Gilbert Ray Campground

I came here at the beginning of September 2024 and stayed for one night only. My spot has Shore Power (15,30,50), but you need to fill up your water tank before parking your trailer. If you select a site near a water source, that's fine, which I did. All roads are one way, and that's why they called a loop. I stayed at Loop A. Make sure you make your reservation online before going there. I bet this campground is packed in wintertime. By the way, their office is closed during off-season. If you arrive during this period, you'll help yourself locate your campground number. And you can just go online and pay your fees.

Gilbert Ray campground integrates the beautiful desert environment seamlessly with the campsites, which are very generous in size. Some reviews seem to suggest that sites are really backcountry and private, but I wouldn’t say that - most of the landscaping is low so you definitely see your neighbor and you can hear the cars on the nearby road.

We reserved ahead of time (I didn’t have a problem with the online system, but I did read a lot of complaints). We showed up after hours and I felt the information at the Administration Office was really straightforward, but I got stuck behind two sets of campers who couldn’t figure out what to do or where to go and seemed to expect me to walk them through the after-hours process. In general, most of the campers were older and we didn’t see a single family.

That may be in part because the chief amenity is the landscape and proximity to the Desert Museum and SNP. Sites have electric hook-ups and there is a bathroom, but no site water hook-ups and no showers. On our way out we drove to the dump station (located at a different loop) and water was available at that location.

The only other consideration is be careful what route you choose to enter the park. We started traveling according to directions only to realize it wasn’t recommended by the Park that RVs over 24 feet take that particular road.

This campground is so cool!!! I prefer to be in nature while camping and this is it! You really feel like you’re in the desert. Sites provide some privacy and aren’t right up on each other. Quiet and relaxing. Good accessibility to the NP. I would definitely return.

Enjoyed this campsite and all it has to offer - electrical hookup for our RV, a dump station, several drinking water spigots around the loop, and hiking trails all around. Easy to get to, easy to park and level. Our rig is about 38 feet total. So close to the national park & easy to ride in for hikes or exploring! Would definitely return.

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.

Only issue with the site was traffic noise. Was woken up by loud exhausts/tire squealing at 3 & 4 am.

No water at the site but there are full stations within the park. For the price, you get a great view and a wide open quite spot.

We made a last minute change in our itinerary and decided to swing through Tucson to check out Saguaro Ntl Park. We had no reservations and arrived after dark, hoping to get one of the campsites for walk-ins (the entire H loop is first come first served). We were surprised to find the entire campground nearly empty and we were able to stay in a spacious and mostly level site in the A Loop with amazing views in all directions and hardly any neighbors.

In addition to visiting the Saguaro Ntl Park west side, we spent the better part of a day at the nearby Desert Museum which was fantastic.

This county park was nicer than many state and federal campgrounds we’ve visited, well worth the $20.

Perfect place to camp with family, Great views, big sites, clean restrooms.

Gorgeous campground, from the saguaros all the way down to the bathroom signage. We stayed for a couple of nights in the A loop, which gave us 30amp service (needed for heat) and plenty of solar. Getting our 27' trailer and full-size truck into the spot wasn't super easy: the campground road is narrow, and we really wanted to avoid damaging cacti. 

Once in the spot, though, we loved it. Our butt faced open desert, and we got a beautiful show each night as the golden mountains went red and faded to black. You're right in amongst the cacti here, which helps you feel like you're IN the desert, even when you have neighbors 30 feet away.

Great access to Saguaro NP's West Side, though this isn't a great campground for biking and only so-so for hiking. Unbeatable at this price or even twice it (but don't tell them that!).

First come first serve rules..didnt apply to everyone equally..I was 3rd in line..but another person in lot was there b4 everyone..they took first 2 in line..then let him go in front of me?? Making me wait almost 2 hours for someone to leave..just be fair people.

We were only able to reserve 1 night here but our spot was perfect!

Beautiful campground,  the desert plant life comes right up to your campground in such a natural way, it is beautiful! We love it and recommend it! It was nice having electricity at a somewhat remote site. The hosts and park employees were very friendly and cheerful and helpful! Paved roads around the site, nice fairly level campsites. We have a 36 foot fifth wheel and a long bed four-door pick up, which made parking a little difficult in our spot, but once we got in, it was really nice.  We played guitar and had some friendly international traveling neighbors come help us sing.

My wife and kids love this place. So do I. Quiet, clean, peaceful. And close to home: we come back every year. Wouldn't miss it, and neither should you.

I dont know why it’s listed as closed for the season. The registration office is closed but campsites are reservable online and are available first come first serve w self pay as of May 16 2022. The closed for the season on Hipcamp appears to be in error. Mostly close together sites but the scenery is gorgeous. Right outside Saguaro Natl Park but also in a county park itself. Nice bathrooms, plentiful water fountains for filling. My site was supposed to have shade awning per county reservable website… it did not. Only a handful of sites actually have shade structure. There are no showers but there is a large handled faucet w hot running water behind the bathroom in C loop you can clean hair off with.

Camping among Saguaros was such a treat. Very close proximity to the park. Gorgeous sunrise/sunsets. Very peaceful. Clean bathrooms. Decent cell coverage.

This park is beautiful!   Campsites are set in the middle of the desert.  You can see the sun rise and set over the Sonoran desert.  There are easy and more difficult hikes in the area.  The Saguaro National Park is just a few miles away.  

There are no showers available in the campground.  You can only stay for 1 week at a time.

This is a great spot to explore the Western side of Saguaro NP. Our site was spacious, but fairly close to the neighboring ones. They had some issues with water while we were around, so we had to use the bathroom in a different loop. It's a bummer they don't have showers! The staff at the check-in are super nice and gave us a ton of information. And the sunsets from the campground are just spectacular.

Beautiful views. Spacious campsites. The electrical hookups are only 220, no 110 plugs.

We love this campground. It is packed solid from mid January in the middle February for the Gem show in Tucson. However, there is a loop for first come first serve campers.

The folks at the gate were super friendly and helpful. The sites are well spaced and quiet.

Best sunsets, people, and peace for a campground

Nice county campground with hiking and biking. No water hookups and no showers but outdoor dishwashing station available. Some sites are fairly small and not level. Only a few would take big rigs. Great desert views.

I booked Gilbert Ray based on campground location. We wanted to be close enough to Tucson for day trips yet far enough out to enjoy some peace and quiet. We were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the place. Sunrises and sunsets are something to behold!

Gorgeous desert, close to Saguaro National part West side, flush toilets and helpful camp hosts. The spots on A loop at least were super snug. Some larger ones against open desert that we will shoot for next trip. Great jumping off spot for the national park.

Pima County campground. Positives are that it is convenient to Tuscon. Nice mountain biking and hiking trails right from the campground. East access to Suguaro National Park. Negatives are that it seems pricey for what you get. We stayed in H loop which is first come first serve and had to pay $20. No showers. Pretty crowded and noisy. Wanted to like it more than I did.

Quiet, close to NP and Regional Park with many trails, Be patient with service Clean toilets No Showers $20 per night

This was the second time my husband and I have stayed here. We first tent camped here in September 2020, it wasn’t busy and there were maybe 3 other people in the whole camp. When we were traveling this past time though Arizona we stopped again because we loved it so much last time. This trip we were in our RV and it was during busy season, but we still loved it just as much! You can’t beat the views and it was only $20/night for full hook ups! We will be back!

Love this desert campground. It’s our Christmas camping stop every year. We are huge desert fans and this campground is cactus central!

Camp in a Saguaro “forest”. Close to the NP. Electric campsite. Nice view and sunset.