Best Tent Camping near Portal, AZ

Everyone was super kind and sweet, restrooms/laundry center were very clean and well maintained. Tent camping spots are in front of the park, where the truck wash across the street can be heard prevalently. Cats everywhere are cute and sweet but I’m pretty sure they use the tent spots as their litter box.

Nice little place to shower, and relax. Lots of wildlife. Though I would say tent sites are a bit pricey, compared to all the free camping in the area. Extremely affordable for RVs compared to area though. Bisbee is a wonderful town and I’d def recommend checking it out while you’re around. An air bnb in the area would be spectacular!

Small campground with 28 level sites. All hookups avail. Tent sites offered dry or with electricity. $17.00 - $20.00. However, those sites are next to club house. We elected to take a full hookup site, although We only needed electricity. $27.00 + tax with Good Sam discount. 1 shower for all and 1 ea toilets for M& W. Nice club House with pool tables, TV’s, etc. Great wi-fi and cell coverage (AT&T). Great accommodating host, clean facilities, great views.

Beautiful and unexpected. The drive getting there is pretty disappointing however when you arrive the land scale completely changes. We have camped here twice. The first time tent camping in site 3 which was good but not a ton of privacy. The second time in our 23’ travel trailer In Site 11. Super cool very private spot (next to amphitheater but with COVID nothing was scheduled) may not be as private when people are attending amphitheater. but this site is NOT intended for trailers, the site is intended for tents however we had the reservation for so long they allowed us to attempt to stay and park the trailer. We did but other ground was very uneven. GREAT campground, quiet, cool hikes. They have blue birds that look like the angry birds and they are a nuisance dropping twigs in your food and coffee and tormenting your dog if you bring it. STILL AWESOME.

The Cave Creek Canyon on the western edge of the Chiricahua Mountains is a spectacular area that will completely take you by surprise. This cute campground tucked into the trees will charm your socks off!

Each site has the standard picnic table, bear locker, fire ring and lots of shade. The bathroom is a vault toilet, kept clean by the volunteer camp host, staying at Sandy Flat. This campground is rather small with just a couple small RV sites and lots of shade. Perfect for tent camping though. Great for warmer months, not so great for solar charging due to the shade, so we moved up the road to Sunny Flat campground. There are two small cabins available for rent near the forest visitor’s center, check with the Coronado National Forest, Douglas District office.

The area is a birder’s paradise and at certain times of year can get very busy. Great opportunities for hiking, biking and wildlife viewing throughout the entire mountain range. All the campgrounds are first-come, first-served.

There's not much in the area for food and gas, so come prepared. There is one small grill/basic grocery store down the mountain, but if you are looking for real groceries, shop before you come.

If approved by congress, Chiricahua National Monument will become Arizona's fourth National Park.  While the current monument  is a compact area geographically,  it definitely has the uniqueness of a national park and warrants the added protections.  It will however make a very special place more popular, so you might want to visit sooner than later. 

If you camp in a tent, van, micro-camper, or small travel trailer you will find Bonita Canyon Campground to be a memorable and wonderful place.  Don't try to bring any big rigs as they simply won't fit.  Reservations are a must. 

The campground is small, beautiful, shaded and right in the middle of some incredible scenery providing easy access to the fantastic hiking and wildlife viewing that is all around you.  Hosts were professional and friendly, bathhouse small but super clean, and the site boundaries were mostly marked with fences which is somewhat unique.  This is an old CCC built campground.  From the campground you can easily walk to the foundations of the original camp located nearby.  

Pay attention to fire regulations and status.  If permitted, campfires are limited to the raised grills (no rings) but you can bring your own solo type camp stove. You will need to bring your own wood and ice.  Pay attention to your fuel levels in your vehicle as this is a remote place.  

This is premier birdwatching country.  If you can, I would highly recommend taking  one of the guided walks provided by the rangers and park biologists.  We learned a bunch and I am not even "a birder" and enjoyed it.  The nearby visitor center will have the details. 

The Arizona Coatimundi's are a very unique mammal and frequently visit the campground.  Deer, turkeys, quail, and other wildlife are in abundance and easy to see from the hikes.  The views of the night sky are unparalleled. 

A short drive away provides access to some incredible trails for hiking or simply viewing the surrounding Wilderness areas.  The rock features found in this area make it unique. 

This continues to be one of our favorite places in Arizona to camp and hike.

There are some campgrounds that just stick out in your mind for their beauty, location, and proximity to other cool stuff.  Sunny Flat is one of them. As the name implies, here’s a place where you can put out your solar panel and charge up. But the experience re-charges more than just your camper batteries.   We could probably spend an entire season in this place.

Located on the eastern side of the Chiricahuan Mountains, in the Coronado National Forest, Sunny Flat lies tucked in a wide basin surrounded by stunning rock out croppings. Each site offers a picnic table, sun shelter, and fire ring. The pit toilets were clean and well-maintained, and the potable water on-site was delicious. But it just feels like you’re tucked away into a little nook of forested landscape in an otherwise spare desert location. Here is an oasis that welcomes migrating birds, a habitat for bears and mountain lions and a break from the heat of the valley. 

Hiking and mountain biking opportunities are plenty, as well as birding locations. During the hummingbird migration, several sites within the town of Portal, AZ, offer opportunities to observe some of your favorites.

The closest town with anything other than a convenience store is a long way away, so come prepared with groceries...and fill up on gas.

This area has five to ten campsites suitable for small rigs (we pull a 17-ft trailer, wouldn't go much past 20ft).   From the almost-ghost town of Bowie, AZ, take the Apache Pass Rd until you reach the Happy Camp Rd.  This is a good gravel/dirt road that goes up to a public picnic area (no camping).  Here take the turn-off to the right to continue on Happy Camp Road.  Soon you will see turn-offs and side roads.  We didn't explore the side roads but we did see a couple of small rigs a hundred yards or more from the road, so it is possible to find sites there.  As you continue along the road it gets worse and you'll need decent clearance (there are also sites before the road gets a little dicey, closer to the picnic area.  About a mile from the picnic area we backed into a site right below the rocks with a grand view of the plains below.  We camped for two nights, saw no-one.  In late September, 90s during the day and 60s at night.

This site is on the *other* side of the hills from the Chiricahua Monument.  To get to the monument, you can either go back to Bowie, and then to Willcox, and back to the Chiricahuas, or you can take the Apache Pass Road (the one you turned off from to get to the campsite) over the hills, past the ruins of Fort Bowie (you will have to hike 1.5 miles to the actual ruins).   Total time is probably the same either way.

We drove past the campgrounds near Portal AZ as we were exploring.  In late September, they were all full and there were lots of ATVs buzzing around.  Compare and contrast to our empty, quiet campground with neat-looking rocks and a fine view. 

We had two bars of Verizon coverage and it was fast.

Various Oaks and Alligator Junipers abound at this cute little National Forest campground tucked in the Dragoon Mountains, another of Arizona’s beautiful “Islands in the Sky.”  Named for the late Apache leader, Chief Cochise, this campground sits at the base of a few absolutely gorgeous hiking trails and rock climbing areas.

Each site has a good amount of space but oddly a small amount of space for tents and RV’s longer than 24 feet won’t fit in most of the sites.  There is no privacy in between sites, but each site has good tree coverage (almost too much for our solar suitcase on an extension cord). Each site has a huge cement picnic table, fire ring, and grill and there are a couple composting toilets.  There was no drinking water available at the campground (the website says there is water), but there is a creek you can pull water from for filtering, so come prepared.

Important note:  If there is rain in the forecast, be aware that you may get stuck in this campground for a couple of days, as you have to cross numerous washes on the road to/from the campground. We were there for 3 days before it was safe to pull a small camper across the “death wash” that grew to 6 feet high and 20 feet wide during a 24-hour rain event!

Super underrated and amazing national monument on the south eastern border of Arizona. Definitely worth a stop in!

My husband, myself and our 2 small dogs live in Tucson, AZ. We recently acquired a roof top tent and we’ve been trying out various campgrounds across the Southwest.

This is still one of our favorite National Parks to stay at. The sites were “pull though” so it’s perfect for our Roof Top Tent set up. Plenty of trees and hiking opportunities. Honestly, it’s worth the trip just to see the coatimundis. They are ADORABLE!

Pros: Coatis! Scenery. Easy to access. Water. Bear boxes.

Cons: As typical in National Parks, the majority of hiking trails are not dog friendly. No showers. no fire pits, just BBQ that can be used for cooking with fire.

The campground is beautiful and the national monument feels very spiritual. If you have not explored this southeast corner of Arizona, you are missing out!

As long as you go when it's not snowing! There's hundreds of beautiful, well maintained and overgrown trails throughout the mountain range. Tons of wildlife and big trees. It's a forest wonderland compared to the surrounding Arizona desert.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that the Male showers/restroom was under construction and not usable.

Gravel drive-through and back-in spots for RVs with 30 or 50 amp connections, water and sewer. Two tent spots. North of Willcox, but the city is small enough that the whole town is within walking distance (we walked to the center of town in about 15 minutes).

This is basically an old trailer park that has been upgraded to accommodate RVs around the perimeter and a couple of tents near the park/restroom area.

The shower/restroom area also has laundry facilities.

We didn't go into the rec room, but were told it has a pool table and a book/video exchange-type library.

The Rodeo grounds are a short drive across the freeway (don't follow your GPS if it tells you to use airport road - take the route that uses Rex Allen Drive) at Quail park (about 2 miles away - straight shot).  This is a very convenient park to the Rodeo Grounds.

This park, as was all of Willcox (even though it was Rex Allen Days weekend) is VERY QUIET. Didn't see anyone other than a couple of dog walkers in the morning and the staff when we checked in.

Bonita Canyon Campground at the Chiricahua National Monument is a quiet little campground in a scrub pine forest. Chiricahua National Monument is a “dark sky” park, so there is very little light at night. Bring flashlights but leave lanterns at home! There are 36 sites with picnic tables and grills. There are community water faucets, but all were turned off when we were there. There are bathrooms with flush toilet, but no hookups or showers. Most sites are small and could accommodate tents, a small class C or van campers. 25’ is the max length and 14 days is max stay. The sign said the campground was full but there were empty sites. All sites are reservable through the www.US.gov web site.

Alaskan RV Park is conveniently located off of I-10 at Exit 366 near Bowie. The park features affordable RV sites at $20/night. The sites are all spacious pull-throughs. There is a dump station on site($10), and water refill available (based on tank size, but not more than $20). The park is handicap accessible and pet friendly. No breed restrictions. Tenting is also available. There are showers and laundry available. Alaskan RV Park is Bowie's best kept secret as it was the site of the Sideman Jamboree each year and featured music from country stars. The park hopes to bring music back to the stage in the future.

The campground is in the Sulphur Springs Valley at an elevation of 4200 feet. Located in the shadow of the Mule Mountains it is only a little over eight miles from the quaint, mining town of Bisbee. Old Bisbee is a charming, mountainside town that is often referred to as little San Francisco. The historic downtown has restaurants, shops and galleries that also make it an artists paradise. The area has four seasons with a pleasant, dry, high desert climate. The mild winter is sunny with temperatures that are usually in the sixties with desert nights that want to make you snuggle. Bisbee has been voted as having the best year-round climate in Arizona. Whether you are on a vacation, extended stay or just for the day, Desert Oasis Campground is a great place to have a wonderful time!

We've stayed here a number of times, always in March. Very nice, quiet campground in a wooded canyon with a small stream running right through the CG. There are 25 sites, mostly smallish, better suited for small rvs/trailers or tents. Not enough room for very rigs in here. 

Water spigots are scattered throughout, 1 restroom with flush toilet. Last time we were there they had an issue with water system and had to shut it off and bring in port-a-potties.

As far as other amenities, there's spotty cell service (at least Verizon) and Wifi at the visitor center not far from the CG. Nearest services and dump station are in Willcox, 37 miles away. There's also a gas station/convenience store at a place called the Mustang Mall (it's not a mall in the usual sense), 29 miles west of Bonita.

A number of good hiking trails, mostly up on top at Massai Point with a few additional trails starting at the CG. Our favorite is Echo Canyon to the Visitor Cntr.

One important note: Ground fires are not allowed (at least as of 2023), which means you can have one in the above ground little BBQ grill or you have to have your own fire pan to have a wood fire. Speaking of which, no wood is for sale at the Monument nor are you allowed to gather it.

So, bring everything you need!!

Hubs and I really enjoyed our 4 day/3 night stay at Bonita Canyon. The problem was with the online reservations. We stayed April 28, 29 and 30 and left on May 1 after making the reservations at recreation.gov back in December 2020. We completed the online registration exactly as directed and entered our InterAgency Senior pass number. In spite of this, we were charged$30 per night and were not given our Senior discount. I contacted recreation.gov by e mail twice to dispute the charges. The first response stated that they had charged me correctly and that case was closed. I sent a 2nd e mail asking them to check again, given that recreation.gov showed the nightly rate as$20 WITHOUT the senior discount- after that, they failed to respond entirely. I've been home 4 days now and still no response. Ignoring us is not the right way to handle things. I'm disappointed. Anyway as far as the campground goes- it is a delightful treed setting with level terrain. There is a tent pad(gravel), a picnic table and a dirty BBQ grill on each site. There is also an ash pail and a rudimentary BBQ tool to shove the ashes into the pail.(Our pail had large holes in the bottom). Only ADA site(#08) has electric. Electric is not available in any other site except the camp host sites. There are water spigots placed evenly throughout the campground. This campground is NOT for any RV over 30 feet. There are dips and tight corners, trees and boulders(as well as fences) all around the grounds and within the sites themselves. We saw mostly tent campers, car campers, vans, small couples campers and truck campers. There were a few larger units but they had difficulty with the dips in the road and backing into their sites. There are no showers. There is only one restroom building containing a men's room and a ladies room. These bathrooms are heated and have two toilets each.(one stall is ADA). The bathrooms are filthy, have only a cold water, no paper towels and if you're lucky- liquid soap. There is also an air hand dryer. The bathrooms really need to be power-washed. I was there 4 days and 3 nights and the bathrooms were never touched. Once a day the fellow who emptied the garbage threw a couple of rolls of toilet paper on the ledge between the bathroom stalls. That was it. Next time I visit I'll be bringing along a pair of rubber gloves, a can of Ajax and a scrubbie pad. There are bear-safe containers for food at each site and trash cans dispersed throughout the campground. There's a Visitor's Center and a small museum(museum was closed during our visit due to Covid- and masks required inside the building). The hiking trails are numerous and have a variety of difficulty levels. Massai Point(a short drive up the hill) has a great little nature hike and is a good learning experience as well. We will be going back in October to hike more trails. The closest town is Willcox, AZ which is 37 miles from Bonita Canyon. Make sure you have everything you need BEFORE you go to the campground as there is nowhere to buy ice or other items. Our first 2 days/nights were very peaceful, filled with rustling trees, gentle breezes and great star-gazing. Our last night(Friday) was pretty noisy as larger groups of people arrived for the weekend- so time your visit to match your preferences.

My husband, myself and our 2 small dogs live in Tucson, AZ. We recently acquired a roof top tent and we’ve been trying out various campgrounds across the Southwest.

Dog friendly hiking opportunities from this campground on the Cochise Trail. I recommend arriving during daylight hours. We left after work, and it was harder to navigate the primitive roads back to the campground in the dark. You do have to cross the stream several times to get the the site. When we crossed the water was 3-6” deep and a few crossing are over rocks (not pavement). We had no issues in our F250, but any vehicle with a normal amount of clearance should be fine. We saw several small SUVs/crossovers, small trailers, a dirt bike and a Prius.

It’s a popular place and we were lucky to get the last site available that night. There are also dispersed camp sites (also popular) along the W Hunt Rd loop.

The campground has pit toilets (with 2 stalls each). Each site has a picnic table, a nice fire ring and a tall BBQ grill. The sites are close together. No water, so bring your own.

We will definitely return to the Cochise Stronghold area.