Best Equestrian Camping near Tucson, AZ

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.

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

This such a nice quiet park.. stars are great at night! Hiking trails nearby, bicycles, horse trails. Nice big private sites.

Nice little park. Staff was great. Sites are too close together for my liking but lots of trails off the park. Dropped in on Memorial Day weekend, sites were mostly full (1 site left) but the neighbors had little dogs and we have 2 big German Shepherds so that wasn’t going to work so we asked if we could stay in the equestrian area since there was only one person in there & they agreed. It was PERFECT for us. Not sure we’ll stay again if we can’t use that area!

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.

Well kept Campground north of Tucson. We stayed in 3 different sites because we made last minute reservations. Great hiking and biking. Birds everywhere, fun to watch.

The campground host does everything within his power to make your stay enjoyable. The weather is cooler than Tucson and the views are amazing. My favorite place to camp.

Great stop in an AZ state park within minutes of civilization at Tucson. Plenty of hiking trails nearby, great campsite amenities. Showers, clean bathrooms, water at every campsite.

Showed up on a Monday afternoon with no reservation and picked up a non-electric site no problem. $20 fee or $30 with electric hookup.

Would definitely stay here again.

40 mile scenic drive on a 4x4 road, dispersed camping along the way. Extremely popular view to park off the road in the saguaros. But I’d recommend cactus forest north of Tucson in blm land if you want that. Farther in you hit the mountains. We stayed off an off roading rock crawler trail. Def the path less taken. Super quiet and relaxing.

Tucked at the base this is a great way to experience both Tucson and the great mountain!

Great location for both riding and hiking.

Campsite is clean and very easy to reserve ahead of time on the supported website which is very easy to use and see all the items open.

Extra bonus for this Campground, should you need to, you can cancel your reservation up to 1-2 days out.

This campsite is in the heart of the Sonoran Desert on the outskirts of Tucson. You are minutes from the city, but still tucked into the valley of the Catalina Mountains. The perfect place for a desert retreat! Across the street (5 min drive for the campsite) you’ll find in ‘n out, Walmart, and other retail stores. Just down Oracle Rd. you’ll find great local restaurants... El Molinitos, Guadalajara Grill, Tap and Bottle, Village Bakehouse, and Truland Burgers. There is so much to explore in Tucson, but this campsite alone is a destination. If you’re lucky enough to be around after mountain snowmelt, you can enjoy the water. Hiking baths are aplenty as are the birds for birding enthusiasts. Campsites are clean and spacious. There isn’t much shade in the desert, so plan accordingly. Stargazing is great here. This State Park is a hot spot for locals, so hit the trails early in the morning or just stick to the campground on the weekends to avoid the crowds. The park and the adjacent mountain range suffered greatly from a large fire in the summer of 2020. Deeper into the park on hikes you’ll notice the devastation and also see desert regrowth. Be sure to check before you go as some trails are still closed from the damage.

Lots of hiking in the area, from easy trails through the cacti to steep canyons nearby. There are group hike events with expert naturalists, really worth it. TONS of wildlife, including a bobcat and great birding. Amazing sunsets like nowhere else I've traveled. As for the campsite, it's really clean with nice standard amenities. Good privacy and pretty large individual sites. Shade varies. We couldn't have fires, so bring a gas backpacking stove to cook. Reservations recommended since it's so close to Phoenix and Tucson. Absolutely lovely campground setting.

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.

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

Another super clean and new Arizona state park. Free hot showers in a beautiful location.