Best Equestrian Camping near Surprise, AZ

Recent Equestrian Reviews in Surprise

89 Reviews of 16 Surprise Campgrounds

• 

  Caitlin S.

  Guide

  

  May. 15, 2024

  Crown King Area (Horsethief Basin lake)

  Gorgeous secluded town for off-roading & camping

  Gorgeous easy dirt road ~27 miles from i17/Bumble bee. (There’s also a much more difficult trail from lake pleasant that requires very experienced off-roading 4x4). Great food and drinks(alcohol) at the crown king saloon and Mimi’s Cafe. There are amazing camping areas just past the main town, and even all the way up near Horsetheif Basin which is about 7 miles past crown king(requires 4x4). There is also an amazing ~30 mile trail from crown king that leads all the way to Prescott called Senator Highway. This also requires experienced 4x4 and like the trail to Horsetheif basin, there are many areas that are only single vehicle width. Amazing weather all year round, but extremely limited travel available while snow is on the ground.

• 

  Ryan W.

  Legend

  

  Mar. 19, 2024

  White Tank Mountain Regional Park

  Excellent semi-civilized experience

  Pros: 

  • Well spaced campsites with excellent views in all directions (mountains and desert one way, iconic saguaros and city lights in the other).
  • Cleanest flush toilets and showers (free) I've ever seen in a campground.
  • Dish washing station
  • Campsites are level, clean, and include a shade over a concrete table, fire ring, and hammock hooks for three.
  • Trails throughout the camp into the greater park but the campgrounds separated from the more public trailheads. Strategically placed benches scattered along trails for coffee drinking.
  • Wildlife: birds, coyotes, reptiles, etc
  • The camp is close to civilization enabling quick visits to other attractions, and an easy drive to spring training baseball games.
  • Camp hosts were responsive. They live on-site year round and treat the camp like it is a home. Very impressed with the team.
  • Firewood available on-site. $8/bundle. Very dense wood that doesn't light quickly when wet but burns for a long time.

  Cons:

  • Struggling to come up with one. Probably hot in the summer. Busier on the weekends due to location inside the White Tank Regional park.
• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Dec. 10, 2023

  Skyline Regional Park

  Small campground, very popular day-use park

  General: Very small (7-site) campground. One site is ADA-accessible and paved (the rest are gravel) but there are no hookups at any site. 

  Site Quality: Generous-sized gravel driveways; Site D sloped uphill slightly. A concrete picnic table, BBQ grill, and fire pit complete the site. I was a little surprised that the picnic tables did not have shelters as it gets quite hot in Arizona (the day-use pavilions were covered). 

  Restroom: Two-stall, one-sink restroom. No showers. This restroom is also used by the day-use area so by the end of the day, it looks like it has been well-used. It was cleaned at night. It looked like the sink was clogged, but it was just slow draining. 

  Activities: Hiking! There are several hiking trails directly accessible from the campground and all the trails are well-marked. There is a short (.6 mile) ADA-accessible trail. Horseback riding and mountain biking are also activities although we saw neither in our two days at this park. There was also a wildly popular star-gazing event while we were there. 

  Final thoughts: IMO, the best sites are B, C, and D. Site D especially has no visible neighbors on either side. Kudos to the city of Buckeye – they could have easily crammed a half-dozen more campsites in this area, but I am glad they did not! As I mentioned, this is a popular day-use area and by 7 am on a weekend in early April, the day-use parking lot was completely full. Despite this, we did not see too many people on the trails.

• l

  lindsey S.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 16, 2023

  Bartlett Flat

  Beautiful scenery and quiet camping.

  My first time here was over Veteran’s Day weekend and we woke up to F15s flying low overhead for Veteran’s Day. Campsites are disbursed and pleasantly of area to set up your site. Ground is flat and somewhat sandy like a beach. Other campsites seemed quite respectful and aware we are all sharing the same experience. sides were relatively clean, however, people do venture off into the Forrest area to use the restroom. That is my only concern is people do not pack out their toilet paper or their human feces. Please keep this area beautiful the way it naturally is and pack out your waste which is toxic to wildlife.

• 

  Justin M.

  Guide

  

  May. 16, 2023

  Crown King Area (Horsethief Basin lake)

  On Top of the World

  This majestic spot is roughly ~26 miles (from Bumble Bee) of bumpy dirt roads, steep terrain, switchbacks, and the occasional one vehicle bridge. The main city of Crown King has a general store with essentials and a 1 pump fuel station. Prices are steep so best advised to fill up on gas and supplies before heading up. The Hazlitt Hollow campground and Horse Thief Basin Lake are ~7 miles from the main city of Crown King and definitely require a high clearance vehicle (4x4 highly recommended). Horse Thief Lake is truly a magical place and beyond serene. The lake fish species present include Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, and Muskie. The weather is very similar to Prescott with an elevation of 6,000 ft. Peaceful, quiet, serene, and soothing all describe this area perfectly.

• s

  shane S.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 17, 2023

  White Tank Mountain Regional Park

  Beautiful view

  Very nice campground. Level site. Great view of mountains and cacti. Go slow, road have big dips to allow water runoff.

• 

  Hecctic

  Scout

  

  Apr. 6, 2023

  Bartlett Flat

  Underwater

  With all this rain and snow melt Bartlett flats is under water

• 

  Stephanie & Ryan J.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 13, 2023

  Crown King Area (Horsethief Basin lake)

  Love Crown King! 🌲⛰️🏕️🚙

  We love heading up to Crown King! For dispersed camping, this place is top notch. When you head to town there are services, the saloon, breakfast joint, and pizza place coming soon. It’s not fancy but it’s fabulous! I can’t wait to go hideaway again soon.

• 

  Lisa R.

  Scout

  

  Jan. 19, 2023

  gOawayranchaz

  Close to activities and food, but feels secluded

  The Barn at goAway Ranch is a perfect spot for us. It's in a residential neighborhood, but it doesn't feel like it.  We enjoy it's proximity to town, but also to the trails, climbing, hiking and lakes nearby. It's clean and quiet and a great spot to boondock. The dump station is close, so it's a quick stop before your onto your next adventure.

• 

  Castaway I.

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 11, 2022

  Skyline Regional Park

  Pros and Cons of Skyline

  All in all, I really enjoyed my stay there, but there are some things of which campers should be aware.

  Pros: *Easy to get a reservation *Very nice desert landscape *This is a very very nice park with very very nice trail system. I think there’s something for all hiking, skill levels. *The sites are in expensive. *convenient to gas, rv dump, hardware, grocery, restaurants.

  Cons: *There is no water. Neither potable or non-potable. *If you use off air antenna for TV, you won’t get any channels here *The campsites need to be better taken care of. For example, there were tall weeds growing up underneath the picnic table and its benches. *If you use Verizon, there is little or no signal most of the time. *From time to time there’s a bit of jet noise (not necessarily a negative) *This park is very very popular with local, hikers and they start before sunrise and finish after sunset. So it’s very busy right next to the campground.

• 

  Mark S.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 27, 2022

  Bartlett Flat

  All-Inclusive Camping Area

  Really nice area for any type of camping any time of the year. There are toilets at the entrance to the flats, with trash dumps but it would be a hike the farther away you camp from it so bring your own or rough it and recover it! Ground is mostly level on desert sand and you can launch a dinghy, jet ski, canoe, or kayak from the shoreline; wouldn’t trust anything larger than that but there’s a ramp in driving distance south of the campsite. Went there Indigenous Peoples day and found plenty of semi-private spaces to settle into. Recommend this for groups, solo, fishing, swimming, and families.

• W

  William W.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 5, 2022

  White Tank Mountain Regional Park

  Great hiking

  Great views, bring water and watch out for the heat🫠

• e

  echo

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 2, 2022

  Skyline Regional Park

  Simple but stunning

  Limited spots so try and reserve but very worth the short drive out of the city.

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  May. 3, 2022

  White Tank Mountain

  Convenient to Phoenix

  General: Located less than an hour from Phoenix, this campground is an easy getaway. There are two campgrounds: The Family Campground (40 sites) with water and 30/50 amp electric hookups and the more“rustic” Willow Canyon Campground (19 sites) with no hookups. This campground is good for tents, campervans, or small (16 feet or less) trailers. There was a gate attendant when we checked in around 6 pm on a Monday and we were given an information packet with information on the campground, nearby facilities in the town of Surprise, and trails, which was very helpful considering we were not familiar with the area. 

  Site Quality: We stayed in the Family Campground so we could take advantage of the electric hookups. The sites are gravel, a good size, well-maintained, and spaced a decent amount of distance apart. Some are pull-through and some back-in. In addition to the aforementioned water and electric hookups, each site also has a picnic table, bbq grill, and fire pit. Some have covered picnic shelters but not all. Most of these also have space for tents. 

  Bathhouse: Is located in the center of the loop and was clean. Sites on the inside have paths leading to the bathhouse but if you are on the outside of the loop, access is via a path between sites 34 and 36 or sites 11 and 13. Three stalls, one sink, and one shower. One sink is not really adequate for 40 sites, but I did not encounter more than one other person at a time. Soap dispenser, rack, and air dryer. The way the water faucets are is wasteful: once you turn them on, they run for quite some time before turning off. Hot water was appreciated. Did not use the shower so cannot comment on that. 

  Activities: Several hiking trails. The most popular one is the waterfall trail, but you need to drive to the trailhead for this. It is paved for the first half mile (shortly after the petroglypghs) and then it is a rocky, gravel path. The waterfall only runs after heavy rain (I would think this would make access very challenging). There was water in the “pool” and it is scenic so it was worthwhile to go despite no running falls. There are restrooms, a picnic area and a playground near this trailhead. Some of the other trails are used by mountain bikers or horseback riders. The information you receive at check-in details the usage for each trail. 

  This campground was mainly an overnight as we continued to head west but I am glad we took the time to hike the waterfall trail before leaving. If you need groceries or other supplies, the town of Surprise, about 8 miles to the east, would have everything you need. Note there is a nearby air force base and you will hear jets flying by, although this was during daylight hours.

• J

  Jacinta

  Scout

  

  Mar. 9, 2022

  McDowell Mountain Regional Park

  Beautiful Campground near Scottsdale

  Gorgeous views, very spaced out sites, and access to great mountain biking and hiking trails. Even the overflow area where we had to spend a couple of nights has a very nice bathroom and shower. Will definitely return!

• 

  Ron W.

  Traveler

  

  Feb. 17, 2022

  Deer Valley RV Park

  Arizona Phonix

  Very pleasant .there is no sewerage hook ups you have to drive to dump ech time .the people were friendly there as well

• N

  Nathan B.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 14, 2022

  Sun Life RV Resort

  55+ community

  I did not stay here because this is a 55 and older community. Seems strange to have it on an app like this. I am writing this review so others can see that this is a community for retirees. Looks nice from the website

• 

  conor C.

  Traveler

  

  Jan. 18, 2022

  Bartlett Flat

  Great spot for shoreline camping

  Did a quick overnight trip. Easy to access in any vehicle. If you want to be more secluded keep following the shore line NW, however the more you travel the more ground clearance you’ll need so bring a vehicle with a little off road abilities of you want to be away from the trailers and RVS. Tons of pre made stone fire pits all over to adopt as your own. Bathrooms and trash drop off at the entrance. Overall great scenic spot. Hate seeing trash anywhere, unfortunately there was some left from previous campers (slobs). Tonto pass needed.

• 

  Sarah K.

  Traveler

  

  Jan. 13, 2022

  Constellation Park

  Easy!

  We have camped many times with my family. Many people have RVs in our group and some have tents and truck tents! All are welcome and easy to navigate. Great for individuals and groups. Cheap, just 8$! It is clean, quiet and beautiful views. Close to town and close to fun attractions such as the rodeo or box canyon wash!

• 

  Rebecca C.

  Scout

  

  Jan. 11, 2022

  McDowell Mountain Regional Park

  Amazing!

  If you're into mountain biking, this is THE campground. Breathtaking views, cool Nature Center! Showers were just okay. We had a hard time getting them to warm up and the lightbulbs were burnt out so I had to shower by flashlight... But worth it!

• a

  anna L.

  Traveler

  

  Jan. 2, 2022

  McDowell Mountain Regional Park

  Clean & Quiet

  A little too far out of town if you’re working in the city, otherwise it was quiet with beautiful views. Plenty of trials for mountain biking, and rentals and restaurants in Fountain Hills, about 15 minutes from the campground.

• 

  Dave E.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 20, 2021

  Bartlett Flat

  Off season

  Not busy this time of year. The weather is a little bit cool for swimming, but it’s a nice place to hang out by the campfire. Great place to get a little bit off road but not really get too off road….

• 

  jeff B.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 12, 2021

  White Tank Mountain

  Excellent Phoenix area campground

  Super regional campground in the west Phoenix area. Clean hot showers and bathrooms. Solid mtb and hiking trails in the park.

• 

  Becbecandbunny O.

  Ranger

  

  Dec. 5, 2021

  White Tank Mountain Regional Park

  Hidden gem among suburbs

  We picked this campground on a whim based on reviews as a halfway point to our next destination. We're so happy we did.

  We stayed two nights at the Willow walk-in sites (W10). Despite our campsite being close to the bathroom it exceeded our expectations. Campground is well organized with friendly staff. Clean bathrooms and showers. Hiking trails galore!

  Cell phone connection was spotty (TMobile) at our campsite but connection was better in other areas of park.

  Would stay again.

• 

  Carrie J.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 27, 2021

  Deer Valley RV Park

  Serviced its Purpose

  We camped here Thanksgiving weekend, not for the express purpose of camping, but so we could avoid high AirBnB or hotel costs with our dog while we visit family for the holiday. We didn’t use the pool, though it was open and looked clean. Staff and other campers were friendly. The site is very clean and the grounds were surprising very quiet, especially given the number of people staying here, it was nearly fully booked. However, the sites are very close to one another and offer no privacy, so I probably wouldn’t stay here again unless I just needed a place to stay for the weekend. Other than that, it’s nothing special or exciting.

• 

  Randall Z.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 19, 2021

  White Tank Mountain Regional Park

  Very nice State Park best during winter months

  Well separated level sites in a desert setting. Good views of the mountains and the Valley of the Sun. Most sites have electric and water. Good Hiking in the mountains during cooler weather.

• M

  Marc

  Guide

  

  Nov. 11, 2021

  White Tank Mountain Regional Park

  Beautiful Sonoran desert

  The park has an excellent nature center, great hiking, archaeology and good water/power hook-ups.

  A bit far from restaurants etc. but that’s good.