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Best Equestrian Camping near Saguaro National Park

131 Reviews

Several horse-friendly campgrounds surround Saguaro National Park, offering various levels of equestrian accommodation. Triangle T Guest Ranch in Dragoon provides campground options for riders, including RV sites, tent camping, and cabin rentals alongside equestrian access. Pima County Fairgrounds RV Park offers full hookups with spacious sites that can accommodate horse trailers, though riders should check ahead regarding specific horse facilities as events frequently occur at the venue. Reddington Pass Dispersed camping area allows horseback riders access to primitive camping with space for trailers approximately 40 miles from Tucson via a 4x4 accessible road. The unpaved roads become progressively rougher and require high clearance vehicles, particularly when towing horse trailers into the more remote camping areas.

Bridle trails connect several camping options near Saguaro National Park, with trail systems offering diverse terrain through desert landscapes and mountain passes. Riders at Catalina State Park Campground can access multiple hiking trails, though some areas remain closed due to wildfire damage from 2020. The proximity to Tucson provides convenient access to supplies while still enjoying desert solitude. Cochise Stronghold Campground accommodates tent and RV camping with picnic tables and fire rings for equestrians exploring the surrounding trails. Gates at Colossal Cave Mountain Park lock at 4:00 PM, requiring early arrival for overnight horse campers. Seasonal considerations affect water availability throughout the region, with most locations requiring visitors to bring their own water for horses, particularly at dispersed sites where no facilities exist.

Map showing campgrounds near Saguaro National Park, ArizonaExplore the Map

Best Equestrian Sites Near Saguaro National Park (13)

    1. Catalina State Park Campground

    63 Reviews
    Oro Valley, AZ
    28 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 628-5798

    $50 / night

    "The bathrooms were a pretty long walk from our site (there is only one bathroom facility for that loop). There are some trails in the park."

    "We stayed at this campground for 2 nights in late October 2020 while visiting Saguaro National Park. "

    2. Colossal Cave Mountain Park

    7 Reviews
    Vail, AZ
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 647-7275

    $10 - $15 / night

    "I want to give this place 5 stars but not having a natural water source and locking the gates at night don’t get ya 5 stars 🤓 ...I understand their reasoning behind locking the gates however; bad humans"

    "Nice spot just off the AZT, stayed while on a bike trip on the trail. Camped in the La Selvilla section in the back of the canyon."

    3. Reddington Pass Dispersed

    4 Reviews
    Saguaro National Park, AZ
    9 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 749-8700

    "It’s a fun trail if you like a challenge of off roading. I wouldn’t recommend larger trailers or RVs to travel too far up the trail, we’ve seen them get stuck trying to turn around."

    "40 mile scenic drive on a 4x4 road, dispersed camping along the way. Extremely popular view to park off the road in the saguaros."

    4. Pima County Fairgrounds RV Park

    7 Reviews
    Vail, AZ
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 762-8579

    $45 / night

    "Great place to stay for visiting Tucson and surrounding area. We stayed for a week while visiting Saguaro NP. Cheap with full hook ups. Busy location as they hold rodeos and horse events regularly."

    "FCFS, no reservations Park is frequently busy with events, rodeos, etc, which may limit access to some amenities. Drag strip next door may add sweet but brief engine noise"

    5. Triangle T Guest Ranch

    5 Reviews
    Dragoon, AZ
    28 miles
    Website

    "Beautiful site right off the interstate with amazing landscapes that make you feel like your a million miles away from it. Dry camping, electric only, or full hook ups available."

    "It has history and character all around. Even though it's only a quarter mile from the 10, the noise is very minimal. We showed up while they were hosting a wedding there."

    6. Rancho del Nido

    5 Reviews
    Sonoita, AZ
    30 miles
    +1 (520) 548-5503

    $40 - $50 / night

    "There were horse trails all around and you can bring your horses too. Dog friendly, and the owners were available if needed. Come for the stars,if nothing else."

    "This is horse ranch with great host and amazing views. They offer horse back riding which our kids loved."

    7. Cochise Stronghold Campground

    12 Reviews
    Dragoon, AZ
    37 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 364-3468

    $20 / night

    "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.”  "

    "Easy access to hiking and adventuring in the granite boulder area. There was no drinking water when we were there late September, but there are several spigots around camp."

    8. Tombstone RV & Campground

    13 Reviews
    Tombstone, AZ
    42 miles
    Website
    +1 (520) 457-3829

    $25 - $40 / night

    "The lighting around the campground at night was charming and appreciated. Our site had a tree with a picnic table under it."

    "Sure it is a little dusty like the west, but you are in Arizona so it can be expected."

    9. Palo Verde Estates & RV Park

    Be the first to review!
    Tucson, AZ
    22 miles
    Website

    $50 - $750 / night

    10. Playa Dispersed Campsite

    10 Reviews
    Willcox, AZ
    46 miles

    "Playa Dispersed Campsite is a hidden gem located in the stunning landscapes of Arizona."

    "One of the standout features of Playa Dispersed Campsite is its proximity to the Willcox Playa Wildlife Area, renowned for its wintering population of sandhill cranes."

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Recent Equestrian Camping Photos near Saguaro National Park

12 Photos of 13 Saguaro National Park Campgrounds

Equestrian Camping Reviews near Saguaro National Park

131 Reviews of 13 Saguaro National Park Campgrounds

  • Carly E.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 17, 2018

    Catalina State Park Campground

    Clean, spacious, lots of trails and wildlife

    We stayed 2 nights at Catalina State Park in early May. We were in site B48 - this site was at the edge of the loop so it was nice and fairly private - but there was very little shade. I probably wouldn't pick that site again in the warmer months! There were a lot of other sites that had some trees around them and seemed much shadier. Campground was very clean. Bathrooms were spotless with giant free showers, which was awesome. The bathrooms were a pretty long walk from our site (there is only one bathroom facility for that loop). There are some trails in the park. We saw (and heard) coyote, prairie dogs, and a rattlesnake eating a prairie dog along a trail right behind our campground loop! We explored nearby Tuscon (interesting town with really cool murals and a great craft beer scene) and Saguaro National Park (about 30-45 minutes away). The park is very quiet and peaceful, yet very close to stores and a main road if you need anything. The campsite we were in had full hookups for electricity and water (we were in a campervan and didn't need them but it was nice to have access to).

  • Brad F.
    Apr. 22, 2020

    Colossal Cave Mountain Park

    Not for everyone but we Loved it!

    I want to give this place 5 stars but not having a natural water source and locking the gates at night don’t get ya 5 stars 🤓 ...I understand their reasoning behind locking the gates however; bad humans out there that come in late at night and trash the place and don’t pay the measly $7 a night to camp - so locking the gates prevents that. Anyway, the picnic tables were nice and the entire canyon was just beautiful. It’s also a simple drive to Saguaro National Park (East) as well. We saw a deer in the morning too which was cool being that it seemed so out of place in the “desert” ha ha...we will definitely go back. Good times.

  • A
    Oct. 27, 2020

    Catalina State Park Campground

    Great state park- highly recommend!

    We stayed at this campground for 2 nights in late October 2020 while visiting Saguaro National Park.  We highly recommend this state park-- it was one of the best campsites we've experienced at a state park!

    Pros:

    -Sites are large and have space between them.  Our site (B45) had a good amount of space between us and our neighbors.

    -Plenty of room on the site for our 1 tent, but you could have had several

    -Sites have power and water in addition to a picnic table and grill

    -Mountain views from the campsite!

    -Tress and shrubs around the site provided shade-- even a place to hang our hammock!

    -Shower house is modern/updated and was always clean

    -Nice touches such as a bulletin board with announcements by the shower hours, a "little free library" with books, and a dishwashing station by the shower house

    Cons:

    -Honestly none really.  There was a sign that the campground can flood in rains.

    Highly, highly recommend this campground!

  • Ashley C.
    Apr. 22, 2019

    Catalina State Park Campground

    Ranger Review: Wenzel Camp Quilt at Catalina State Park

    Campground Review

    Catalina State Park is just a bit outside of Tucson Arizona, and more importantly, Saguaro National Park.  We used this State Park as a jumping-off point for our trip to Saguaro and it was a pretty good location for that.

    Oro Valley is a modern area with tons of shopping and dining options right outside the park.  This was very convenient for us to pick up McDonalds or grab something we forgot from the store.

    The Park itself is stunning.  Right up against the mountains, the views are gorgeous, especially at sunset.  We were in campsite #A-23, which was AMAZING. Perfect for tent camping, the space is large and flat.  You could easily fit several tents in this site.

    We drove around campgrounds A and B and found the sites to be much more spaced out in A.  Most of the sites were occupied by RVs, which made for a very quiet and non-stressful night!  

    Our site had electric hook ups and a water faucet.  Also a BBQ grill and picnic table are provided. Wood fires are NOT permitted in the park.

    Overall we LOVED this place.  We will for sure return in the near future!

    The Park also has a lot of amazing trails, including a very short hike to see Hohokam ruins which were so cool to see!!  The kids loved this hike and the views were amazing.

    Product Review

    As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - at Catalina State Park we had the opportunity to try out the Wenzel Camp Quilt (or 2!).  These quilts are so great! Our old camp blanket had to be carefully folded in a particular way and then zipped up. These quilts come with stuff bags and you can just stuff the quilt in them when you are done!  I now keep these in the car with me at all time, because you never know when you need a picnic blanket, or something to keep you warm!

    For us, it is a no-brainer to just toss one or two of these in with your camping gear.  Here in Arizona, the temperature drops fast once the sun goes down. Although it was over 100F during the day, it was still FREEZING cold in our tent at night.  We were so grateful to have these quilts to snuggle up and keep us warm!

    Campground Video

    https://youtu.be/yw_dUs9b7aM

  • kristin S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 1, 2021

    Catalina State Park Campground

    A destination of its own

    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!

  • S
    Dec. 29, 2021

    Catalina State Park Campground

    Tucson Beauty

    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.

  • Sandi
    Oct. 30, 2020

    Triangle T Guest Ranch

    Amazing, Historic, Scenic

    Beautiful site right off the interstate with amazing landscapes that make you feel like your a million miles away from it. Dry camping, electric only, or full hook ups available. They also rent casitas. Little saloon that serves basic food. Plenty of hiking and horse back riding available. Tame horses roam free on the property. Lots of famous movie set areas to see like 310 to Yuma. Pool and hot tub also on site. Bathrooms and showers available as well. Friendly and affordable.

  • Berton M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 31, 2023

    Catalina State Park Campground

    Base of Catalina Foothills

    Catalina State Park in Tucson, Arizona, is a fantastic campground that offers a perfect blend of natural beauty and convenience. The campsite is surrounded by stunning desert landscapes, with majestic saguaro cacti and rugged mountains providing a picturesque backdrop. 

    The well-maintained facilities and spacious campsites make it an ideal destination for both novice and experienced campers. What sets Catalina State Park apart is its remarkable proximity to the town of Tucson. Just a short drive away, campers can easily access the vibrant city to explore its cultural attractions, dine at diverse restaurants, and shop for supplies. 

    This accessibility makes it an excellent choice for those who want to enjoy the serenity of the outdoors without sacrificing the convenience of urban amenities. Whether you're into hiking, stargazing, or simply seeking a peaceful getaway, Catalina State Park offers it all. The stunning natural beauty combined with its proximity to town makes it a top-notch choice for a camping adventure in Tucson, Arizona.

  • jordan L.
    Feb. 20, 2022

    Pima County Fairgrounds RV Park

    Base for visiting Tucson

    Great place to stay for visiting Tucson and surrounding area. We stayed for a week while visiting Saguaro NP. Cheap with full hook ups. Busy location as they hold rodeos and horse events regularly.

Guide to Saguaro National Park

Horse camping near Saguaro National Park in Arizona offers a unique opportunity to explore the stunning desert landscape while enjoying the company of your equine friends. With several campgrounds catering to horse enthusiasts, you can find the perfect spot to set up camp and ride the scenic trails.

Campers appreciate these amenities for horses

  • Colossal Cave Mountain Park provides ample space for horse camping, with flat tent pads and fire rings available for a comfortable stay.
  • Palo Verde Estates & RV Park welcomes horses and offers essential amenities like drinking water and electric hookups, making it a convenient choice for equestrian campers.
  • Rancho del Nido features horse trails and a peaceful setting, perfect for those looking to ride and relax in a serene environment.

Equestrian campers like these nearby activities

  • At Cochise Stronghold Campground, visitors can enjoy hiking and exploring the rugged terrain, with opportunities for horseback riding in the surrounding area.
  • Triangle T Guest Ranch offers horseback riding experiences along with scenic trails, allowing campers to immerse themselves in the beautiful Arizona landscape.
  • Tombstone RV & Campground is just a short drive from historical attractions, making it an ideal base for equestrian adventures and sightseeing.

Most campgrounds have horse-focused amenities like trails

  • Reddington Pass Dispersed features numerous trails suitable for horseback riding, providing a true off-the-beaten-path experience for adventurous campers.
  • Catalina State Park Campground offers access to a variety of equestrian trails, making it a popular choice for those looking to explore the natural beauty of the area on horseback.
  • Grande Vista RV Park is pet-friendly and accommodates horses, ensuring that equestrian campers have a welcoming place to stay while enjoying the local scenery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Saguaro National Park?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Saguaro National Park is Catalina State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 63 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Saguaro National Park?

TheDyrt.com has all 13 equestrian camping locations near Saguaro National Park, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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