Cabin camping is an amazing way to experience St. Johns, while still enjoying a little rustic luxury. Finding a place to cabin camp in Arizona is easier than ever. You're sure to find the perfect cabin rental for your Arizona camping adventure.
Upper Campground
$25 - $65 / night
Brookchar Campground is tucked on the banks of Big Lake in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. The campground is a small, tent-only facility comprised entirely of walk-in sites. Of the lake's five campgrounds, Brookchar is nearest to the water. The stocked lake draws anglers, and boat rentals and a boat ramp make it easy for campers to enjoy the lake's blue waters.
Big Lake is one of Arizona's top trout fishing lakes, with rainbow, cutthroat, brook and Apache trout being the most sought-after species. The recreation area is also popular for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, birding and wildlife viewing.
The campground sits in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest at an elevation of 9,100 feet. The area is scenic, forested with ponderosa pine, fir, spruce and aspen, interspersed with high elevation meadows. Summer temperatures are pleasant and cool, a nice respite from the heat of lower deserts. Visitors should come prepared for afternoon thunderstorms and cool nighttime temperatures.
Several other lakes can be found in the surrounding area. Visitors can also explore endless vistas and take part in many outdoor activities in the surrounding Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, which encompasses 2 million acres of magnificent mountain country in east-central Arizona and New Mexico.
For facility specific information, please call (928) 537-8888.
$20 - $32 / night
The Painted Desert Ranger Cabin is a backcountry, off grid cabin built by Ranger Ross in 2011. Ranger Ross lived in the cabin while he worked as a resource protection ranger at the Petrified Forest National Park until 2015 when he transferred to the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park. Ranger Ross now allows backcountry hikers to enjoy the cabin by renting it out by the night or the week.
The ranger cabin is a rustic off grid cabin that offers almost no amenities. There is no concierge, room service, or continental breakfast. There is no linen service or fancy little bottles of shampoo. It does however, offer beautiful views of the Painted Dessert wilderness, quiet serenity, and amazing star gazing opportunities. All from the comfort of a cozy one room cabin with a queen size bed and a flush toilet.
The ranger cabin sits on the boarder of the north wilderness area of the Petrified Forest National Park. There are great hiking and exploration opportunities right out the back door of the cabin. For more information visit the park's website.
Located in the cool mountain pines of Eastern Arizona, Coronado Trail RV Park offers 45 full hookups in a combination of sunny and shady spaces. Both 30 and 50 amp service is available.
While our adult RV park is not age restricted, most of our occupants are 55 or older. If you are looking for a beautiful, quiet RV park in Arizona's cool country, you've come to the right place.
Coronado Trail Adult RV Park Within a 30 mile radius one can hike, cross country ski, snowmobile, hunt or fish. Other activities include horseback riding, mountain biking, berry & mushroom picking, bird watching, photography, visiting archaeological sites or just driving the numerous back roads & enjoying the breathtaking scenery.
The RV park is located 22 miles from Hannagan Meadow, 6 miles from the William's Valley Recreation Area, 26 miles from Springerville-Eagar (Casa Malpais Indian Ruins), and just a one hour drive to Sunrise Ski Area.
With all of our cabins located right On or Near the Water, you’ll be near our fully stocked Trout Ponds for catch & release fishing. We also feature Dog Friendly Cabins so your furry friends can enjoy nature as well! Locally owned and operated, we take great pride in our comfortable accommodations, and have become known as Greer’s favorite resort. In fact, we were even named as one of Sunset Magazine’s Top 9 Resorts in the West to Touch Nature! These Arizona cabins are among the best you’ll find anywhere in the state! This is a place where you can experience nature’s wonder, with clean, crisp mountain air and endless blue skies in the beautiful town of Greer, a quiet rural village in the beautiful White Mountains of Eastern Arizona. As a year-round destination, Greer Lodge Resort & Cabins, & the surrounding Greer area have an abundance of activities for guests to enjoy, ranging from fly-fishing to bird watching, the best hiking trails in Arizona, and abundant wildlife to see! There simply isn’t a better group of cabins in Arizona for travelers to call home!
Griswold's Alpine Cabins has been renovated. We have added three new RV pads with water, sewer, and electricity hookups. This is in addition to our six recently updated cabins. Enjoy the outdoor firepit and grill with your friends. Three restaurants are within easy walking distance.
$49 / night
This is a nice spot on a gentle slope that overlooks the beautiful plateaus of Petrified Forest National Park. Sits on a hill, further away from all the other homes. Enjoy amazing star gazing and shooting stars. This upgraded spot now has lots more amenities than before.
This is an adorable 10x10 non-insulated shed/cabin with one bunk bed above sofa bed, refrigerator, coffee counter top with cabinet storage dishes, pots and pans and utensils. You can also enjoy an indoor wood burning stove or a Portable Buddy heater and a two burner Coleman stove with propane tank, hot or cold running water and sink. We provide a double cartridge toilet that flushes.
Enjoy the outdoor area with (2) hammocks, coffee table and chairs, (2) bonfire pits and even a large dog pen for your small traveling buddies to enjoy. Owner is always on site unless you request otherwise, more privacy.
$85 - $100 / night
Guide
We pulled in after hours and a ranger kindly helped us find our spot. She recommended a cool hiking trail to check out the next morning. Bathrooms and showers are super clean and well maintained. There is only one designated bathhouse building so if you park far, you’ll be walking a ways. Did I mention the views are gorgeous? The views alone are worth staying here.
GuideThe park was practically empty. The views are always amazing, and the weather was perfect. The wind picked up in the evenings to about 10 mph, but then was calm around 9pm. In the morning the lake was very calm, and taking the kayak out was so peaceful. I spoke with the ranger and ahead said next summer a vendor will have boat and jet ski rentals. Good and bad, but maybe that will help keep camping rates low. Highly recommend a trip here when you have a long weekend.
Scout
Reserved site #13 on line for August 15th. On arriving this site has no flat areas and you must pass directly through site #12 to access. The entire campground was EMPTY except us. We decided to move to site #12 to get a flat area. I informed the host out of courtesy of our move to the empty adjoining site. He said NO! I had to pay him $20 to make the change. If I did it on-line, it would be zero fee. THERE IS NO CELL COVERAGE at this campground, so it is impossible to go online and make that useless change. Another caretaker drove by and said he didn't see a problem moving if it was his call. The dude at Brookchar would NOT budge...he wanted his $20 bucks ( I have a senior pass and at worst it would have been $8.00). Told him to stuff it and to contact his manager. He refused. The other caretaker guy drove away and and said he would discuss it with her. Bear in mind, the entire campground had zero reservations for that evening besides us. He returned later to inform me that the manger had "OK'ed" the change for no fee. It is zero fee to change a campsites....zero! Unbelievable,,,,Beware....
TravelerClean, quiet, open campground, tents, trailers and cabins. Very happy with the week we spent here
Legend
Ashley here with The Dyrt! We're so happy to welcome your host, Ross. This cabin offers a comfy bed and flush toilet..and that's it! Bring what you need and possibly pack an all-terrain wagon. It may be a basic cabin, but your experience will be ANYTHING but. This property offers gorgeous stargazing opportunities, and is right next to the Petrified Forest. Thank you for sharing this gem, Ross! Book your adventure today and leave a review here!
Legend
We spent 8-nights here (June 7-15, 2022). CTRV is a quiet, adult oriented, RV park in the pines of Alpine. This is a very nice, easy access CG with level back-in gravel sites. It is a great base camp to visit the area. There are plenty local attractions: lakes, rivers and streams, wilderness and national forests. Activities include: fishing, biking (wish I brought my mtn bike), hiking/walking and ATV trails. The elk herds out number the cattle– a morning and evening spectacle! We did not make use of the laundry, bathrooms or showers. The WiFi was good as was cell phone reception (we lost both for 2-1/2 days due to a fiber optic cable break near Show Low/Springerville).
The owners, Sherrie and Paul, are awesome! We would definitely stay here again.
(Side note: Coronado Trails Cabins is NOT affiliated with CTRV)
TravelerFHU available
Spacious sites
Wind does come up
Lake is down and good fishing
Clean restrooms and showers
Has store well stocked (no tobacco or alcohol)
Fish cleaning station
Nice viewing of stars at night
Quiet, cabins, tent sites, FHU available, beach camping.
Rangers on site along with hosts
Black top roads
Blacktop to park your rig. Some pull thru site
Mostly back ins
Large sites
ScoutAwesome cabins and the lake was great! The hiking and rock art was a cool addition !!
TravelerNice campground out of the way. Very polite rangers. Sad the lake is so low ... climate change, but enjoyable 2 days. Petroglyphs were cool! Tip: best campsite would be #17 - trust me ;) Hottest, highest pressure (ie: exfoliating showers) I've ever had in a campground!
GuideOnce again we are the only ones here! It got a little cold this morning, down to 15 but the sunrise was awesome. Lots of nice spots, you can get everything from a small cabin to a dry spot down by the beach. Some of the bathrooms are closed for the winter but there are a couple still open. 30 and 50 amp power. Water at the pull through sites but you need to disconnect at night to avoid freezing.
GuideQuiet and secluded with a huge lake!
GuideClean and peaceful area. Camped here as a jump point to the Petrified Forest Park the next morning.
RangerSpots are close to the lake which is really nice. The overall campground is nice and the spots were spaced out nicely.
TravelerGreat lake view from all sites. Cabins and rv sites have easy access and parking. Nice bathrooms.
GuideWe stayed here for two days. There are some short trails with wonderful views of the lake and surrounding area, and there are petroglyphs to explore. Decent fishing, although the lake was flooded and murky while we were there, and we didn’t give it the best shot. It likely could be a really good fishing spot under ideal conditions. T-mobile service was awful, and the staff were super helpful and friendly. I’m sure we’ll be back.
GuideWe're frequent campers, and this is one of our favorite spots in AZ!
The tent-only campground is small, but the sites are large and have multiple great clearings for tents. Lots of shade and easy paths for walking around the grounds, plus there's potable water at several sites. Central bathrooms with running water are kept very clean, plus there's trash service and a (very friendly) camp host if you need anything.
Directly across a small road from Big Lake and the boat ramp. There are several places to go right down to the shore, and it's only a 5-6 minute walk along the road to the general store and boat rental area, where there's also a fish cleaning station. Brookchar is just down the road from the giant Rainbow Lake, so you'll hear some RVs and ATVs on the road, but very minimal.
We camped in site 12, which in our opinion is the best! Closest to the lake with water views, plus parking right outside your site for 2 vehicles (other sites, you park in a main lot). Bring your fishing gear and kayak/SUP (can also rent very reasonably)!
Over Memorial Day weekend, we saw highs close to 80 and lows in the high 30s/low 40s. Only sprinkled once!
It's also just an hour from Pinetop-Lakeside, so it's easy to make grocery stops or even grab a coffee (try Pinetop Coffee House + Roasters right on the highway!) on your way in/out.
LegendThis tent walk in site has been our family favorite for decades. The sites have plenty of room for 2 tents. There is a clean bathroom in the campsite as well as water. This sites are across the small road from the lake. This is our favorite place to camp with other family members since the sites are close together. Easy walk to the lake.
RangerWe only stayed a night but we liked it a lot. No internet service and poor phone reception (T-Mobile) which was a little issue for us as we are traveling cross country and we need to confirm some of our upcoming RV stops. We wished would have stayed longer to be able to enjoy the park but definitely coming back for a long stay visit.
GuideThe directions given on the site for how to find this campground were not very clear. We spent a lot of time double and triple checking where we were to make sure we were going the right way. We ended up giving up because it was getting dark only to find out later that we were very close to it. The drive to the campsite is incredibly beautiful, though. It is about 2 hours east of Show Low. I’m sure it would have been beautiful if it weren’t so hard to find and we had better directions.
Scout
Great place to hike, camp, rent a cabin or relax. Fishing in the area with cabins or camping depending on what you prefer. We have rented a cabin every August and the weather is wonderful. Some rain but very green and lovely outdoors.
GuideStayed at Elk Cabin fir 2 nights. Cabins are vey nice and clean. Campground is very well maintained and the staff is very friendly. There are multiple trails to explore and have a great time.
GuideMy family stayed here for 3 nights. We originally booked a site with no hookups but asked during check in and one was available. The grounds were clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Bathrooms and showers are on site and several dumpsters are nearby to get rid of trash. The on site store sold firewood, bait, fishing and boating gear, snacks and souvenirs. The fishing was decent for catfish but you have to compete with the strong winds. Very few boaters when we were there. The petroglyphs were awesome with some nice hiking trails.
LegendWe camped here when we had a permit to fish at nearby Christmas Tree Lake. Christmas Tree Lake is a beautiful little lake nestled in the White Mountains of Arizona on Apache land. It boasts some amazing fishing for the native trout species- the Apache trout. The fish are stocked, so it may not be a true experience for some but most of the access to the native fish in their native habitat is restricted or non existent to protect these beautiful creatures. The lake offers paid access on a day to day basis. A total of 25 permits per day are offered to keep fishing pressure in check. But these permits are non refundable so don't reserve too early.
Permits and information can be found on the website but customer service can be difficult. Camping is available on a first come basis at Hawley Lake which also offers great fishing and beautiful scenery. Be aware that I did experience some free range cattle snooping through the camp at 2am which was a bit unexpected. Also, being in the mountains, it was pretty cold at night.
The area we camped in was open and the roads were well marked. Campsites were situated near fire rings with only the occasional picnic table. There were four pretty well maintained portable toilets near our camp as well. Be sure to review the rules and regulations on the website as some areas are off limits and to make sure you have all the proper permits for fishing and/or camping.(State and local licenses required for fishing)
TravelerHawley Lake is the perfect escape when you want to get out of the heat. Pristine views, cool weather during the summer and clean facilities almost make you feel like your not in Arizona anymore. Campsites are first come first serve and both times we went in August and there were plenty of spots to chose from. Be sure to get your fishing license and permits in town, it’s a long drive into town from the lake. Bring rope to protect your campsite from wild horses and wandering cows. Overall one of favorite places to camp!
ScoutReally liked this campground. The roads were all paved, bathrooms & showers were very clean. We road in on motorcycles & the camp spots were really great. It gets a little windy in the afternoon and evening but dies down to have a little camp fire. We did not take advantage of the lake(fishing, swimming or boating) but it looked nice. I would definitely stay here again. It was inexpensive for the camp spot which was a bonus.
TravelerWell maintained trail system that offers amazing views of the sandstone rock formations and petroglyphs. There is a rock squeeze in the trail too.
Scoutspot 12 is the best for tent camping and closest to the water. bears frequent the area so you must lock up all food and trash in you car over night.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near St. Johns, AZ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near St. Johns, AZ is Lyman Lake State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 18 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near St. Johns, AZ?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 cabin camping locations near St. Johns, AZ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
