Best Equestrian Camping near Tombstone, AZ

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

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.

Our hosts were extremely hospitable and accommodating. They worked around our schedule and made sure we were comfortable. They gave us numerous recommendations for local cuisine and sightseeing. The camp is peaceful and has fantastic views with horses, a fire pit, and hiking trails. We hope to return soon.

Hiking Through Saguaro National Park in the late Winter is now my favorite past time. You get the feel of Spring but the look of Summer. Between the higher elevation changes in scenery and the lack of people on trails, this is one of the best spots to hit up if you want to get away but don't have the ability to handle super cold weather. 

Douglas Spring is a little over 6 miles from the trailhead and it is super popular usually so reserve your backcountry permit fast! You can have up to 6 people on your permit and there are three sites available at the top. It's only $8 per campsite in the park but there is NO vehicle access, so you will need to hike into any camping you need and ONLY camp in designated areas. 

Bring lots of water, there isn't much water available near you, contrary to the name. The trial is also pretty open and not much shade, so early Spring and Fall are your best bets. 

This trail is pretty heavily populated by horse riders so wear shoes that you don't mind sidestepping manure in.

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!

I hope this is the hardest campground review I ever have to write. The visit to Colossal Cave Mountain Park started pretty terrible but the property manager/caretaker (Gary) saved this review. Let me start from the beginning.

Upon arrival we were checked in and told there were fire restrictions in place so we wouldn't be allowed to have a fire. I told them that's not what their website said and they argued "well we tell everyone when they call in". Needless to say, I wasn't told when I reserved my spot that there was any restrictions. (and even now, when checking the forestry websites and county fire restrictions they all direct me here (https://firerestrictions.us/az/az-pima-county/) and the specific location of the campgrounds doesn't seem to be under restriction nor can I even determine which specific area to look at. The park said they were part of the forestry service but that area seems to end East of there)

We were told that with our "RV" we would be located at El Bosquecito. We drive to the grounds and find out it's a walk in group site with a small cul de sac with 2 small dirt pull outs to park. I called the caretaker and asked where exactly we were supposed to be setting up so he drove down to meet us. It became very clear very quickly this spot wasn't going to work and this is when he told us they had overbooked their RV spaces (they only have 3) and they were trying to find somewhere to put us. He offered to let us stay in the Day Use area and that is where we spent the next 2 days. (and over the next few days we ran into him a few times to get suggestions on things to do, etc)

Like any camping trip we went exploring to see what the rest of the park looked like. Here is what we found:

• All of the single campsites are currently closed (and have been since late last summer). I'll post a picture of one of the spaces but you can't actually camp there at this moment.
• The "RV" spaces are big enough for a sizable RV but that is all there is to them… a cleared out pull in space.
• El Bosquecito is actually a pretty neat group campground if you don't mind carrying your gear in. There was some tree coverage (it really doesn't get better in the desert). There were BBQs, water faucets, bathrooms, and fire pits. However, there were some weird potential hazards like exposed pipe and open water trenches.
• Most (if not all) of the advertised things to do were shut down or unavailable.
• Petting Zoo - They are between ranch vendors so this was not available,
• Tortoises - They were hibernating (not available)
• Butterfly Garden - There were a few but it was out of season.
• Gold Panning - Available, but you have to but the bags of dirt to pan with from the gift shop.
• The Terrace Cafe - This was open but it's not a restaurant (it's not even in the building). It's a covered "stand" that you order at then there are a few picnic tables in front of it next to the gift shop.
• The Museum - Currently Closed
• The Bats - Out of season
• There are a few trails in the park (Path of Ancestors, Bundrick, and the Arizona Trail). We did parts of all 3 but Path of Ancestors was my favorite. It has information boards along the way talking about the Hohokam tribe.
• Every road in the entire park is REALLY rough. They are paved but there are potholes everywhere. I wouldn't take a super low clearance car through the park and you won't make it back to La Selvilla (if it's open) without high ground clearance and 4 wheel drive.
• They do have bathrooms (ours also had a hand washing station), there were trash cans in all of the usable areas, lots of BBQ stands, and picnic tables. In the group campground and the day use area there were also water faucets.

While we were there we also did the Regular Cave Tour and it was really neat. Dane was our tour guide and he was fun to listen to and very informative. It really was 70 in the cave and with it being in the 50s/60s outside we went in overdressed and ended up really warm. Trust the temperature they tell you! If you have any choice in the matter stay towards the front of the group. We went down with 17 people and there were a few times we couldn't hear the guide or see what he was pointing out because we were so far back.

So overall… I wasn't super impressed this trip. However, Gary gave us a great impression and explained a lot of the "problems" were parts of the park in transition. I totally believe this park could be really neat when it's running as intended. Until then - I strongly suggest you know exactly what you plan to get out of the trip and call ahead to ask for clarification if there is anything in particular you want to see. Their website is NOT kept up to date so it is not a reliable avenue for information. If you are just looking for a neat day trip or a group campground you may have more success than we did but it all depends what you are looking for. I hope to go back in the fall to give it another try.

Great place great staff new pool no dust great location easy access just north of town about a mile stayed three weeks last time will be staying again in 2020 really enjoyed our last time only place for us in that area 👍

Rustic camping paradise. Endless trails, with amazing sights at every bend. Stumble upon rivers, vistas, sunning reptiles, and imagine what its like to be a native, shaking up settlers and hiding from Colonialists.

I can't wait to go back. I went in March and the weather was perfect. Aim for spring or fall, and get in early to find a spot. There's always something available, but get in early to find the good spots, lots of them spread out! COCHISE IS THE BEST!!! Lots of rock climbing too! So much scrambling, bouldering, and trad and sport routes. You'll love it even if you don't climb.