Arizona camping runs from saguaro desert and Colorado River beaches to the pine forests of the Mogollon Rim and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Desert state parks fill from fall through spring, the high country fills in summer, and Grand Canyon’s Mather Campground is busy most of the year. Here are the campgrounds that fill first, how full they are right now, and how to time your booking.
Availability updated . Booking rules checked .
Automatic add-to-cart works at Arizona State Parks and Recreation.gov campgrounds — when a sold-out site is cancelled, Campsite Tonight puts it in your cart.
Ways to camp in Arizona
Arizona campgrounds are run by several different agencies, and each books on its own system with its own rules. Here is who runs what, and where to book it.
State parks
Lost Dutchman, Catalina, Lake Havasu, Dead Horse Ranch
- Book on:
- Arizona State Parks
- Opens:
- 365 days ahead
Auto add-to-cart58 campgrounds
National parks & monuments
Grand Canyon (Mather), Organ Pipe Cactus, Chiricahua
- Book on:
- Recreation.gov
- Opens:
- 6 months ahead at most campgrounds
Auto add-to-cart10 campgrounds
National forests
Coconino (Sedona and Flagstaff), Tonto, Apache-Sitgreaves, Coronado
- Book on:
- Recreation.gov
- Opens:
- 6 months ahead at most campgrounds
Auto add-to-cart134 campgrounds
Lake Powell & Lake Mead
Glen Canyon and Lake Mead national recreation areas
- Book on:
- Recreation.gov
- Opens:
- 6 months ahead at most campgrounds
Auto add-to-cart10 campgrounds
BLM land
Painted Rock Petroglyph, Burro Creek, the Parker Strip
- Book on:
- Recreation.gov
- Opens:
- 6 months ahead at most campgrounds
Auto add-to-cart9 campgrounds
- State parks
- National parks & monuments
- National forests
- Lake Powell & Lake Mead
- BLM land
- Other campgrounds
Arizona also has county park campgrounds (Maricopa and Pima counties run several), tribal lands such as Havasupai that issue their own permits, free dispersed camping on national forest and BLM land, and private RV parks.
Arizona campgrounds that fill up first
The campgrounds where opening-day timing and cancellation alerts matter most.
National parkMather Campground
South Rim, Grand Canyon
Pine-shaded sites in Grand Canyon Village, the main campground on the South Rim and open all year. Spring through fall dates often go soon after release.
Recreation.gov · Auto add-to-cart
Catalina State Park
Tucson
Saguaros and trailheads at the foot of the Santa Catalina Mountains on Tucson’s north side. The hardest Arizona state park to book in winter.
Arizona State Parks · Auto add-to-cart
Lake Havasu State Park
Lake Havasu City
Lakeside camping at Windsor Beach, minutes from London Bridge. Busy with winter visitors and spring boaters.
Arizona State Parks · Auto add-to-cart
Lost Dutchman State Park
Apache Junction, near Phoenix
Desert camping below the Superstition Mountains, with trails leaving right from the campground. Winter and spring weekends book up early.
Arizona State Parks · Auto add-to-cart
Buckskin Mountain State Park
Parker, Colorado River
Riverfront sites on the Parker Strip of the Colorado River, popular with boaters and winter visitors.
Arizona State Parks · Auto add-to-cart
Cattail Cove State Park
South of Lake Havasu City
A quieter cove on Lake Havasu’s Arizona shore, with lakeside sites and a boat ramp. Fills up through winter and spring.
Arizona State Parks · Auto add-to-cart
Dead Horse Ranch State Park
Cottonwood, near Sedona
Shady camping on the Verde River, about half an hour from Sedona. Fall and spring are its busiest seasons.
Arizona State Parks · Auto add-to-cart
Kartchner Caverns State Park
Benson, near Tucson
Camp next to a living limestone cave, with guided tours of its Big Room and Throne Room. Busiest in winter and spring.
Arizona State Parks · Auto add-to-cart
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Auto add-to-cart: when a site opens for your dates, Campsite Tonight puts it in your cart on the official booking site, and you just check out. Cancellation alerts: you get an instant notification and book the site yourself.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Mather by Grand Canyon National Park (CC BY 2.0); Catalina by dconvertini (CC BY-SA 2.0); Lake Havasu by Dorian Wallender (CC BY-SA 2.0); Lost Dutchman by dconvertini (CC BY-SA 2.0); Buckskin Mountain by tiz_of_thee (CC0); Cattail Cove by Ahuka (CC BY-SA 2.0); Dead Horse Ranch by Benjamin Cody (CC BY-SA 3.0); Kartchner Caverns by Mike Lewis (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How booked up are Arizona's top campgrounds?
Open sites each night, Oct 22 – Nov 20, from the availability Campsite Tonight checks throughout the day (last checked Oct 22, 5:09 AM MST). Friday and Saturday nights are outlined.
Buckskin Mountain State Park is fully sold out on 1 of the next 30 nights (through November 20). Weekends are tightest at Catalina State Park: about 9% of its sites are open on an average Friday or Saturday night. Dead Horse Ranch State Park is next, at 10%. Cattail Cove State Park has the most room, at 41%.
| Campground | T 22 | F 23 | S 24 | S 25 | M 26 | T 27 | W 28 | T 29 | F 30 | S 31 | S 1 | M 2 | T 3 | W 4 | T 5 | F 6 | S 7 | S 8 | M 9 | T 10 | W 11 | T 12 | F 13 | S 14 | S 15 | M 16 | T 17 | W 18 | T 19 | F 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MatherNational park No current data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Catalina Weekends: 9% of sites open | 6 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lake Havasu Weekends: 19% of sites open | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lost Dutchman Weekends: 18% of sites open | 13 | 12 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buckskin Mountain Weekends: 21% of sites open | 5 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cattail Cove Weekends: 41% of sites open | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dead Horse Ranch Weekends: 10% of sites open | 11 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kartchner Caverns Weekends: 40% of sites open | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Swipe to see all 30 nights →
Weekend Availability in Arizona
592 sites available across 37 campgrounds for Oct 23 - 25
MOST IN-DEMAND (LIMITED AVAILABILITY):
When to book a campsite in Arizona
Each booking system opens dates a set number of months ahead on a rolling basis, so a new day becomes bookable every day. Here is how far ahead each one opens, the latest check-in date you can book today, and what you get back if you cancel.
- Before 2 p.m. the day before arrival
- Refund minus $20; the $3.60 booking fee is kept
- After that
- You also lose the first night
Cabins: the deadline is 2 p.m. two days before. No-shows by noon the next day lose everything. Two free changes per booking.
- 2 or more days before arrival
- Refund minus $10
- Day before or day of arrival
- You lose $10 and the first night
Cabins and group sites: the late rule starts 14 days out. No-shows lose $20 and the first night.
| Booking system | Who | Book up to | Tips | Latest check-in date | Cancellation policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State Parks | Everyone | 365 days Book at least 1 day before arrival | October 22, 2027 |
Cabins: the deadline is 2 p.m. two days before. No-shows by noon the next day lose everything. Two free changes per booking. | |
| Recreation.gov | Everyone | 6 months Most campgrounds, including Mather; some use shorter windows | Book at 10:00 a.m. Eastern (usually) | April 22, 2027 |
Cabins and group sites: the late rule starts 14 days out. No-shows lose $20 and the first night. |
Checked against Arizona State Parks: Reservation and Cancellation Policies, Recreation.gov FAQ, Recreation.gov reservation policies and Mather Campground on Recreation.gov on October 16, 2026. Rules can change, so confirm on the official site before you book.
Booking tips
- Recreation.gov usually releases new dates at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. Arizona doesn’t change its clocks, so that’s 7:00 a.m. in Arizona from March to early November and 8:00 a.m. the rest of the year.
- Arizona State Parks open dates a full year ahead, and reservations close the day before arrival.
- Peak-season weekends at Arizona State Parks have a two-night minimum, and every campsite or cabin cancellation costs $20, so book the dates you’ll actually use.
- Arizona has two camping seasons. Desert and Colorado River parks fill from fall through spring; the high country around Flagstaff, the Mogollon Rim and the White Mountains fills in summer.
- Sold out isn’t final. Plans change and sites reopen all season, so set alerts for your dates instead of checking by hand.
What cancellations look like
- 49%of Recreation.gov openings are for arrivals within 3 days, so last-minute trips to federal campgrounds are often possible.
- ~56sites a day reopened at Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite, one of the hardest campgrounds in the country to book, and 31% were for arrivals within 3 days.
- 69%of openings are for stays of 4 nights or more. Cancellations usually free up whole trips, not stray single nights.
Last 30 days, across 57 Recreation.gov campgrounds Campsite Tonight users are watching. See when cancellations appear for the full study.
Cabins and group camping in Arizona
Cabins
Arizona campgrounds with cabins, including:
Group camping
Group sites for scout troops, families and clubs, including:
Parks in Arizona
View all 35 →Camping by city
View all 51 →Arizona camping FAQ
How far in advance can you book an Arizona State Park campsite?
Up to 365 days in advance, and no later than the day before you arrive. Book online at azstateparks.com or call 877-MY-PARKS (877-697-2757), 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Stays are limited to 14 nights in any 30-day period at each park, and peak-season weekends have a two-night minimum.
What does it cost to cancel an Arizona State Parks reservation?
Arizona State Parks charges a $20 fee on every campsite and cabin cancellation.
How far in advance can you book Mather Campground at the Grand Canyon?
Up to 6 months in advance on Recreation.gov. Mather is on the South Rim in Grand Canyon Village and is open all year. New dates usually release at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, and spring, summer and fall dates often go within minutes.
When is camping season in Arizona?
It depends on elevation. Low-desert parks like Catalina, Lost Dutchman and those on the Colorado River are busiest from October through April, when the weather is mild. The high country around Flagstaff, the Mogollon Rim and the White Mountains is busiest from May through September, and many campgrounds there close in winter.
How do I get a campsite at a sold-out Arizona campground?
Watch for cancellations. Booked sites reopen when campers cancel or change dates. Campsite Tonight monitors sold-out Arizona State Parks and Recreation.gov campgrounds 24/7 and can automatically add an open site to your cart the moment one appears, so you only need to check out.
Are there campsites available this weekend in Arizona?
Yes! There are currently 592 campsites available this weekend across 37 campgrounds in Arizona. The most in-demand campgrounds with availability include Potato Patch Campground at Prescott National Forest, Main Campground at Lost Dutchman, Red-Tailed Hawk Loop Campground at Dead Horse Ranch.
Get the Arizona campsite everyone else missed
Campsite Tonight watches sold-out Arizona campgrounds around the clock and, at State Parks and Recreation.gov campgrounds, adds the open site to your cart the moment someone cancels. Free on iOS and Android.