It had been 28 years since we last camped at Rainbow. It is still a great place to escape the desert heat.  It was 115 when we left the big city. Five hours later we found ourselves camped at 9100 feet, enjoying the cool temps in the mid 60's and the passing rain showers.  Aspens, pines, and wildlife were all in abundance.  Big Lake is a good fishing lake too.  

The sites have plenty of space, shade, and privacy.  Roads are paved and in good shape. The restrooms were constantly cleaned by the very friendly and capable staff from recreation resource management which operates the campground for the forest service.

Firewood and ice are available (stage 2 fire restrictions were in effect so no campfires), water was convenient as was gray water disposal.  There is a centralized dump station, showers, and a small but educational visitor center.  Trash dumpsters are centralized and easy to access.  

If you don't fish there is still hiking to Mount Baldy, and short scenic drives to the very small towns of Greer and Alpine.  We enjoyed exploring the miles of scenic forest roads, and wildlife viewing.  We saw 4 Mexican gray wolves which was very special.  

This is a very popular campground that accommodates all types of rigs. They do have first come first serve sites available, but it is recommended to make reservations at least 4 days in advance.  Reservations can be made at recreation.gov.  It's always best practice to print a copy of your reservation.   There is no cell service in this area. 

We look forward to camping again at Rainbow.

This is a great location to explore the park, easily access hiking and fishing , and enjoy the wildlife which may even walk through the campground as did a family of Bison.  

You also need to be comfortable camping very close to your neighbors and willing to make any campsite assigned to you work.  Reservations need to be made way in advance.  

Staff was friendly, professional, and very busy. The campground and restrooms were super clean all the time. There is a small mercantile with ice, firewood, and the typical in case you forgot something selection of items.  They recycle everything including the small propane bottles.  

Beautiful in the park scenery and being at the confluence of two rivers would easily make for a 5 star rating.  Crowded sites, extra smoky campfires, and too many generators running for way too long was a negative.  Our closest restroom was out of commission for 2 days but they have enough nearby so it wasn't a big issue.  Depending on what site you get, you may hear road noise from the main road in and out of the west exit.   

If you tent camp you will have a great experience.  The tent only loops are awesome

We camp in a tear drop micro-camper which keeps us outside most of the time (its why we camp). 

This was our third trip to Yellowstone and we will stay here again.

If approved by congress, Chiricahua National Monument will become Arizona's fourth National Park.  While the current monument  is a compact area geographically,  it definitely has the uniqueness of a national park and warrants the added protections.  It will however make a very special place more popular, so you might want to visit sooner than later. 

If you camp in a tent, van, micro-camper, or small travel trailer you will find Bonita Canyon Campground to be a memorable and wonderful place.  Don't try to bring any big rigs as they simply won't fit.  Reservations are a must. 

The campground is small, beautiful, shaded and right in the middle of some incredible scenery providing easy access to the fantastic hiking and wildlife viewing that is all around you.  Hosts were professional and friendly, bathhouse small but super clean, and the site boundaries were mostly marked with fences which is somewhat unique.  This is an old CCC built campground.  From the campground you can easily walk to the foundations of the original camp located nearby.  

Pay attention to fire regulations and status.  If permitted, campfires are limited to the raised grills (no rings) but you can bring your own solo type camp stove. You will need to bring your own wood and ice.  Pay attention to your fuel levels in your vehicle as this is a remote place.  

This is premier birdwatching country.  If you can, I would highly recommend taking  one of the guided walks provided by the rangers and park biologists.  We learned a bunch and I am not even "a birder" and enjoyed it.  The nearby visitor center will have the details. 

The Arizona Coatimundi's are a very unique mammal and frequently visit the campground.  Deer, turkeys, quail, and other wildlife are in abundance and easy to see from the hikes.  The views of the night sky are unparalleled. 

A short drive away provides access to some incredible trails for hiking or simply viewing the surrounding Wilderness areas.  The rock features found in this area make it unique. 

This continues to be one of our favorite places in Arizona to camp and hike.

Older very scenic campground providing a traditional national park camping experience.  Scenery abounds, shaded private sites, directly on Lake McDonald, convenient location, and terrific staff. 

Camped loop C (non-generator) which was perfect for our teardrop camper.  Sites vary in how level they are, but most are decent sized and have fire rings and picnic tables.  We were able to walk directly to the lake from our campsite in less than 2 minutes to enjoy sunrises and sunsets.  

Campground was just opening and some of the bathhouses were not operating.  Others were- just be prepared.  Rangers were extremely busy but super helpful and considerate. 

Road to the Sun was not yet open past Avalanche campground, but should be open by mid-late June.  Make sure you have your reservation passes for any road that you intend to travel. Your campground reservation does NOT allow you to access the roads into the inner parts of the park between 6 am and 3 pm.  Most people in our loop were able to get passes the night before, but as the season progresses highly recommend purchasing and down loading your pass to your phone/ wallet prior to entering the park.  

Glacier provides world class hiking and scenery. Be bear prepared. In another part of the park we encountered a Grizzly 30 yards off a busy trail and other campers experienced the same on their day hikes.  Camp reportedly has mostly Black Bears (which we did not see) and lots of deer. 

If you are looking for a little additional adventure, take the forest service roads to Polebridge (22 miles from the Canadian border).  The scenery is terrific and the historic Polebridge Mercantile has huckleberry bear claws and sandwiches that make the drive worthwhile.  If you like huckleberries, the ice cream in the Apgar village is delicious and they sell firewood and ice.   There are two firewood vendors, so check out the deal that fits your firewood philosophy (with plastic or without) 

Limited cell service with Verizon was available around the park visitor center and sporadic around the Apgar area.  Be prepared for all types of weather, we saw it all during our 4 days in late May.  

The scenery and experience of this special place cannot be properly described.  We can't wait to return.

We did not have reservations and with two long back to back travel days heading home, we needed an easy place to land close to the interstate.  $60 for one night electric and water which we did not need for our teardrop, but all sites were the same price which included park fees.  

Very nice staff and host found us a spot with which even had a limited view of the lake.  Site was brand new with pull through that would easily accommodate a larger rig.  Had a nice pavilion type cover over the picnic table, fire ring, and restrooms and showers were new in the section we were staying in.   

As sun went down the mosquitos started to swarm and chased us inside.  Haven't experienced that level of bugginess outside of several of the swamps we camped at in the southeast.  Middle of the night a skunk visited our campsite and hung around for quite a while.  Traffic noise from I-15 was excessive.   

Don't let the pictures fool you.  Views were ok in most directions but what I did not show was the large commercial storage yard used by the park service which was directly next door to our campsite.  Fee's should have been much lower given the location but we did not have reservations and were fortunate to get a site.  

If camping in a traditional RV this is an ok option, and it is cheaper than some of the commercial campgrounds nearby.  Would stay here again if we needed an easy overnight stopover as the location is terrific.

Convenient NFS campground close to the interstate that makes you feel you are way back in the national forest.  Small but nice campground right on the Beaver river which was flowing fast and was enjoyable to sit by.

Hosts were just arriving for the season and worked hard to get the restroom cleaned and functioning.  Thank you for your work! 

 No trash service or dumpster in campground but a collection station was only a mile away so easy to drop trash when leaving the next morning.  Water convenient to each site.  No cell service and in reach satellite struggled to get connection.  

Would have rated 5 stars except neighbors generator ran all night at the top of each hour for 10 minutes which diminished the enjoyment from the sounds of the river.

Will definitely stay here again maybe even for several days.

Great location to enjoy the east side of Grand Canyon NP.  There is a fantastic trail right from the campground for unbelievable views and no crowds.  Trail is unmarked but easy to find and follow.  The edge of the canyon is right there, so caution is warranted for young kids and pets. 

Campground hosts had left for the season, but the friendly Park Rangers filled in and did a  great job, going above the call of duty keeping the older restrooms super clean.  We appreciate you! 

Would have given 5 stars, but there were quiet hour issues as campers ran their generators during the middle of the night and there were multiple late night arrivals or 4 am departures.  Otherwise, the night skies were amazing and lows in the 30s made for great campfires and sleeping.

This is an older smaller campground.  It is not a fit for most RV's, but great for vans, truck campers, small trailers, and tents.  It is within walking distance of the watch tower and east visitor center (long walk or very short drive). 

We will visit again when we want to enjoy the wonder of the Grand Canyon without the crowds.