Good car camping options?

[rally_toad]

Hey guys,
Me and some friends were gonna go car camping in a week or two. I dont really do too much car camping, I mostly backpack when I camp except when I go to Joshua Tree np or to a state park with my family. So anyway I was looking for a good place to camp, accessible by a passenger car, somewhere up in the higher elevations, with preferably some good dayhikes in the area. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[azbackpackr]

There are literally hundreds of at-large campsites on the gravel Forest Roads near Hannagan Meadows, Mexican Hay Lake, Green's Peak, Water Canyon and other areas of the White Mountains.

If you want an actual campground, there are several that often don't fill up: Los Burros (near McNary), South Fork (between Eagar and Greer) and Hannagan (just south of the Lodge.) Hannagan is free. The other two do charge a fee. All three are next to very nice trails. South Fork Trail has two forks, can give you a total of about 20 miles of hiking. Los Burros loop trail leads into other trails, and is great for mtn. biking. Hannagan Meadow is the hub of many, many trails that lead off the rim to the Blue Primitive Area to the east or to the tributaries of the Black River to the west.

South Fork Campground, with a creek running right by all the campsites, did not fill up over the 4th of July weekend.

You can also go down along the Black River, but it is warmer because of being at a lower elevation--6500 to 7500 or so. If you want cool, you need to stay above 8,000 feet or so.

[PaleoRob]

If you want to go up to Utah, Duck Creek is an excellent car-camping option this time of year, with some awesome hikes nearby, 8-9k feet and a flowing trout stream. It does often fill up though.

[rally_toad]

Thanks for the suggestions. Utah is a bit farther than I'd like to drive for this trip, but I'll keep it in mind for the future as Im in Utah almost every year.

Right now Im thinking about either Lockett Meadow, the Haigler Creek area, or Hannagan Meadow. Im trying to decide how far I'm willing to drive.

[joebartels]

Car camping in Arizona doesn't get much better than Lockett Meadow!

[chumley]

You may want to try the area around Aztec Peak. There's Reynolds and Workman Creeks, dispersed camping and also a couple of campgrounds depending on what you're looking for. I believe that the road to the top is now open which might make for a good spot to set up camp (but then there's not much left to hike).

Perhaps the easiest and quickest to get to would be the Rim Road north of Payson. It's sedan-accessible, with endless side-roads if you are looking for more solitude. As for the hikes, there's always the Cabin Loop, as well as easy (and very crowded) hikes around several of the lakes, and some more adventurous backpack-type hikes in a couple of the canyons up there (Chevelon and Woods come to mind)

And you can't go wrong with heading up Mt. Graham either. But if you're going to drive that far, I think I would choose the White Mtns.

[nonot]

Keep in mind the monsoons are coming, but other than that there's lots of places near Flagstaff, Sedona, and on the Rim that have great car camping spots. Lockett Meadow has limited spots and no reservations, something to think about, especially since its popular when it's so hot in Phoenix.

[azbackpackr]

Monsoons are HERE up in my neighborhood! We hike anyway!

[PaleoRob]

Monsoons are HERE up in my neighborhood! We hike anyway!

Amen - it is finally starting to cut the heat up here with the storms. Yay!

[chumley]

the monsoons

Pet peeve of mine ... "Monsoon" is a season. It's like saying "The autumns are coming." Makes no sense. However, monsoon storms have arrived. I was up on the rim over the weekend, and it rained Thurs, Fri, and most of Sunday. Occasionally some steady rain (and even some small hail), but mostly just light drizzle and relaxing sounds of low rolling thunder. Along with the pitter-patter of raindrops on the tarp and the 55°F made for a couple of perfect afternoon naps! (Unfortunately, I watched that thermometer reading rise 50 degrees in just over two hours. )

[nonot]

Monsoon is a synonym for storm for anyone who hasn't lived in Arizona all their life and isn't scared of water falling from the sky. Monsoon as a season, ha, you'll be laughed at anywhere else in the world. Most people would call "Monsoon season" a series of thunderstorms!

[te_wa]

monsoon is a wind that changes direction, seasonally. I thought you knew that! so, there is a monsoon season. perfectly acceptible definition.
see wikipedia or Webster's

I was up there too, Chum and I thought the weather was great. 75 for a high, and the Brown trout were bitin!

so, for car camping recommendations, Lockett Meadow recieves very little traffic. I was so surprised at that fact being as it is so close to Flagstaff. Haigler might be a) too hot and b) littered with bud light cans. I think some of the camp spots in the Sierra Ancha are pretty good ones too.

[azbackpackr]

Hmmm.... I was talking to an old Arizonan one time, who told me that everyone used to just call it the "summer thunderstorm season" or something generic like that. He said that the news media started calling it the "monsoon season" and it stuck. He was a bit contemptuous of this term, AND of the news media. I got the impression this term change started sometime in the 1950's or so. Anyone here old enough to remember, or could ask a grandparent?