This is an excellent campground that doesn’t seem to be overrun, probably due to its’ remote location. There are many birds in the area, and the sounds of a running stream is peaceful. Nights here are cool. You can plan for at least a 30 degree delta between daytime high and nighttime low. The Gila can at times be plagued with wildfires, as it was during our visit on 5/28/21. Visibility was okay, and it didn’t seem unhealthy to be there. No campfires are currently permitted except for in designated metal fire pits maintained by the forest service. Just a guess, but this is probably the norm throughout the summer in the Gila.
Stayed here 4/30/21. The location itself is beautiful, with sweeping views, waterfall, and excellent night sky. However, it was crowded and overrun with people. There was no host at this site which made things even more hectic as folks were camping all over the place. Additionally, cars kept driving through the full campground all night looking for open spots. Although it’s a majestic location, I would only consider revisiting in the off season since I am a camper who likes to get away from people.
This is a solid little campground with 3 (maybe 4?) campsites and few amenities. This campground is a “little” more hidden from the road than other nearby campgrounds. Railroad Canyon Campground has many trails to access the wilderness from, and a small creek running behind each of the three campsites.
The campground does have a toilet, fire pits, picnic tables, and trash service. Please clean up after yourself, and leave no trace.
This is a solid little campground with 3 (maybe 4?) campsites and few amenities. This campground is a “little” more hidden from the road than other nearby campgrounds. Railroad Canyon Campground has many trails to access the wilderness from, and a small creek running behind each of the three campsites.
The campground does have a toilet and trash service. Please clean up after yourself, and leave no trace.
Was going to camp here on 4/15/2021, but there was what appeared to be from signage, a controlled burn going on at the entrance to Forest Road 150. There was too much smoke at the entrance of the forest road, so decided to just camp elsewhere along 152.
Update: Went back to FR 150 the next day and drove up to campsite. The designated burn area ends about 4-6 miles before the campsite. Area is quiet, and road can get rough for low clearance, non 4WD vehicles. Very quiet, and a nice little mountain stream running through it. Decided to make a quick car lunch, and hike around and explore. Decided not to camp due to concerns about smoke settling down in the canyons at night, but I’ll definitely be back another time.
Great dispersed camping location near Zion. If you have a trailer or passenger vehicle, you are going to want to come from the south side of Smithsonian Butte Road (via Main St.). Take 59, just past the Chevron for about two miles, and it will be on the left. There are many campsites and numerous trails spiderwebbing out from Smithsonian Butte Road. If you have a 4WD, you’ll have no problems coming from the north.
I’m sure it’s a phenomenal site, but road was still closed as of 4/11/2021.
This place is great for folks who are looking for a trailer or easy drive in, but not for tenters in my opinion. It’s not a bad spot in a pinch, but if you’re looking to get away from folks, you’ll be disappointed by the amount of campsites right next to each other with very little foliage in between. Lastly, the trash.. there is a lot of it, and it is quite sad. Clearly this is a spot for a lot of lazy campers who don’t know how to pack it out.
It was quite warm in mid April. Lots of folks out driving through during the night, and a few loud partiers. This is a decent option if you don’t have a reservation at one of the “reservation required” Joshua Tree campgrounds.