Preview: Payson is in the center of the mountain country made famous by western writer Zane Grey, who often wrote from a small cabin close under the 2,000-foot escarpment of the Mogollon Rim. Just an hour-and-a-half drive from Phoenix, the Payson area is a popular summer retreat. The Mazatzal Wilderness, one of the largest in the state, bounds the area on the west. Containing the northern half of the Mazatzal Mountains, this craggy range has miles of hiking trails for the backcountry walker. The smaller Hellsgate Wilderness contains Tonto and Haigler Creeks, which form deep, rugged canyons. Miles of forest roads and trails are open to mountain bikers. Probably the best known trail is the Highline National Recreation Trail, which winds under the Mogollon Rim for miles. And yes, there are campgrounds! In addition to the standard Forest Service campgrounds listed here, the Tonto National Forest has a number of small, primitive campsites scattered through the forest. And, you can camp dispersed nearly anywhere in the forest. Campgrounds included in this eTrail are: Clints Well, Blue Ridge, Rock Crossing, Kehl Springs, Knoll Lake, Houston Mesa, Lower Tonto Creek, Upper Tonto Creek, Ponderosa, Christopher Creek, Sharp Creek, Valentine Ridge.
© Copyright Bruce Grubbs published by Falcon Publishing all rights reserved.
Duration: 12 separate campgrounds
Best Time to Go: All year, but many only open spring to fall
This travel guide comes from:
Camping Arizona Guide Book
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Date of Trip: 6/23/2006
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Review:
We camped near Bear Canyon Lake in a dispersed camping spot, were not the campground kind of people. The camping was good, a little crowded due to closing of the Coconino Forest. We went fishing at both Bear Canyon Lake and Woods Canyon Lake. Bear Canyon was a little harder to get to, steep walk down and not much shore line to fish from. Woods Canyon was much easier to get too, but too busy for our taste. We took a drive to Knoll Lake, it was closed because it lies in Coconino, however the drive was beautiful. There were spots with beautiful views of the Rim, it was worth the drive even though we never made it to the lake. We will definately go back to this area camping again.
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