Arizona Campground Reservations

Campgrounds in Arizona

With the Grand Canyon - one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World - in the northern part of the state, it's no wonder that Arizona is a popular destination for camping and outdoor activities. But if you thought Arizona was all deserts and canyons, you'd be wrong. Sure, there are plenty of desert landscapes and more cacti than you can shake a stick at, but Arizona also boasts an amazing Ponderosa Pine forest which runs across the state. In short, it's a state that was practically designed to house the perfect campgrounds.

Naturally, the tourist attractions of the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley in the north are going to have a high concentration of campgrounds nearby - they're classic camping destinations. But it's the mountainous area of the Mogollon Rim that is home to one of the most popular camping areas in the state, the Payson area. Just an hour and a half from Phoenix, you'll find the Mazatzal Wilderness and Hellsgate Wilderness areas, both perfect for hiking.

The areas around and to the north of Flagstaff are also popular camping destinations, as they provide easy access to the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, the Wupatki National Monuments, the Sunset Crater National Monument and Walnut Canyon. Be warned, however, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is much more accessible than the North Rim, and the most popular with visitors (those who are camping and those who are just passing through). Camping sites near the South Rim are nigh to impossible to find during the summer. In the off-season, however, they're much easier to come by.

Other camping areas in Arizona you might consider are around Lake Havasu (where you can see the famous transplanted London Bridge) and the Grand Canyon's North Rim. The latter is normally uncrowded, even during the summer, and especially when compared to its southern neighbor.

Arizona's National Parks, National Monuments and National Forests are plentiful and vast, and will provide any camping enthusiast with plenty to see and do. Here are just a handful of them:

• Grand Canyon National Park
• Petrified Forest National Park
• Saguaro National Park
• Canyon de Chelly National Monument
• Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
• Chiricahua National Monument
• Montezuma Castle National Monument
• Navajo National Monument
• Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
• Parashant National Monument
• Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
• Walnut Canyon National Monument
• Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest
• Tonto National Forest
• Coronado National Forest

There are also several State Parks in Arizona you might want to check out as well. You can find more information about them from the Arizona State Parks list.

Happy camping!