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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Activities powered by Viator. Prices and availability come from each provider and are confirmed when you book with them.

  1. Home
  2. Arizona
  3. Payson
  4. Ponderosa (Az)

Camping at Ponderosa (Az) near Payson

Public campground · Payson · 49 campsites · 2 group

A forested campground near fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. Most campsites have no hookups, and RV fit varies by site.

About this campground

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.

4.0 on Recreation.gov · 231 reviewsBook on Recreation.gov
View all 11 photos

At a glance

  • RV sites up to 40 ft

    Length limits vary by campsite.

  • No hookups
  • Pets welcome
  • Public land
OverviewCampsitesAmenities & locationReviewsPlan your stay

0 available sites

0 open of 49 sites
No sites offered for these dates.

We checked every night of your stay on Recreation.gov: no site is open for all 2 nights. Some sites are open on some nights.

Flexible dates

View the next available two-night stay.

Looking for the next open dates…
Fixed dates

Compare nearby campgrounds open for these dates. Your camping setup, rig size, hookups and dates stay applied.

Nearby campgrounds open for these dates
Check Recreation.gov directly ↗
View full availability calendar · night-by-night from Recreation.gov

Check dates on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 51 sites.

SiteFr
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
No site is open for every night of your stay

You book directly on Recreation.gov. Rates and availability can change until reserved. Campground page on Recreation.gov ↗

No sites offered for these dates
Book on Recreation.gov

Amenities & location

Check-in
2:00 PM
Checkout
11:00 AM
Pets
Allowed (per listing)
Maximum stay
14 nights

Hookups (individual campsites): 49 no-hookup individual sites · group sites listed separately (2 no-hookup).

Location

1009 East Highway 260
Open in Google Maps ↗

Ponderosa (Az): questions answered

What is the maximum RV length at Ponderosa (Az)?
Longest RV site listed: 40 ft (45 of 45 RV sites list a length) (per the listing)
Does Ponderosa (Az) have RV hookups?
49 no-hookup individual sites · group sites listed separately (2 no-hookup) (per the listing)
How do I reserve a site at Ponderosa (Az)?
Reservable on Recreation.gov (per the listing)
Are pets allowed at Ponderosa (Az)?
Allowed (per the listing)
Sources and details

At a glance

Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.

Max rig length
Listing Longest RV site listed: 40 ft (45 of 45 RV sites list a length)
Hookups & power
Listing 49 no-hookup individual sites · group sites listed separately (2 no-hookup)
Pull-through / back-in
Listing 12 pull-through, 34 back-in
Road & site access
Listing 48 paved site driveways
Pets
Listing Allowed
Cell signal
Listing Visitor-reported signal on Recreation.gov (higher is better): Verizon 2 (115 reports), T-Mobile 2 (47 reports), AT&T 2 (28 reports)
Booking
Listing Reservable on Recreation.gov
Price
Listing Lowest listed rate $22/night (live price once you pick dates)
Stay limits
Listing 14 nights max
Getting there
Listing 1009 East Highway 260 (map in Location below)
Generators · Quiet hours · Starlink / satellite · Water · Shade
Not listed — check with campground

Reviews

Themes from recent written reviews on Recreation.gov. Quotes are verbatim.

Friendly hosts and staff · 2 reviews

“The campground hosts were very helpful and accommodating.”

Tom S · Jun 2025

Selected reviews

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.”

Brian D 5 · Sep 2025 · Recreation.gov

“The campground hosts were very helpful and accommodating. They maintained the site daily and were a pleasure to deal with. ”

Tom S 4 · Jun 2025 · Recreation.gov
Nearby

Campgrounds to compare

Explore nearby

  • Campgrounds near Payson
  • RV rentals near Payson
  • Glamping & cabins near Payson
  • RV rentals in Arizona
  • Glamping in Arizona

Guides for this trip

  • How much does it cost to rent an RV?
  • Camping with dogs
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights39 sites open for every night

Houston Mesa

11.6 mi from Ponderosa (Az) (straight-line) 4.0 · 353 Recreation.gov reviews
Tent sites · RV sites w/ hookups
Sites $22/night
$44 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · you book on their site
View Campsites
Check with Recreation.gov

Upper Tonto Creek

3 mi from Ponderosa (Az) (straight-line) 5.0 · 14 Recreation.gov reviews
Tent sites · RV sites
Check with Recreation.gov
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · you book on their site
View Campsites
No sites offered for these dates

Christopher Creek

4.6 mi from Ponderosa (Az) (straight-line) 5.0 · 368 Recreation.gov reviews
Tent sites · RV sites w/ hookups
Recreation.gov isn't offering sites Nov 13–15
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · you book on their site
View Campsites
–
–
$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

Trip idea

Ideas for your stay

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.

  1. Day 1 · Arrive and settle in

    • Check in and set up camp.
    • go fishing (per the campground listing)
  2. Day 2 · Get out and explore

    • Half Day Private Grand Canyon Guided Hiking Tour Arizona area · 5 hr · from $345/person
Ways to stay

Bring a tent or have an RV waiting

  • Tent camping here: 49 sites take tents. See open sites ↑

Need an RV for your stay?

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.

The Glamping R-Pod - Pet Friendly!
The Glamping R-Pod - Pet Friendly!

Travel trailer · 22 ft · sleeps 4 · 64 mi from campground

$125/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

View rental
Westworld events, AZ lakes, Sedona and more trips!
Westworld events, AZ lakes, Sedona and more trips!

Travel trailer · 31 ft · sleeps 8 · 68 mi from campground

$130/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
Bunk house
Bunk house

Travel trailer · 26 ft · sleeps 7 · 69 mi from campground

$105/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

View rental
Things to do

Activities near Ponderosa (Az)

Bookable tours nearby

Paid experiences on Viator. Distances are from this campground when the tour lists its own start point.

Half Day Private Grand Canyon Guided Hiking Tour
Half Day Private Grand Canyon Guided Hiking Tour

Arizona area · 5 hr · from $345/person

Best time to go

Seasons, rates and how booked it gets

  • Off-peak Apr 1–Apr 14: RV & Tent $22 per night
  • Peak season Apr 15–Nov 2: RV & Tent $22 per night

stays up to 14 nights (Recreation.gov rules).

Plan your stay

How far ahead to book Ponderosa (Az)

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.

See booking patterns
Arrival monthFri/Sat arrivals: half booked at leastA quarter at leastOther days: half booked at leastA quarter at least
April32 days ahead58 days ahead17 days ahead48 days ahead
May40 days ahead83 days ahead33 days ahead78 days ahead
June28 days ahead53 days ahead25 days ahead52 days ahead
July17 days ahead35 days ahead18 days ahead40 days ahead
August13 days ahead39 days ahead18 days ahead48 days ahead
September18 days ahead45 days ahead18 days ahead45 days ahead
October20 days ahead35 days ahead16 days ahead32 days ahead
November11 days ahead24 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.

Compare site types

49 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7 · 2 group sites listed separately. Rates are the listed nightly rates.

Standard sites (tent or RV)

Tent, van or small RV, no power

49 sites · $22/night

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15

Group standard area nonelectric (group)

2 sites · $100/night

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15