SP Campground Review – Picacho Peak State Park, Eloy AZ
Link to campground here: Picacho Peak State Park, AZ
Link to map location here: Picacho Peak State Park, AZ
- Site Quality = 4.5/5
Extremely nice sites here with just a minor ding. The campground is arranged in 3 main circular loops (A, B, C). A-loop seems slightly newer than B/C loop and has some nicer pavement, perhaps a bit more “desert green” (C loop seems the “barest”) and several covered sitting areas, but otherwise all 3 loops are very similar. All sites are paved, either back-in or pull-through and offer electric 20/30/50 Amp only (NO water, NO sewer). Sitting areas are large cleared-out spaces in the desert, nicely bounded with rocks that contain picnic table and fire-pit and they are either right next to your site or behind it (depending on the site). Sites themselves are extremely spacious (especially the back-in sites which are almost all double-width in size -> we could easily have fit 2 “beasts” side-by-side in ours!) and they all have excellent separation and lovely views of the desert and mountains. Only minor ding is that all 3 loops are built on a long slope so pull-through sites are rather uneven and more difficult to level. However back-in sites are almost all nicely level. If given the choice, I recommend a back-in. Also I do think sites on the outside of the loops are somewhat nicer than sites on the inside since you have no-one behind you to mar the view. However all sites are really quite lovely and you’d be hard pressed to go wrong here.
Note/ The campground also has 2 group areas, reservable separately from the A/B/C main loops. - Facilities = 3.5/5
Good facilities here. There are 2 large facility buildings in the campground with bathrooms & showers. Bathrooms are large and kept nicely clean. Showers are large individual rooms with separate bench area and good water pressure and temperature. Only ding is they have those annoying spray heads, but otherwise they are quite nice. There is also on-site dump station, potable water and small book-swap. - Location = 3.5/5
This is a bit of an “out there” location. Picacho Peak has lovely trails and views, but there is really not much else out here. Casa Grande is ~30 miles north and Tucson is a good ~40 miles south so it’s best to stock-up before you come and plan to stay here for the duration of your stay. Also you are *somewhat* close to the I-10 here so you do hear *some* road traffic from your campsite. It’s not a ton, but it is there. - Pet Friendliness = 5/5
Another fabulous pooch park. Lots of space to hang out in camp plus plenty of dog-friendly trails (the only trails you can’t really do with doggie are the ones up the front face of Picacho Peak that require cables). Also not much cholla around, so pretty decent for paws on the ground.
Overall Rating = 4.1
BONUS ALERT = Camp will full view of gorgeous Picacho Peak!
Summary: We chose this park for a 2-day stop-over on Valentine’s weekend and it worked out great. Picacho Peak is a bit “out there” lying ~30 miles south of Casa Grande and ~40 miles north of Tucson, but it’s easily accessed off the I-10 and offers some lovely views & hiking trails in a pretty desert environment. Sites are arranged in 3 circular loops (A, B, C) and are electric only (50 Amp), but they are all extremely spacious, have lovely “sitting areas” and offer excellent separation (even when the park is full you will not feel cramped here). You have *some* road-noise from I-10, but otherwise the park is peaceful and since the loops are built on a slope almost every site has superb views of both Picacho Peak and the surrounding area. The park also seems to be very popular, so if coming in winter I would definitely recommend reservations! Lots of fabulous hiking trails around Picacho Peak including some trails that require cables for those brave enough to do them. Not much else to visit in the immediate area, but it’s a good spot to just veg and hang. We enjoyed our short stay and would certainly come back to “hang out” if we were passing through the area again.
Extra Info: Good cell signal (3 bars ATT LTE, 3 bars Verizon LTE). There is also on-site WiFi, but you need to pay for it ($3,95/day, $14.95/week -> we didn’t try it). 85 reservable sites with electric only. Sites cost $30/night in main loops (there is also a separate group area). On-site dump station and potable water.
Picacho is one of our favorite layover parks as well as a place to rest and enjoy the wildflowers for which it is well known. One thing you forgot to mention is the near constant train traffic on the other side of I-10 which if the wind is from the wrong direction is louder than the highway noise. All in all a great place though.
I have to admit we didn’t notice the train traffic, although we did hear road noise. Of course the wind might have been blowing the other way when we were there!
Nina
I totally enjoyed the Civil War reenactment last year.
I read about that on the park website, but it wasn’t happening while we were there. Good to know its fun!
Nina
Always enjoy your information! Thanks U2
Good Timing FMCA just did a article on Picacho Peak State Park and it is for sure added to our Bucket List. We love Arizona especially this time of the year….
LeeB
I’ll have to check out that article. Definitely reserve if you want to come here though…it’s getting popular!
Nina
Darn don’t like having to make reservations…… Maybe when we get a day away, if they are full, Oh Well I am sure we will find somewhere, we are learning to to use BLM
It’s rare for us to make winter reservations in AZ (we typically boondock in the desert), but we’d heard so much about this particular park that we wanted to try it out. They do seem to have spots open for 1-2 nights pretty regularly, so you might get lucky passing through. Plus it’s right off I-10 so it’s easy to check as you drive past.
Nina
We enjoyed our first time visit to Picacho before Christmas….we were in B-14 and had lovely views. We could see I-10 and hear a distant sound, but it didn’t cause us a minute’s pause. As a matter of fact, the ribbon of lights at night were really interesting to watch in the distance. I agree, though, there isn’t much near it, nothing at all. We enjoyed being able to walk Lewis out into the desert as far as we liked right from our site.
Where are you headed next?
Yeah it was a great spot for doggie, plus surprisingly few people on the trails (at least the long ones around the back of the Peak). Polly loved it.
We’re hanging in Benson for a while to do some upgrades, then likely back West to our coastal plans.
Nina
I live in the southern part of Phoenix. I headed down to Picacho Peak last Halloween to avoid the candy-giving ritual. It was a great time to visit :-). The park fills up for the Civil War event.
If you haven’t already tried it, check out Mi Casa Mexican food restaurant in Benson. A little hole in the wall (don’t let the chain link fence fool you), but it puts out gourmet quality plates. Wife is the chef and hubby takes care of service. It’s a hidden gem and I go in there every time I pass by!
Oh yeah we LOVE Mi Casa in Benson. Already been once and will prob go at least once more before we leave.
Nina
Loved hiking at Picacho Peak. Thanks for info on staying there.
We were there last month, spent 5 days, and wrote a review for Campendium. We loved it there, although we DID NOT venture up the Bartlett Loop trail straight up the front of Picacho Peak. Not quite ready for,that yet. 🙂
Neither did we. I’m waaaay too wimpy for that kind of hiking/climbing. We did do the long loop around the back with doggie. That was enjoyable and more our speed.
Nina
If you prefer FHU sites for a dollar more a night, Picacho Peak RV Resort is a mile down the road and still on the base of the mountain. Sites are fairly large and they have all the resort type amenities. A big plus is the RO filtered water that serves the entire park. Been here a week. Going to Yuma for a couple weeks, then coming back for a month. Check it out!
Nice tip! We noticed that park on the way out, but didn’t go in to check it out. RO water is quite a treat in the SW desert.
Nina
Excellent review, especially with the photos.
We are getting ready to hit the road for a trial “full time Rving” once the house and stuff sell. (Thanks for those great informative articles!) Heading down to Az first so thanks for the great review of the park. BTY, were you concerned about snakes hiking or sitting around the campsite? I’m deathly afraid for me and my Maltese. Just seeing one and I’ll need CPR!
In winter the snakes are in hibernation so I don’t really worry about them during that time. Once it starts to get warm in spring-time you may start seeing snakes. We keep Polly close and generally head north (and out of the desert) once that happens.
Nina
Well, it’s true that snakes are in hibernation during the winter, but since our winter has turned warm, they are out. You are lucky you didn’t come in contact with one on your stay. We live in Tucson and the rattlers are out. The last time I ran into a snake it was at the movie set out there in Benson, so be aware. Thanks for the review, wonderful as always. Can’t wait to hear about the upgrades.
Nice review about a great place. It should be noted that anywhere you stay that is within a 1/2 mile of I10 is noisy at times. We have hiked Picacho several times and the views from the south side are tremendous.
Are you allowed to shoot snakes if they come close to you? I do not like snakes at all but love the west.
No. It’s illegal (pretty much everywhere) to shoot a snake unless it’s posing a direct threat, and even under threat you could be in trouble. Many types of snake are on the protected species list so unless you really know the species you could be committing a federal crime. Also many places (ALL Arizona State Parks, for example) just don’t allow you to discharge a gun, period. It depends entirely on the local land laws.
In general snakes are best just left alone. If you don’t bother them, they don’t bother you. If they pose a problem, call Animal Control and they’ll handle it, otherwise it’s best to just steer clear and leave them alone.
Nina