Lakeview Campground (Az) — Coconino National Forest Recreation

I camped for two days at this beautiful campground. It was very tidy, easy to get to, and surrounded by beautiful tall trees and friendly neighbors. It is right next to Lake Mary which you have access to from the campground on a short path. The campground was well kept and so were the bathrooms. Plenty of toilet paper for all. I was right by the bathrooms as well and couldn’t hear or smell anything coming from that way. They also have water to fill your wash bins, etc. The hosts were extremely nice. They came around every so often to see if anyone needed wood or ice and they would bring it to your site on their golf cart. The site was a decent size. The common area was the biggest part. The tent section was on the smaller side, it fit both of our tents fine, but do keep that in mind if you are camping with multiple people. Some of the other sites had bigger tent sections than ours. You can see your neighbors, which I don’t mind, but if you are someone who is needing more privacy and don’t want to be near people, this campground probably isn’t for you. The only complaint that I had was that you could hear the highway traffic at times. It wasn’t too loud but I prefer not to hear any traffic while camping. Overall, I really enjoyed my time at this campground and I would definitely come back again! Thank you Norm for being a wonderful host!

In the off season, this sweet little national forest campground is a quiet oasis in one of the beautiful “islands of the sky” which are scattered throughout Arizona.  Up at 5000 feet, this place becomes a busy retreat for Tucsonians seeking to escape some of the summertime heat, according to the park ranger we spoke too. It's also a haven for birds!

The campground has designated section for RV’s and tents, though they are same price at just $10 per night.  Many pull-through sites are available for larger RV’s, as well as some back in spots. Each site has a HUGE cement picnic table and fire ring and are a nice size with plenty of space between sites. There are trash cans (though no recycling) throughout the campground, and a water spigot near the very clean pit toilets, thanks to the dedicated and very friendly camp hosts.  The tent sites overlook the Parker Canyon Lake and are quite spacious. There are few tent sites for groups too.

There is a nice boat dock, as well as small store near the water that sells snacks/drinks, bait, and a few camping necessities.  You can rent kayaks, paddle boats, SUPs, sailboats and small motorized fishing boats…or bring your own. There is also a nice and easy trail that follows the lake shore for about 6 miles, accessible to both hikers and mountain bikers.  From the lake trail, you can also access the Arizona Scenic Trail (the southern terminus is about 15 miles south of the lake). We also saw quite a few fisherman out enjoying the lake during mid-week.

The closest grocery stores and gas stations are in Sonoita, about 30 miles away.  Cell coverage is limited here as you are very close to the Mexican border – none in RV campground, just a bit of coverage in the tent campground.