Best Cabin Camping near Rio Verde, AZ

Near I-10. Close together spots but orange, lemon, and grapefruit trees everywhere. They have 2 fenced dog runs. Pretty pool and hot tub. People are very friendly and helpful.

Been going here over 6 years and I always look forward to my visits there in the Summer.  They have 2 pools (one is heated), volleyball, darts, horseshoe, pool tables, hot tub, sauna, nature trails, a cafe open in the weekend, events and tons of other things going on. Most of the people there are permanent or semipermanent residents. It is a comfortable, family friendly community, although you it is rare you see children there. I highly recommend and will continue to bring guests to enjoy some Arizona sunbathing!

We stayed in the cabin and it was beautiful! There are parks or playgrounds for the little ones, the area was peaceful and clean, the cabins are clean and affordable, and it had the perfect amount of woods & wildlife. A family of dear would come to our cabin and graze each morning as I sat on my cabin porch with a cup of coffee. The staff is respectful and accommodating. We enjoyed our stay.

They have both cabins and rv and tent the views are amazing 👏 stafed great . Just make sure you read the rules for cabins vs tent ⛺️

We've really enjoyed our three night stay at Old Dutchman State Park. Grounds are well kept. Staff very friendly. Showers available. Campsites are well spaced especially if you are lucky to reserve an outer one. Great hiking trails from campsite to the Superstition Mountain.

Only hesitation are the limited toilet locations. There are only two for a rather large campground + cabins. Closest bathroom for the 105-134 loop was a 15 min walk. As someone who tents rather than RV the distance was an issue given the lack of privacy between sites.

We were here for a local event so we were able to do some nearby hiking and drinking at the incredible local Olive Mill across the road. 

You can rent airstreams, campers, cabins, and all the glorious camping alternatives. It is a bit pricey but if you are looking for an alternative to tent camping (which you can't really find in Phoenix, this works great!)

Many of the campers come with FULL amenities..including netflix. You can usually fit up to 5 people in the campers so it's not that bad if you are breaking it down by the group for an event. They are retro fitted with fun decor and comfy accommodations. Many come with showers or tubs installed in the trailers too.

While the sites at Lost Dutchman State Park are quite close together, the views and hiking trails are awesome! We camped in a campervan here (site 106) and it was perfect. We were in the 'rustic' loop, which consisted of sites without water or electric, and we could see Flatiron Mountain from our campsite.

My only complaint with the site is that it was quite a long walk to the restroom! Tent campers may not be able to find a suitable spot to pitch as the sites are small, but if you can get a site between 33 and 40, you should have room to pitch a tent. There are also hiker/biker campsites that require a short walk. These have amazing views, as do the cabins. 

We would definitely stay here again - maybe in early March so we can see the wildflowers blooming!

This State Park campground located in the Superstition Mountains is a frequent quick camp spot for me if I don feel like trying to beat the crowds to some favorite local dispersed sites.

They offer sites with electric and water, and sites for dry camping, along with some cabins and group sites you can reserve. The sites offer as much privacy as one can expect in the desert and are not super close together, except for the site numbers 70+ which are only available in winter typically. There are plenty of hiking trails and activities in the park and nearby. The bathrooms and showers are clean and well maintained, and they even have a small dog “park” for your best pal to run off some energy.

Favorite things about the park: The views and the wild life. We have seen so many beautiful birds, from quail and owls to roadrunners and vultures, along with several different types of squirrels, lizards, hare, and coyotes.

Love this place. It's our go to when we want to get away but don't have a lot of time to drive far.

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!

Lost Dutchman is one of the best campsites to wake up in. One of my favorite trails in Arizona.

This is one of many outstanding Arizona State Parks. Sites are clean and most level with mix of electric and non electric. Suggest you make reservations well ahead for busy winter months!

Arizona State Park campgrounds are generally developed to maximize profit at the cost of minimizing camper experience. Lost Dutchman offers one bath house to service five or six loops of campsites piled one on top of the other. Because there are so many sites, the campground is managed like a military operation with untold Numbers of rules and regulations to understand and follow. If you fail to follow, a Ranger will be by to repremand and straighten you out. Coyoties are bold here and will enter your camp even if barking dogs attempt to deter. I reserved four nights but left after two. Tortilla Flat SP up in the Superstition Mountains NEAR Canyon Lake or BLM/National Forest dispersed camping is tmore to my liking.

There are several different RV/Camping options at Pleasant Harbor Marina / RV Resort. 

1. In the resort with Full Hookups

2. Out on the "flat" with just water and power (dump station on site)

3. Out on the "flat" with no hookups. (can also tent / car camp)

As compared to the Maricopa County Parks side, this has a little bit more party atmosphere, is less secluded, but you can almost always get at least a boondocking spot without a reservation. They also have large events here as well so check their calendar for the weekend you are wanting to go!

We keep a boat at Lake Pleasant and are part of the Arizona Yacht Club so we are up here all the time.

When traveling to new places, I want new things to look at and unique experiences when I camp. I couldn't have asked for a more unique first day in AZ when I made my way to Apache Lake Campground (at the Marina) in AZ. It was late when I arrived, and I was starved, so it was the perfect time for dinner and a great view!

It says that it takes over an hour to go less than 30 miles to the campground, and I assumed this was one of those GPS errors...until I saw the road to get there. Mostly washboard dirt, a little asphalt and a lot of twists and turns. Upper speed limits of 20 mph made it very clear that the GPS knew what it was yapping about. At one point, I thought I was on a movie set and seriously didn't know how any car coming the opposite direction would pass, if it came to that. But all that aside, it was a beautiful, peaceful drive! Just don't do it in the dark. It's called the Apache Trail and it's Arizona's oldest highway, originally built in 1905. Serious history here! Absolutely worth the drive, if you don't have a fear of heights and have extra time to kill. It passes through a little town called Tortilla Flat and there is apparently an ice cream shop there with prickly pear gelato!

About the campground. It's deep in a valley, on Apache Lake. What a view!! Down a steep road that's about a mile off the main highway (Route 88), you can see the camp before you even get there. Once there, it's a little confusing to find what you need because signage isn't terribly apparent and it's a kind of "lazy-kicked-back" sort of atmosphere. Nothing up scale about it, at all. But that's part of it's charm. I guess I was there at the tail end of the "off" season, so it wasn't terribly busy. It's not fancy, by a long shot, but what you need is at your fingertips. You have to check in at the main building, which isn't very clear, especially upon arrival in the dark, but in the office, they will take your money, show you a map, and point you in the right direction.

There's a section for RVs with hookups (and they do have a dump station). There are restrooms in a few spots, and while not fancy, they let you "do the job" you came to do. Also some showers, and again, not the Ritz, but there is water to rinse with. I'd suggest shower shoes. The camping is kind of cool, though. It's dispersed. I mean, there are many little spots nested in the trees, around the lake, on the sand, where you can just pick a spot and stay. It was only $10 to pop a squat (I think it says $5 online, but that is incorrect). Some are far better than others (on little jetties or in the trees) but they all have sweet lake views and fire rings! You are allowed to collect dead wood to use, so that makes it easier to fire up at evenings end, but they sell firewood bundles too.

I had a little spot right off the lake, and it was quiet. A few night sounds, but nothing more than fish and birds. The only thing that bothered me were some bright lights, almost like on a jet plane, that were at the other end of the marina. I just positioned my tent so that I didn't get the runway lights right through my screen. In the morning, I took advantage of the big huge bathtub outside my tent (most people call that a lake) and took a very quick dip, since it was like ice water. Boy was it refreshing!!! Perfect little site for my first night in the desert. Not dessert. Big difference.

4/23-26, 2019 Had a great time. See pictures and at-a-glance details in RV Camping Journal pictured here.