Best Tent Camping near Phoenix, AZ

I've been trail riding in the Wickenburg area since I was a kid, and the rodeo grounds across the street from Constellation Park is a gathering site for just about everyone who heads out into the desert on their 4-legged transportation. On my most recent visit to Constellation Park, the park and rodeo grounds were empty, but this place fills up fast whenever there are events scheduled, and the sites are first come, first served with NO reservations system, so plan ahead!

There are 35 dry camp sites along a dirt road north of the rodeo grounds on Constellation Road in Wickenburg - they are primitive dry sites with no tents allowed - all camping must be self contained. Site fees are $8 per night, or $12 per night to have a horse corral included. Yes, I'm confused too - horses are ok, but tents are not? I'm not sure what the logic for self contained camping is for these sites, as they would make excellent car camping/tenting sites, but I'm not the one who makes the rules.

The park opens onto state and BLM land, which you can ride or backpack into with a permit -

https://land.az.gov/recreational-permit-portal

Wickenburg is already a relatively quiet town with not much traffic outside the US 60 / US 93 interchange for people traveling from Phoenix to Las Vegas, so it's nice and quiet up here. The road undulates up over small rises, so unless there's a late night at the rodeo arena, there are no lights to compete with the star gazing show either. Again, tent camping would make so much sense here. . .

I'd give the park 5 stars for the pretty desert views, quiet location and big skies if you were allowed to enjoy them outside of an RV. Oh well, we don't get everything we want, right?

Great little place to camp near Phoenix. The lake is beautiful and I recommend taking the Roadrunner hike -- even easy for kids!

I don’t know why they bother be so strict with noise from campers after 10:00. You can’t see it, but your 20 feet off the main road and if you are there on a weekend the road noise from the motorcycles and cars racing up and down the road to and from the bar will keep you up until 3:00 in the morning. If you manage to fall asleep finally by 3:00 and you are in a tent, be prepared to be woken up again at 4:30 when the boaters start launching their boats 5 feet from the tent area. I did not find the camp staff helpful, including the fact that we got there at 2:00 which is check in time and had to wait 30 minutes for someone to show up to open the gate. We had very little interaction other than that. Obviously the noise is not their fault, but if you are planning on tent camping there you need to be aware. It may be a good spot for RVs that have some insulation from the road noise and are further away from the boat docks, but if your tent camping, find other places. Note - no water available at all to tent sites. Not even a shared spigot. The bathrooms were not working while we were there. They did provide a temporary trailer for showers and toilet but it was poorly stocked and filthy the entire weekend.

We stayed two nights at site #4 at Lost Dutchman State Park in early May, in a campervan. The campground is very large with multiple different loops, some with large open RV sites and some more secluded, a mix of pull through and back in sites. We walked most of the campground, and if you don't need a large RV or trailer site I highly recommend the sites from 1-15, they had pretty good privacy for a desert campground. The campground loop we were in was fairly empty when we were there (mid week). The view was amazing! Site was large and level if you are tenting it, with a nice level parking pad. Bathrooms were a bit of a walk from our area, so take that into consideration. They were spotless and the showers were available at no extra cost, which was great! Site was wonderful for just lounging around and relaxing at. Potable water spout was just two sites over, a short walk. There were fire restrictions so propane stoves only, no campfires. We hiked the siphon draw trail up to the top of the flatiron, a very challenging and unique hike with a lot of rock scrambling. The trail leaves right from the campground which was perfect. The campground was very clean and quiet while we were there. I highly recommend Lost Dutchman to anyone looking for camping near Phoenix! We reserved ahead of time, campsites were $25 with the online fee.

Just some amazing views!! You can see the entire Phoenix valley! Perfect elevation, 7-8k . About a 3 hr drive from Phoenix

This is an amazing place yo camp and hike. The views of thd mountains at sunset is surreal. Immaculately maintained. Water and electrical hookups as well as tent camping dry spots. Very hot in the summer but heavenly in the winter.

Nice park just outside of Scottsdale. Fun mountain bike trails. Clean bathrooms. Quiet in late December. Only 5 or 6 tent campers here. $22 night for tent site. We parked in our van. Can use showers at RV camp area. Great spot.

No tent camping. Self contained RVs only. Constellation park campground hosts horse events and rodeos that draw crowds from everywhere and of all ages. Campground is directly across the street from all horse and rodeo activities so this is very convenient if you are in the area for horsemanship.

A beautiful desert park at the foot of the Superstition Mountains. One of the cleanest campgrounds I have ever been to. I have only tent camped alongside a camper on an RV pad, but the space was more than ample for both. Lost one star because you can hear noise from the nearby "ghost town" attraction.

The map shows McDowell twice but there is only one. It us about 23K acres of beautiful desert surrounded by the Superstition Mountains. Clean campground and pretty quiet. Flush toilets, showers available in the RV campground. Fun MTB, hiking trails. We camped here twice in December 2020 because we liked it so much.. tent camping is $22/night. Highly recommend.

Leaf Verde is in Buckeye, AZ which is only 30 minutes from Phoenix. The pool is refreshing and if you aren’t into swimming there is a pool table, dog park and shuffle board to keep you busy. The sites are gravel and close together but nice.

Large campground with beautiful views from every campsite. Desert camping so there are no tall trees for shade and it can get windy. Sites with good privacy, full restrooms with free showers. Tent sites are not as nice as RV sites with full hookup. Lots of trails for mountain biking or hiking.

This campground in McDowell Regional park is for tent camping and small Vans, etc. Mix of both walk in sites and back in sites. It is set back a ways from the rest of the park. No showers here. Need to go to the trail head or RV campground for showers which was a bit of a hassle. Excellent mountain biking and hiking trails right out of the campground.

I love these sites, they seem to really embody the AZ southwest camping experience for me. Our site had a view of a trail where we watched equestrians ride by sporadically throughout the evening. We saw some snakes, coyotes, and other wildlife. This is a very nice site, and a quick drive from Phoenix.

This park is quite large and has many camping options: day passes, tent camping, semi-developed sites, and fully-developed sites with awnings for big rigs.

There are many hiking trails too, for every level of difficulty.

The nature is splendid, with hummingbirds, chipmunks, and plenty of chollas and prickly pear cactai.

The ambience is quite festive, much more than what I am used to (although the noise may be due to the fact I went on NASCAR weekend).

A dozen or so free tent sites. Tables, fire rings, grills. Vault toilets. Campers under 20’ should be okay. Larger RVs should consider a spot back off seven springs road. Going too much further up the road isn’t a good idea for RVs.

Road in is pretty good. Some washboard. Most vehicles will make it. I’ve done it several times in a compact car.

Late fall to early spring is best.

Zero cell service.

Almost an urban park just due to it's proximity to the city of Mesa, Usery park offers great tent camping, group campsites, as well as RV Sites with Electric and Water hookups. Dump station on site. 

Usery is a great jumping off point for hiking in the National Forest. There is an extensive trail network both in the park and connected to the Tonto National Forest. One of the most popular is Wind Cave Trail.

There is also a world class Archery Range here. There is a usage fee of about $2 (at time of this writing) on top of your park entry fee, but kids are free.

Camped 5 nights at the desert tortoise campground in my NoBo travel trailer. Semi developed so no hook ups. Bathrooms were clean and the area was well kept. The spot includes a ramada with picnic table. There is also a fire ring pit w/ grill which you’ll need to bring firewood for. I fished off the shoreline which was only a few hundred feet from my spot. The spots are relatively close to each other and tent camping is also allowed. Water is clear and very nice. Wild donkeys from old miners back in the day still roam around. They are very accustomed to humans so won’t hesitate to steal food. Definitely something to watch pets around as well.

One of the most striking campsites I’ve ever been to. We were at site 135 which isn’t on a loop but rather off the main road but that wasn’t a drawback. It was a short walk on a path to the flush toilets and showers from our spot too which was a plus. Water there too. We were tent camping with two young kids (2 and 4) and this was a great spot for that. The pull in wasn’t very long FYI. Rangers were nice, sold ice and other items at the camp store. Only drawback was the signs to find your loop/site were a bit confusing but it could be because we’d never been there before. 😜

Scott and Kevin have a great piece of property they love To share! Located in a valley of the Bradshaw mountains just about and hour and a half from Phoenix, this is an awesome getaway- away from it all. I boondocked for a couple days and enjoyed the quiet solitude of the canyon, enjoyed hiking, and the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. It’s a rocky dirt road to get here, but my class C rv easily made it- and I’ve taken it in worse roads. Well worth the effort, give this place a try! thanks Kevin and Scott!

There are 28 RV spots and 18 tent sites. There are restrooms and showers, although on a holiday weekend, they can get gross. The view from site C, D, 1-14 is the closest to the water and in my opinion, the nicest sites. There is a beautiful hike just across the road. The views from the top of the mountain are amazing. The water and the views are breathtaking. We had several RV's side by side which helps as the sites are close to one another so if you have noisy neighbors, I could see that being an issue. We had a wonder trip and will be returning in October.

Campground Review

What a great find!  We had no idea what to expect when we rolled down a long and lonely road from Phoenix out to Box Bar.  But other people sure knew about it! There were lots of party people there, playing music, floating in the river, and enjoying some BBQ.  

Box Bar is not fancy, but it is FREE!  There are no reservations and no set camp areas, but there are plenty of flat and shaded spots perfect for a tent.  There is a large dirt parking area that includes 3 port-o-potties. If you were going to camp here, the potties are quite far from the camp spots, so keep that in mind.  

The best part -- the gorgeous river!  The Rio Verde runs right through here and is the main attraction.  At Box Bar there is a small dam that holds the water in just enough for a calm small lake to appear.  There is also quicker waters that can be kayaked or floated on. Many kids were putting in and going around the bend, getting back out, and doing it over and over again!  The water is cool and refreshing in the Arizona sun.

When we went, it was a Saturday.  So I’ll be anxious to go back on a weekday or Friday to see if it is as crowded other days.  It wasn’t OVER crowded, but the loud music can get old :)

Overall, a truly great find.  Only 30 minutes from Phoenix too!

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time.  At Box Bar, I got to use the IceMule Pro Large Cooler.

Before heading out, we packed up sodas, juice boxes, apples, and a tupperware of cookies into the IceMule and poured ice all over the top.  The temperature that day was over 100 degrees, but when we got to the campsite and opened the top, the ice was still there and the drinks and food were freezing cold.  Never had such a refreshing soda! I’m used to having to drink a warm soda or water while adventuing, so this was quite the treat.

Besides keeping the refreshments ice cold, the backpack was also super comfortable to wear.  The straps are super padded, as well as the bag where is rests against the back. I am a super weak person and it was easy and fun to wear.  

I totally recommend this cooler to anyone wanting to reward a long hike, boat, or camp with freezing cold treats.  

For more info, visit: https://icemulecoolers.com/

You are RIGHT on the lake but not worth it to me. It’s quite pricey! (& minimum of a two night stay!) All the tent campsites are side-by-side; no privacy whatsoever. A lot of RVs & generator near by. (I don’t want to listen to that.) The “bathrooms” are porta potties that don’t look like they are cleaned often. The guy at the front gate only knows how to check people in, nothing else (aka: can’t tell you if you can’t get a site or not). He told us to go online but the website doesn’t allow you to do same day booking. We didn’t end up staying because I can’t see spending over $100 for that spot.