but when we arrived it was the most delux sites we had encountered along the way.

    Pad sites were large and the first to actually accommodate our large tent and the ground was u like any we had seen before at a site. The soft mulch was similar to that of a modern day playground and made for a much more comfortable sleep over the two days we were there.

    In addition to the standard picnic table of most facilities, this campground offered a kitchen facility at each campsite including a large copper sink and food storage as well as electricity and overhead lighting in the pergola designed to allow shade from the harsh Arizona sun.

    It was the closest thing to glamping we had encountered by far!

    Then as an added bonus, fresh fruit trees abounded ready for the picking. The front desk informed us of the allowance to pick what you want as everything was in season! An amazing treat on the road!

    We spent many hours at the pool facility, enjoyed amazing neighbors, used the wifi and even did a load of laundry while in Tucson. The facility really was like a home away from home on the road.

    🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰

    If the scale went higher we would rank it more Bunnies. There were no real areas we could see for improvement. Staff was very accommodating, long term and short term residents of the facility were amazing and this was a desert oasis like no other!


Guide to Oracle

Explore the beauty of Oracle, Arizona, while enjoying the company of your furry friends at various pet-friendly camping spots. With stunning landscapes and ample outdoor activities, these campgrounds cater to both you and your pets.

Tips for camping with dogs near Oracle

  • At Cactus Forest Dispersed, be cautious of the jumping cholla cacti, which can pose a risk to your pets. Always check their paws after walks.
  • The Rose Canyon Campground offers a cooler climate, making it a comfortable spot for your dog during warmer months. Ensure they stay hydrated while exploring.
  • When visiting Peppersauce Campground, keep your dog on a leash to prevent them from wandering off, especially since wildlife is abundant in the area.

Dog-friendly activities while camping near Oracle

  • Enjoy hiking with your dog at Spencer Canyon Campground, where trails lead through beautiful landscapes and offer plenty of opportunities for exploration.
  • At General Hitchcock Campground, take advantage of the nearby hiking trails that are perfect for a day out with your pet, allowing them to enjoy the fresh air and scenery.
  • The Molino Basin Campground features easy access to trails that are suitable for both you and your dog, providing a great way to bond while enjoying nature.

Dog owners appreciate the amenities available

  • South Forty RV Ranch offers full hookups and a friendly community, making it a convenient choice for pet owners looking for comfort and safety.
  • At Wishing Well RV Park, you’ll find a welcoming atmosphere with amenities that cater to both you and your pets, ensuring a pleasant stay.
  • The Cactus Forest Dispersed Site provides a unique experience with its beautiful desert surroundings, allowing your dog to explore while you enjoy the tranquility of nature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Oracle, AZ?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Oracle, AZ is Spencer Canyon Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 18 reviews.

What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Oracle, AZ?

TheDyrt.com has all 96 dog-friendly camping locations near Oracle, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.