valentine ridge campground?

[joshyboy1369]

anyone heard of it?? im going there in 2 weeks! tell me what you thought!

[te_wa]

http://www.hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=928

this is just down the hill. follow the fisherman's path

[chumley]

Valentine Ridge campground is adjacent to the very-well traveled Young Road. Its also right on the edge of the Rodeo-Chediski fire burn area, so there's a lot of clear-burn dead n' down for miles and miles. It's also adjacent to some high-voltage power lines which I personally try to avoid on my weekends "in nature".

The campground itself was not burned, so there's still some ponderosa there, and depending on the hunting season you shouldn't find it to be too crowded. If you don't mind the 5 mile additional dirt road drive, I recommend either Upper Canyon Creek Campground near the hike te-wa linked to above, or Airplane Flat, which is in a very, very dense strand of pine. Airplane is especially nice in the summer, because it gets absolutely no sun. (Apparently a plane crashed there many years ago, but I've never found any evidence or actual facts to back that up.)

Valentine Ridge is at the top of the ridge, while the other two are down in the valley below. There are great views to be had all around. I find the two valley campgrounds to be a bit more "remote" feeling, though you'll encounter other campers at all three. UCC is within a short walk to the creek, so that is a plus for some people.

You can get more details on all three of them via google. Narrow your search by including "Tonto National Forest" and the campground name.