Best RV Parks & Resorts near Picacho, AZ

This 55+ RV park and resort is well maintained. Most people appear to stay long-term, but they have short term spots available without reservations. We aren't in the "55+" age bracket, but if you call ahead, they will likely let you stay without any questions (we're 2 adults and 1 dog). 

The park has a large number of park models in the back; the RV spots are in the front of the park, closer to the I-10. Most sites are pull-through sites, with some back-in sites. All sites have a view of something. Most sites have white fence panels between for privacy, but if you're staying over it might be worth driving through to check out the available sites before choosing one. 

That brings me to the procedure for overnight camping here. We arrived on a weekend, so the front office wasn't open. Next to the office door, there are two clear boxes -- one with envelopes and the second with maps. The envelopes have site numbers and are available for short term stays. You can compare the site numbers to the map to make sure you get a spot perfect for you. Most sites have both 30 and 50 amps, but the map will identify the ones with only 30 amps available. 

The road and train noise is noticeable outside, but not a big deal inside the camper. We did hear the trains sometimes at night, but nothing obnoxious.

The amenities are amazing: putting green, pickleball, horseshoes, dog runs, pool...you name it. The residents were friendly -- lots of golf carts, electric-assist bikes, and small dogs. Despite some large political signs, it was welcoming. We'll be back.

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.

I stayed at South Forty RV Ranch for a month and enjoyed it immensely.  Its location within the city limits makes it the perfect place for lodging while exploring Tucson, Green Valley, Tombstone and Tubac.  It is a small park with 233 sites, but it is very well kept and has mature landscaping, with plenty of palm trees, huge azalea shrubs, saguaros and lots of flowering bougainvilleas.

They have both pull-through and back-in campsites for RVs only (no tenting), with a variety of lengths (from 22' to 68').  I had a back-in site that had so much width to the side that I could set up my "patio" with awning, chairs and a picnic table beside my RV, park my car along side that and still have room to fit another vehicle in, if necessary.  Some of the longer pull-through sites were narrower, but used for big rigs of 35' to 45' +. 

The park has a beautiful heated swimming pool and hot, a clubhouse with pool tables, exercise room, library and laundry.  There were plenty of planned activities going on, including a Friday night Happy Hour and live music!

Cell service was great, as I have Verizon on my phone and use AT&T for my internet.  TV antennas can pick up more than 20 stations without using satellite or cable.  There are three satellite shower houses scattered around the property that were always spotless! The staff was extremely helpful and quick to respond to guests' needs, and the atmosphere around the park seemed to be relaxed, with satisfied customers.

This park, along with many I found in the desert southwest, is an Adult Park Only, accepting residents of 55 years and older only.  If you are pulling a toad, you will have to detach in the parking lotand ALL RVs are escorted through the park upon check-in and check-out.

Beautiful state park campground. Huge, level, paved sites. All the sites in the B loops have water and electric( 20A, 30A, and 50A). Picnic table and bbq. No fire pits. Dump station near exit of loops and another near state park entrance. Nice selection of pull through and back-in sites. We had a back-in on outer edge and had beautiful views. Plenty of space between sites and with clever positioning and trees, you have some privacy. Was very quiet (with the exception of the coyote's at sundown 👍) Nice clean bathrooms and showers. Many sites have some trees that may provide some needed shade in warmer months. Great hiking and biking in park. Bicycle paths in Oro Valley area are also awesome.

I think if you're  looking for a place to winter, this is a good Campground.  

Pros: Very clean, nicely landscaped for AZ, staff friendly, good grocery & dining options nearby. Lots of OTA channels, pool, corn hole, laundry, dog park, activities  etc. 

Cons: pull through was long, but not quite level, WIFI does not reach the pull through sights in the back at all .... and they know it. Couldn't figure out how to hook to their cable. Permit to wash your rig $10 for the season.

Guess that should have been our first clue... they have a season. Sort of winter camp for snowbirds. If that is what you are looking for, it is very nice.

We were in the area to visit friends, dump/pump/resupply after boondocking, and do Taxes. Not having wifi was kind of a big deal for us. Being told we'd have to use the internet in the clubhouse wasn't  going to cut it. Who wants to drag all their personal financial information to a common area?

Normally  it would not have been a big deal, we do have a Hotspot, but at $431 weekly rate, $80 nightly, in this day & age, routers for wifi to the whole park should be a given.

Otherwise we did enjoy our stay here, and met some great people.

8nts, 34` 5th wheel

I typically rate campgrounds as they fit into 1 of 5 categories. This campground will be rated as a Regional/Public Park — Grounds that are on public lands, and have a cost for entry and/or overnight stay. Ratings for this category are based on: Cost: 5 Allure of the park/lands: 5 Amenities as available (bathrooms, showers, hookups, etc): 4 Layout and privacy of sites: 5

Catalina SP is at the Northern end of metro Tucson. It’s about 30 minutes to downtown and 1 hour to either division of Saguaro National Park (East or West).

Reservations during January for a short-term (2 night) stay were surprisingly easy to obtain via their online booking tool. Longer stays should book far ahead of time, max stay is 14 days, I believe. Price of $30/night +$5 booking fee was very reasonable for RV Electric and water hookups for the stay.

Check in was easy with the attendants and there is no extra cost for park admission for campers, which is a nice bonus for AZ state parks (many states charge the fees outside of the cost of camping).

The sites were huge, very big-rig friendly, and private. Additional signage for numbered sites would have been helpful, but it’s not hard to find your spot using the power of deduction. Backing in our 25’ trailer was easy. Electric and water hookups were available at our site (30) in the B Loop. No sewer hookups and the dump stations were crowded when we left at 11:45am on checkout day. Restrooms were open, and require masks. They were spotless! Water pipes at the campground froze overnight on an evening where temps barely touched 32 degrees. They were defrosted and flowing by 8:30am. There were also dish cleaning stations outside the restroom.

Very nearby are grocery stores, gas stations and other shopping/eating spots, but the proximity to commerce doesn’t impact the natural feel of these grounds... night at the campground is very dark.

The hiking accessible from the campgrounds is fantastic with tons of desert landscape and saguaros dotting the skyline. Low mountains add to the scenic view and trees throughout the campground contribute to privacy from your (fairly distant) neighbors. Yet another fantastic reason to choose state parks for your camping/rving adventures!

This is a huge dispersed camping area. You definitely want to go early in day to scout out a spot because it is quite large. The campground has "all walks of life" staying here. You will see areas with upper scale 5th wheels/travel trailers all the way down to people living full time in cars/tents although the max allowable stay is supposedly 2 weeks per stay. The main road is paved, but then you have to pull off into gravel/dirt roads that are hard bottomed. Many areas have ruts so if u have a low axle, you will need to scout area first. If you have a small camper/tent and a 4 wheel drive you can drive up to the top of some areas to get spectacular sunsets over the city lights of Tucson. The solar system of stars is breath taking at night. I highly recommend this campground. There is a convenience store less than a mile down the main highway for any amenities you may need. There is no water/electric/dump station, but there are two different truck stops who have dump station and potable water. Generators are allowed in less populated areas but we asked our neighbors anyway and they had no problem with it. It is also a popular area for recreational vehicles and dust can be high at times with them running around as well as on days of high wind. There are bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, snakes and spiders. We did not encounter any but they all have been reported so I guess it will be the area u choose as well as the season when u arrive.

We will definitely be returning when in the area. I hope this helps with any questions u may have had.