Best Equestrian Camping near Willcox, AZ

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that the Male showers/restroom was under construction and not usable.

Gravel drive-through and back-in spots for RVs with 30 or 50 amp connections, water and sewer. Two tent spots. North of Willcox, but the city is small enough that the whole town is within walking distance (we walked to the center of town in about 15 minutes).

This is basically an old trailer park that has been upgraded to accommodate RVs around the perimeter and a couple of tents near the park/restroom area.

The shower/restroom area also has laundry facilities.

We didn't go into the rec room, but were told it has a pool table and a book/video exchange-type library.

The Rodeo grounds are a short drive across the freeway (don't follow your GPS if it tells you to use airport road - take the route that uses Rex Allen Drive) at Quail park (about 2 miles away - straight shot).  This is a very convenient park to the Rodeo Grounds.

This park, as was all of Willcox (even though it was Rex Allen Days weekend) is VERY QUIET. Didn't see anyone other than a couple of dog walkers in the morning and the staff when we checked in.

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.

Nothing beats the summer Arizona heat like escaping to the top of the Pinaleños.

At 8800 ft elevation, this corral and campsite offers amazing weather in the summer and gorgeous views off the edge of the mountains.

Be prepared to bring in anything you might need, including water. There are only about 3 campsites located near the vault toilets, but their are dispersed sites further down the forest road.

This forest road is gated off during the winter months and this area is not accessible.

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.

I have Verizon and management stated Verizon is the best in this small town and look at my screen shot, it's no joke. He said all other carriers suck.

This is on top of their 2 free wifi access they provide which are already fast! So if you need to get work done and reliant on good internet speeds, you've found the spot.

Place is a mix of mobile homes and RV park. Each site has their own picnic table and FHU. Water spigot is on the ground, not elevated. Laundry, showers, rec room (pool table, full kitchen, DVDs, books) and BBQ grill are included. Cats roaming everywhere. Fairly flat gravel parking. Management had to put me in a 50 amp site (#9) because their 30 amp sites were full at no extra charge. He even let me borrow the 50/30 amp converter as I didn't have one. Management lives in a mobile home near office and it was nice as he is available after regular hours.

Quiet place overall. If you come on trash day (Tuesday), you might get woken up by it if you're in our site as it's next to the alley.

As stated, very small town. We had dinner at Isabella's South Of The Border. Food wasn't as great as the reviews but decent for the area. Fun tip: Isabella is the wife of the owner of The Big Tex BBQ.

Everyone was super kind and sweet, restrooms/laundry center were very clean and well maintained. Tent camping spots are in front of the park, where the truck wash across the street can be heard prevalently. Cats everywhere are cute and sweet but I’m pretty sure they use the tent spots as their litter box.

This little piece of I-10 is a wonderful little spot. We arrived close to sunset and found a perfect spot to camp amongst the rocks. The on-site saloon with the chili pepper lights, original mural, and massive bolder behind the bar will make you wonder why this place is not more packed.

10/10 would stay again!

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.

My husband, myself and our 2 small dogs live in Tucson, AZ. We recently acquired a roof top tent and we’ve been trying out various campgrounds across the Southwest.

Dog friendly hiking opportunities from this campground on the Cochise Trail. I recommend arriving during daylight hours. We left after work, and it was harder to navigate the primitive roads back to the campground in the dark. You do have to cross the stream several times to get the the site. When we crossed the water was 3-6” deep and a few crossing are over rocks (not pavement). We had no issues in our F250, but any vehicle with a normal amount of clearance should be fine. We saw several small SUVs/crossovers, small trailers, a dirt bike and a Prius.

It’s a popular place and we were lucky to get the last site available that night. There are also dispersed camp sites (also popular) along the W Hunt Rd loop.

The campground has pit toilets (with 2 stalls each). Each site has a picnic table, a nice fire ring and a tall BBQ grill. The sites are close together. No water, so bring your own.

We will definitely return to the Cochise Stronghold area.