Best RV Parks & Resorts near Payson, AZ

This was our first time camping here and we will most definitely be back. You can reserve all odd numbered campsites online. Even numbers are first come first serve. There is a boat ramp located at the front of the campground. Not ideal lake access for fishing or swimming because of steep hills down to lake. Potable water available. Dump station is currently open 24/7. Bathrooms have running water and flush toilets and also showers. Multiple playgrounds. Each spot has covered table and fire ring. Loose gravel pads. Most are fairly level. Some spots aren’t big rig accessible.

I was really looking forward to Cottonwood camp, outside of the Sedona area.  The campground had excellent reviews so we booked three nights.  There are many different sections of the park and your experience overall could be impacted by which site.  We were in site 141 close to the main activity room.  These sites are very packed and there are a lot of long-term guests and it looks like it.  The other sites throughout the park are better, especially the ones on the ridge with a view.  

The other challenge was almost zero connectivity even using a hot spot.  I work remote so this was a challenge and I had to take work calls in the public lodge.  The lack of WiFi at all limited our other devices as well.  Not an option if you work on the road.

The area however has amazing natural beauty, parks and lots of hikes.  Some are dog-friendly, but some are not, so recommend checking.  The town of Sedona has changed over the years with many more tourists, traffic and high prices.  I would likely not return or stay somewhere more in nature, but with cell service as well.

The Sedona View RV Resort is a really clean and safe Park. The Staff is friendly and help you any way they can. They have Full Hookups with 30 & 50 amp service. They do charge a KWH fee for electric for a monthly stay. However their monthly charge is NOT high like other Resorts in Camp Verde.

They have a shower and laundry house. As of March 2021 showers are still closed due to Covid 19. Laundry is open.

Most sites are level but there are some on the outer parameter that you’ll have to work a little magic. Inner sites are fine.

If you like hiking, this is right next to the National Forest with a trailhead right in the Park.

Quiet at night. Watch the moon rise over the mountains.

We spent 4 nights in #3 Mountain Lion loop. Pull through site that our 30' toy hauler fit nicely in. Would be tight for anything larger.

Really beautiful place with many trees. Convient toilets and showers. Showers are $3 for 6 minutes. We didn't use them. Lots of bear proof dumpsters.

Hosts were friendly and not intrusive. Firewood available for $8 a bundle. You can get the same firewood at the Circle K in Payson for $6.

Water fill and dump station at the campground entrance and several water hydrants throughout the campground.

The only reason I'm not giving this place 5 stars is because of the road and aircraft noise. It was pretty loud during the day but we didn't have any trouble sleeping.

Would definitely come back here.

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: 4 Overall grounds: 4 Utility of sites (hookups, layout, accessibility): 3 Local Attraction Proximity: 5 Reservation Process/Ease of Getting a Site: 5 Amenities: 5 Customer Service: 4 Cleanliness: 4

Verde Ranch RV Resort is a newer RV campground located about 30 minutes South of Sedona. It offers lots of amenities including a big, lovely pool, laundry facilities, a decent sized workout room, a community center, pickle ball courts and more. In the age of COVID, a lot of these amenities are closed or restricted but we were able to use the pool on our visit. They offer different levels of sites based on price but we didn’t see much differentiation based on the price levels. We chose a covered site through their easy online reservation system as we were visiting in the dead of summer. We weren’t super stoked on our selection once we arrived. Our hookups were in the very far back corner of the space so we needed to choose between a small sliver of shade provided by the solar cover or the reach of our dump hose. Not ideal. We seemed to be in one of very few spots with this weird location for hookups. The end spots of the shaded area are hardly covered so it might not be worth it to you because these spots are pretty close together with no privacy in between sites. All sites seemed nicely wide enough to allow slide outs and big rigs. Plants between sites are all very newly planted and so don’t offer privacy yet.

From what we were able to access, the grounds seemed very clean and well maintained. The online reservation process was easy though it was hard to get ahold of the office prior to and upon self-check in. Staff we did encounter were friendly and, though there are a lot of rules, there was no policing.

The biggest draw for these grounds was proximity to Sedona (30 min), Montezuma’s Castle (10 min) and Tuzigoot (25 min). We enjoyed a visit to all 3 within our 2-day stay. We enjoyed our stay and the awesome pool in the desert heat but next time we might opt to stay a little closer to Sedona.

The Thousand Trails Verde Valley RV Resort is a lovely Thousand Trails RV park located in Cottonwood, Arizona in the Verde Valley. The park is very well-kept and maintained and the staff is friendly and helpful. The premium sites are unbelievably huge in size and have upgraded FHU. The views from them are worth the extra $5-7.50 per night alone! They are level and gravel which makes parking a dream! The amenities here include pool, sauna, community room, shuffleboard, volleyball, basketball, tennis, mini golf, hiking trails, game room, pool tables, horseshoes, ping pong, dog runs, etc. The park is located just down the road from Cottonwood and the historic downtown district. There is a lot of things to do nearby including hiking trails, wineries and vineyards, shopping, historical sites, state parks and more! The only downside we have found to this park is the Wifi. Our signals have been pretty spotty here. This is definitely one of the nicer Thousand Trails parks we’ve been to and we will certainly be back. 👍🏻

For campground videos and more, check out our YouTube channel: Jeff & Steff’s Excellent Adventure.