Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights39 sites open for every nightA forested campground near fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. Most campsites have no hookups, and RV fit varies by site.
Ponderosa Campground sits under a stand of mature ponderosa pines on the southern edge of State Route 260, a short drive east of Payson. The campground occupies the transition zone along the Mogollon Rim elevations in the area run roughly 5,000 to 7,000 feet so the setting has the cooler, open-forested character of high country rather than low desert: taller pines with a fairly open understory of juniper, oak and manzanita, and the distinctive vanilla-like scent that comes from older ponderosas.
















Length limits vary by campsite.
Check dates on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 51 sites.
| Site | Fr 13 | Sa 14 | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A13 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A12 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A15 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A17 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| C-07 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-11 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-10 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| C-05 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| D-10 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-14 standard nonelectric |
Hookups (individual campsites): 49 no-hookup individual sites · group sites listed separately (2 no-hookup).
1009 East Highway 260
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Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.
Themes from recent written reviews on Recreation.gov. Quotes are verbatim.
“The campground hosts were very helpful and accommodating.”
Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (231 reviews, ★ 4.0). Not written or edited by us.
“Quiet, clean campground. Just we look for. Camp host George was friendly and helpful.”
“The campground hosts were very helpful and accommodating. They maintained the site daily and were a pleasure to deal with. ”
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights39 sites open for every night
Check with Recreation.gov
No sites offered for these dates| – |
| – |
| $22 |
| D-01 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-23 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| C-06 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-07 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| D-03 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| B-07 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-19 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| B-01 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-06 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-22 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-21 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| D-05 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| D-11 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| D-06 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| C-09 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| B-02 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-05 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-16 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| D-02 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| C-11 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| D-07 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-04 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-03 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| B-03 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| A-20 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| B-05 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| B-04 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| C-03 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| C-10 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
| B-06 standard nonelectric | – | – | $22 |
✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released
An idea to start from, built from this campground's listing and real tours nearby. Times, openings and prices change, so check each before you go.
Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 40 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

Travel trailer · 22 ft · sleeps 4 · 64 mi from campground
$125/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available
View rental
Travel trailer · 31 ft · sleeps 8 · 68 mi from campground
$130/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rental
Travel trailer · 26 ft · sleeps 7 · 69 mi from campground
$105/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available
View rentalPaid experiences on Viator. Distances are from this campground when the tour lists its own start point.

Arizona area · 5 hr · from $345/person
stays up to 14 nights (Recreation.gov rules).
For May weekends, book about 83 days ahead. Three in four May Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 40 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.
| Arrival month | Fri/Sat arrivals: half booked at least | A quarter at least | Other days: half booked at least | A quarter at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 32 days ahead | 58 days ahead | 17 days ahead | 48 days ahead |
| May | 40 days ahead | 83 days ahead | 33 days ahead | 78 days ahead |
| June | 28 days ahead | 53 days ahead | 25 days ahead | 52 days ahead |
| July | 17 days ahead | 35 days ahead | 18 days ahead | 40 days ahead |
| August | 13 days ahead | 39 days ahead | 18 days ahead | 48 days ahead |
| September | 18 days ahead | 45 days ahead | 18 days ahead | 45 days ahead |
| October | 20 days ahead | 35 days ahead | 16 days ahead | 32 days ahead |
| November | 11 days ahead | 24 days ahead | — | — |
Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.
Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (10,047 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.
49 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7 · 2 group sites listed separately. Rates are the listed nightly rates.
Tent, van or small RV, no power
49 sites · $22/night
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
2 sites · $100/night
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15