Best Tent Camping near Topawa, AZ

Loved this spot for a night. Practically in the NP, hard to tell the park bounds of Saguaro. Camp hosts were orderly and extremely friendly and available. Grounds were tidy! Bathrooms were clean. Felt really safe as a solo camper. Tent only sites are secluded to themselves. I was in B2 and I’d book that one or B3 if I ever go back. This tent site cluster has a little shade whereas the other two tent sites down the road are pretty exposed.

Great place, if you don't mind occasional helicopters and A10 Warthogs in the distance. Lots of places to choose from for RV and tent camping. The road is a little rough but definitely done in a passenger car. Nights are beautiful.

May, 2019 we visited Saguaro National Park near Tucson AZ. We had planned to hike into the park at one of their few campgrounds but the office informed us that there was a controlled burn and recommended we not stay in the park and suggested Gilbert Ray as a good option. Gilbert Ray Campground is a great location for visiting the National Park. We arrived to find the office closed for the summer, so self serve option was available, at 10.00 per night for tent camping you can’t beat the price. The bathrooms were clean and as an added plus they have a dishwashing station. We stayed in the A loop. There are no showers and the campsite it all gravel making it next to impossible to put a tent stake in. The sites are fairly close together, for example, I could hear our neighbor unzip his tent. All sites have picnic tables. Cell service is good.

Sites available for groups, RVs, tents, etc. No restrooms, but well maintained roads. Lots of border patrol. Hiking, hunting, off roading allowed.

I thought the sites were all decent sized. Almost the entire campground is set up for RV's but most of the sites don't have anyone behind them and are spacious, so tents would be fine in those spots if you don't mind an RV a site over. The couple tent spots they have are okay. All 5 of them are right off of the road so they have more noise traffic. I think our spot in B2 was the most private and away from the road. The restrooms are clean. There's also a nice dishwashing sink. The location is ideal for exploring the west side (Tucson Mountain District) of Saguaro National Park. The stars here were great and I love the sound of the coyotes in the night.

Tucson Mountain Park offers an amazing opportunity to camp among the saguaros, just outside of the west side of Saguaro National Park. The actual park doesn’t offer developed camping, so this is the best option for exploring the area.

Benefits of Tucson Mountain Park include its cost ($10/night for a tent), proximity to the park (less than 10 minutes), and scenery (saguaros everywhere!). The only downside is that during peak season, the park fills up. Luckily, when we visited in February, there were still a few sites left available for our tent.

Our biggest reason for visiting the area was to see Saguaro National Park, and camping here offered easy access to the park. We loved the west-side scenic loop drive at sunset, hiking in the east district, and attending as many ranger programs as we could to get a better understanding of these desert giants. We also spent one night backpacking in the eastern district, which was an incredible way to dive in deeper to see the desert ecosystem up close.

You can read much more about our four days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Saguaro)

Give yourself time to explore and enjoy the surroundings.

To get to the campground you must first go through the Saguaro National Park and the drive is just as fun as it is beautiful.

I suggest viewing the aerial map of campsites before hand. I had selected about 9 different sites before arriving and that was good because I ended up at my #6 choice. Which was still a great site.

Very quite and peaceful. However, it's the desert so you should bring an air mattress or cot. Most sites have tables and are close to water and restrooms. The restrooms were very clean and upkeep. Heads up there are no showers at this campground.

I felt very safe there and actually left my campsite unattended for about 10-12 hours and not a thing was out of place.

Tents are $10 a night and RVs are $20. Tents can camp in any RV space but you can't the use power at the campsites (30 amp). You can charge small devices using the power outlets in the restrooms. Also Verizon cell/data service was great out here.

I can't wait to go back next year.

This is a large campground that is great for Tents, Vans, and RVs. The roads getting in are amazing and the scenery is beautiful. I come from a area that is green nearly year round, lots of trees and thick forest. Water is plentiful as well as swamps. This place is in stark contrast to where I call home but is still amazingly beautiful. I had never seen the massive Saguaro Cactus and was sure to be a highlight of this trip. The area did not disappoint at all. 

We arrived in weather that was sunny and clear with a temperature of 102 degrees. While that sounds incredibly hot, it should not scare you off. The humid 90 degree weather back We arrived in weather that was sunny and clear with a temperature of 102 degrees. While that sounds incredibly hot, it should not scare you off. The humid 90 degree weather back home is much harsher than the very dry 102 we arrived in. The camp ground was wonderful and"closed" for the summer. This means that while you are able to camp there, the office is not maned. Simply deposit your payment into an envelop and drop it into the box at the office and you are good to go. 

The campsites are great. They have a sandy peat gravel which is surprisingly comfortable under a tent and sleeping bag. If you are using a mattress in your tent, then you really have nothing to worry about. The temperature at the time we hit the sack was still high, so we started on top of our sleeping bags. Temperatures however did drop to 64 degrees and I woke up in my bag. The campground also have Bathrooms, but they do not have showers. That bathrooms can be hot and humid but still serve their purpose. I believe all the sites have tables was great for us.

The morning was amazing and after a quick breakfast, a bike ride was in order. There are a number of trails in the area and many of them are great. Some have steps for Hikers and are not friendly for Mountain Bikers. The trails do not have good markings but are fairly easy to follow with a GPS map. I say have fun.

This is a huge dispersed camping area. You definitely want to go early in day to scout out a spot because it is quite large. The campground has "all walks of life" staying here. You will see areas with upper scale 5th wheels/travel trailers all the way down to people living full time in cars/tents although the max allowable stay is supposedly 2 weeks per stay. The main road is paved, but then you have to pull off into gravel/dirt roads that are hard bottomed. Many areas have ruts so if u have a low axle, you will need to scout area first. If you have a small camper/tent and a 4 wheel drive you can drive up to the top of some areas to get spectacular sunsets over the city lights of Tucson. The solar system of stars is breath taking at night. I highly recommend this campground. There is a convenience store less than a mile down the main highway for any amenities you may need. There is no water/electric/dump station, but there are two different truck stops who have dump station and potable water. Generators are allowed in less populated areas but we asked our neighbors anyway and they had no problem with it. It is also a popular area for recreational vehicles and dust can be high at times with them running around as well as on days of high wind. There are bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, snakes and spiders. We did not encounter any but they all have been reported so I guess it will be the area u choose as well as the season when u arrive.

We will definitely be returning when in the area. I hope this helps with any questions u may have had.

Very easy access relatively close to shopping. Out of the way. However there is a light to moderate amount of garbage. It is near a highway and you do hear traffic. Extremely easy to access and there are many spots and the land is pretty full of campers some look like their full-timers or permanent the sign does say 14 day limit. I saw two tent campers as well. There are two or three entrances all on the same road and the camping area is cordoned off with a metal cable so the land cannot be used as a drive-thru or pass through area. The weather is moderate in the 70s during the day down to the lower 50s at night I got here the day before Halloween.

Just northwest of Tucson is this beautiful county campground, located a few miles from Saguaro National Park and the awesome Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum (a must see). Hiking and mountain biking trails are all over the area, with the Brown Mountain hike being our favorite as it’s accessible from the campground and has great views all around.  

Each site is equipped with electric hookups and there are water spigots throughout the campground, in addition to running water in the clean bathrooms (no showers though) and a nice dishwashing sink.  The picnic tables ranged from normal-sized to very small and awkward, depending on the site. There is decent privacy in between most sites, as it is beautifully landscaped with native desert cacti, shrubs, and trees.  

It’s important to note that this campground doesn’t take reservations, but if you show up by 8am and get in line, you will more than likely get a spot.  You can continue to add nights to your stay before 10am each morning, for up to 7 days total. They also don’t take credit cards, so come prepared with cash or a check.

We camped in April before it was too hot. Lots of well marked campsites with fire pits and room for pull through. Lots of large spaces for large campers. No shade. Good areas for birding. Roads well maintained. Surprisingly little campers here on a Saturday. Beautiful Mountain Views. There is a visitor center but it was closed on the day that we were there.

Place is a nightmare. Have police report from requiring police to escort due to harassment from disturbed owners. Dog was bitten by pit bull, owner did nothing but blame me and call me mentally ill. Very sick thing. Horrible road, brown water and a homeless camp setting. Go for a drive through first. And rules aren't followed. Owners Michelle and Jim even harassed the police officer, which caused me to make multiple trips to Colorado to leave. I walked away from a home, ATV and 5th wheel just to get away from these people. It's like hell on earth with demonic people.... Good luck should you go, you'll need it. Owner also posted a response comment with lies calling me names etc. These are sick evil people who will harm you, caution. Check police report from April 17th with sheriff dept.

I have lived here for 10 months now, and love the place. Like any campground, there are malcontents that will complain about little things like not being pampered or catered to. The reality is that this is a relatively remote place where you absolutely must be self-sufficient to a large degree. There has not been full-time management until recently, but the new management team are very attentive and reasonable. Since the ranch has been under new management many of the so-called bad influences have left. If you love natural beauty, privacy, and solitude, and are willing to make some sacrifices of comfort, this is the perfect place.

 Beware, it's foul in every way. People 55 plus still drugging and drinking. Dog poop all over, dogs not following rules and many pit bulls (my dog bite by pit bull) owner refused to help causing my move by police escort. It's a complete nightmare you'll become trapped in.. many better places close by. Picture is of my dog after going to vet in Colorado for dog bite. Owner uses the attackers owner to baby sit his dogs, so he defended her! Imagine that. Owner harassing caused police escort to move, he harassed cop too. A very sick and sad pathetic place... Truth stings sometimes.. sorry to be negative, but if it saves kind folks time and money I'm okay with it.