Looking for a good campsite (Sierra Vista, Green Valley: camping, food, car)

[mdtoaz]

I'm hoping some of you outdoorsy types can chime in on this one (I'm thinking of you AZhiker).

We're going to try to go camping this weekend. I'm thinking somewhere woodsy (yes, I know it'll probably be cold at night) maybe in the Catalinas. We're tent campers and would prefer not to be surrounded by RV's on all sides.

Primitive sites as well as those with some facilities are fine. We don't really do KOA-type campgrounds. Just looking to recharge for the weekend. We'd definitely prefer somewhere that we could have a campfire (especially if we're up at a higher elevation).

Any recommendations would be swell.

[mdtoaz]

Boo... okay, since nobody had an answer, we're just going up Mt Lemmon and do a little hunting around for a decent site. If I find one, I'll let everyone know.

[azhiker]

Just saw this.

I wish I could be of more help, but I haven't camped in ages. I pretty much do day hikes.

That said, there are a bunch of decent looking campsites that I drive by when I go up there. Some have bathroom facilities, some don't.

Lately, I've been hiking up by Mt. Bigelow. It's up Catalina highway, probably about 3 or 4 miles before you get to Summerhaven, on the right hand side. No bathrooms (that I know of), but really nice up there, and I know that people camp. I go there for a less strenuous, short hike, but beautiful scenery. The views there are pretty much of the other side of the Catalinas (you can see that valley by San Manuel). It's shady on that side most of the afternoon, which is really nice in the summertime.

Also, all the way to the end of Catalina highway (drive through Summerhaven until it stops), there are picnic tables, a bathroom, and trailheads, a creek, etc.

Quite nice there. Not sure if you can camp there overnight or not. I'd imagine the nice spots get taken up quickly on the weekends.

Honestly, there are other places that are marked as true camp sites on the way. I just can't remember their names. Also, it's supposed to be much cooler this weekend, so maybe camping at one of the sites a little lower down the mountain would be better temp wise.

Good luck! We expect a full report come Monday.

p.s. Down by Sierra Vista, in the Huachuca mountains, there are reputed to be some really nice camping areas. I've hiked in some of those canyons down there, and it is beautiful. Carr Canyon and Miller Canyon come to mind.

Oh, and just down the road (I-19) right before you get to Green Valley, there's Madera Canyon. It's really nice, with very nice camp grounds with facilities. I'd strongly consider that one too. I know those are really nice. I was just there about a month ago.

Wish I could be of more help.

[Subie]

There's a campsite my family used to go to all the time in Mt. Lemmon that fits your criteria. It's called "General Hitchcock". You'd have to look it up or go find it though because I don't remember how to specifically get to it.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by mdtoaz

Boo... okay, since nobody had an answer, we're just going up Mt Lemmon and do a little hunting around for a decent site. If I find one, I'll let everyone know.

LOL, even I could've told you that, but I thought it'd be insult to your intelligence.

[mdtoaz]

First, thanks AZhiker - I couldn't rep you, but I tried. And thanks Subie (does your sign on indicate you drive a Subaru? topic for a different thread)

Anyway, as you might notice, I'm posting this on Saturday. So, our trip wasn't the whole weekend. We did find a decent site on Mt Bigelow off of Bear Wallow Rd. The temperature was a little cooler, but nice... it reminded me of fall camping in MD.

The wind was completely insane. We tried to have a fire, but it was too windy... I don't want to be responsible for the next wildfire up there. And everytime I got near the fire ring, immediately there was a gust of wind and nice hot ash would get in my eyes. We ate breakfast in our car because our food was literally blowing off of our plates. It was looking like rain, and we got a few sprinkles, and figured we'd just pack it in... it was not the relaxing camping weekend we were trying for.

So, up on Mt Lemmon, just in case anyone's curious, they do have several campsites that have facilities. They're well marked and have a fee of $10 a night in addition to the Nat'l Forest fee. Then there are many other campsites that are not on any maps or on the website. Basically, you take the side roads and look for a fire ring.

We got there late last night, and that made it pretty difficult to find a site. Most of the sites in the pay campgrounds were taken or right on top of each other. And even the back road sites were crowded. So, we found one that we thought was a good site on top of a ridge. Well, we woke up to find that our site was in the middle of a switchback, so the road circled our site. As a girl camping w/o facilities, this was a bit of a problem (especially to the two vehicles that saw more of me than they probably wanted to).

Anyway, there are some nice sites up there, but I highly recommend going during the day and from the looks of this weekend, better go on Friday. That's my report... My sister wants to go camping when she comes out for Thanksgiving. So, maybe I'll try one of the southern areas.

[Subie]

Originally Posted by mdtoaz

First, thanks AZhiker - I couldn't rep you, but I tried. And thanks Subie (does your sign on indicate you drive a Subaru? topic for a different thread)

Yes I do :P

[mdtoaz]

Originally Posted by Subie

Yes I do :P

Well, cheers to a fellow subaru driver.
I've got a baja that I love, love, love!

[debcost]

I just spent a week tent camping at Chiricahua National Monument. I did alot of hiking there and Fort Bowie is a must see. Weather was in the 80's, bring bug spray, the mosquito's were vicious. Organ Pipe National Monument is also very nice to camp at and the weather will still be warm.

[Subie]

Originally Posted by mdtoaz

Well, cheers to a fellow subaru driver.
I've got a baja that I love, love, love!

I have a 93 Impreza that I love as well, but unfotunately is dead and needs a fuel pump