This is a nice area if you're traveling through and need a place to stop and spend the night. It's definitely a popular spot with RVs and trailers, didn't see many tents. There were some bugs/mosquitos but it wasn't too bad. No cell service anywhere around
This made a great base to explore the park. The lower designated sites were crowded (often with more than one camper by site). I drove up a little further up and enjoyed lots of solitude. Some of the sites are walk-up: you park here the yellow sign is and hike a couple of minutes to the actual designates site (if you have a tent). IMHO these were the best: best views, solituded and even signal! Downside: you can't see the tent from the sign so I got back from hikes and the spot to park the car was filled. As someone else said: the vault toilet is at the entrance. There isn't one as far as I drove up. The road varies in quality: some parts are very smooth, some parts are very rocky (so parts looked very muddy after rain!). There were some bugs/mosquitos but not too crazy.
This is a really nice spot next to the river. It makes a great base to explore Big Sky & Bozeman. The dispersed camping area is just passed the official campground. I counted at least 5 pullout spots, but didn't drive all the way up the road. Most already had fire rings made. There's several trailheads on that road (I'd recommend Garnet Mtn; great views at the top!), so that was great. The road is in great shape and you won't need AWD. I didn't get any signal in the area (or along US191). I had to drive to Big Sky or Bozeman for some signal; just fyi
This site is tucked away between the road and the river. It's super peaceful and there weren't many people around (some stayed in their car, and there was one other tent pitched by the river). Maximum stay is 3 nights. No signal
This campground is great and with lots of walk-up campsites. There's a ton of trails right from the campground and it's close enough to St Mary and Two Medicine to make it your base to explore the East side of the park (way better than the West side IMHO). And there's public laundry right behind the camp store too! Shade varies from site to site, but overall pretty decent. You'll see wildlife wandering around too (I saw a least a couple of deer and a moose; they had a bear visit the day before I arrived). The campground hosts were super nice and helpful. Make sure you get their tips on trails!
This campsite felt like a little oasis after driving two days in the desert. The creek cools down the temperature a lot and the trees provide some relief from the scorching sun. There aren't very many sites, but they're fairly big and apart from each other.
The locals at Pine Ridge recommended me this spot. I was planning to camp in the Lost Valley Reservoir, but it had been raining the whole day, and the road up to the campsite was muddy. This campsite was a great alternative (no dirt road, woohoo!). Spots are big (although pretty close to each other), and there isn't a lot of shade.
This is a great spot to explore the Eastern Sierras. Sites are pretty big and afar from each other and there's signal. It can get pretty windy and hot in the summer, but otherwise it's a great place.
Be aware of the wildlife in the high desert: I found a scorpion btw the tarp and the tent. Make sure you check stuff you leave outside during the night!
This campground is really beautiful. The sites are spaced out and in general it's very quite (although the park is popular with mountain bikers). Lots of hiking to do around if you're looking for something flat (but close access to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve if you're looking for something more strenuous).
This is a great place to explore the Eastern side of Saguaro NP. There aren't very many spots, though, and it's pretty busy. We had to drive up a couple of miles to find an area to pitch up our tent. And it wasn't the cleanest. The road is in good condition and you won't need clearance to drive up
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.
I spent one night here. It was very quiet and secluded, and the dirt road is in great condition. There's tons of spots and the trees give a little cover. I rained on and off at night, but I feel the tree foliage kept a lot of water from dripping down onto the tent.
The campground is pretty well located as a base point to explore the rest of the Natl Park. It's not far from the scenic road, so there's some noise in the evening from all the cars driving down. Otherwise, pretty chill spot with decent privacy (the campsites are not super close to each other). There are patches of signal too, and access to drink water.
I stayed in the last group of campsites along the Snake Creek Forest Rd (a couple of miles before the end of the dirt road); I think it was called Eagle Rock but I'm not sure. It's a great spot to hike up to Johnson Lake. It's a very peaceful site next to the creek with only 2 other campsites. There's a compost bathroom, that was clean and with toilet paper. And it's free! Each campsite had a fire ring and picnic table.
I stayed here in mid September on my way to Great Basin Natl Park and I couldn't have chosen a better spot. I put down my name in the registration book and drove up a mile or so up on the dirt road. I was all alone enjoying a quiet and peaceful night. There were a couple of people who camped in the area where the registration book and informational leaflets are, but I honestly would recommend going a further out if you want to enjoy the solitude.
I needed a stop to break down the drive from the California Central Cost to Northern Arizona and it did the trick. It's not an exceptionally exciting spot, but it's quiet. I pitched my tent on a little dip and I could barely hear the road (and it was much more protected from the wind). I regret not having brought a hammer with me and it was hard to get the fixations through. No signal on Mint/T-Mobile.
Peaceful and quite place with amazing views (and superb sunrises). It's the perfect spot to explore the area. Originally I pitched up my tent to stay 2 days and on my second day I decided to spend another night and hit another hike. It was a little more crowded with RVs close to the highway and there was much more solitude 3 miles in. Very good cell reception on Mint (which uses T-Mobile network)