Camping near Carefree, Arizona

Camping near Carefree, Arizona includes 5 public campgrounds on record, 4 reservable and 1 first-come. All are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, Ccc Campground, is 11 miles from Carefree in a straight line, and 3 of 5 are within 15 miles. 3 stay open all year. Another 7 public campgrounds filed under nearby towns are within 30 miles of Carefree.

Ccc Campground

Cave Creek Group Mesquite

Riverside

Horseshoe

Camping near Carefree at a glance

Public campgrounds: 5 (5 National Forest)
Getting a site: 4 reservable and 1 first-come
Cost: Lowest posted fee at Ccc Campground: "Single Site: $16 per night"
Distance from Carefree: 11 miles (Ccc Campground) to 16 miles (Horseshoe) in a straight line; 3 within 15 miles
Elevation: 1,800 ft (Riverside) to 3,400 ft (Cave Creek Group), 5 of 5 on record
Season: 3 open all year
Campsites: 15 across the 4 campgrounds that state a count
RVs: 2 take RVs; no hookups on record; longest stated RV length 16 ft (Ccc Campground)

Distances are straight-line miles from Carefree's point in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2025), not driving distances. Every other fact comes from each campground's own sourced record, linked from its page.

First-come Ccc Campground Carefree · National Forest · 10.5 mi

Agency: National Forest
Sites: Not on record
Season: Year-round
Fee: Single Site: $16 per night

Reservable Cave Creek Group Carefree · National Forest · 10.9 mi

Agency: National Forest
Sites: 1
Season: Not on record
Fee: Overnight Use:

Reservable Mesquite Carefree · National Forest · 14.9 mi

Agency: National Forest
Sites: 12
Season: Year-round
Fee: Single Site: $16 per night

Reservable Riverside Carefree · National Forest · 15.3 mi

Agency: National Forest
Sites: 1
Season: Year-round
Fee: Single Site: $16 per night

Reservable Horseshoe Carefree · National Forest · 15.5 mi

Agency: National Forest
Sites: 1
Season: Not on record
Fee: Single Site: $16 per night

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More campgrounds within 30 miles of Carefree

Cave Creek Regional Park Campground, 6.1 miles from Carefree in a straight line , County , reservable ($40/night developed site (2026 rate), plus a $10 reservation fee); listed under camping near Cave Creek.
E.I. Rowland Campground, 14 miles from Carefree in a straight line , County , reservable ($40/night developed site (2026 rate), plus a $10 reservation fee); listed under camping near Fountain Hills.
Ironwood Campground, 15 miles from Carefree in a straight line , County , reservable ($25/night semi-developed site (2026 rate), plus a $10 reservation fee); listed under camping near Fountain Hills.
Roadrunner Campground, 21 miles from Carefree in a straight line , County , reservable ($40/night developed site (2026 rate), plus a $10 reservation fee); listed under camping near Peoria.
Desert Tortoise Campground, 23 miles from Carefree in a straight line , County , reservable ($40/night developed, $25/night semi-developed (2026 rates), plus a $10 reservation fee); listed under camping near Peoria.
Larry Forbis Group Campground, 27 miles from Carefree in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Group Site: $75 per night); listed under camping near Mesa.
Usery Mountain Regional Park Campground, 29 miles from Carefree in a straight line , County , reservable ($40/night developed site (2026 rate), plus a $10 reservation fee); listed under camping near Mesa.

Things to do near Carefree

Public land and water within 30 miles of Carefree, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.

Cave Creek Trailhead, at Ccc Campground (11 miles from Carefree): The nearby Cave Creek Trailhead follows the Cave Creek riparian corridor, popular for bird watching; hikers and equestrians park at the trailhead north of the campground.
Tonto National Forest, all 5 campgrounds here sit inside this national forest, the nearest Ccc Campground at 11 miles from Carefree; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
Verde River, at Riverside (15 miles from Carefree): Campsites sit along the Verde River not far from Bartlett Dam, with river fishing; motor boats are not allowed.
Horseshoe Reservoir water level, a reservoir whose mapped point is 16 miles from Carefree; current water level on reservoirfinder.com.
Bartlett Lake water level, a reservoir whose mapped point is 16 miles from Carefree; current water level on reservoirfinder.com.
Bartlett Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 17 miles from Carefree; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Lake Pleasant fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 22 miles from Carefree; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
Agua Fria National Monument, a BLM unit whose mapped point is 27 miles from Carefree; its camping rule, field office, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Mazatzal Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 28 miles from Carefree; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Castle Hot Springs, a hot spring whose mapped point is 28 miles from Carefree; soaking details on swimholesmap.com.

Supplies and emergencies near Carefree

Nearest emergency room: Honorhealth Scottsdale Thompson Peak Med Ctr, 7400 E Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ, 11 miles from Carefree , (480) 324-7001. Next nearest: Mayo Clinic Hospital, 5777 E Mayo Blvd, Phoenix, AZ, 11 miles, (480) 342-4201. Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) . In an emergency, call 911.

Groceries: Bashas' supermarket · 0.6 miles
Shell convenience store · 0.6 miles
Desert Donkey general store · 0.7 miles
Fuel: Shell fuel station · 0.6 miles
Safeway fuel station · 3 miles
Chevron fuel station · 3.4 miles
Propane: Super Pumper propane dealer · 6.8 miles
Arizona Gas Products propane dealer · 13 miles
Costco Propane propane dealer · 16 miles
RV dump station: Super Pumper RV dump station · 6.8 miles
E. I. Rowland Campground campground · 14 miles
Pharmacy: Walgreens pharmacy · 2 miles
CVS Pharmacy pharmacy · 3 miles
CVS Pharmacy pharmacy · 3.2 miles
Laundromat: Laundry Room laundromat · 15 miles
Country Clean Laundry & Dry laundromat · 19 miles
Suntown Cleaners laundromat · 20 miles

Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Carefree: potable water fill and ice. Stores, fuel, propane, dump stations, water fill, laundromats, and pharmacies are the nearest few mapped within 25 miles, straight-line, © OpenStreetMap contributors (data as of 2026-09-29; this extract under the ODbL). Hours are as mapped; call ahead.

Common questions

Where can I camp around Carefree, AZ?

5 public campgrounds are on record near Carefree. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Ccc Campground (11 miles), Cave Creek Group (11 miles), Mesquite (15 miles), Riverside (15 miles), and 1 more. 4 book through Recreation.gov and 1 is first-come, first-served with no reservations.

Is there free camping near Carefree, AZ?

Not at a developed campground: each of the 5 public campgrounds on record near Carefree charges a fee, listed in the table.

Where can I camp with an RV near Carefree, AZ?

2 campgrounds near Carefree take RVs: Ccc Campground and Riverside. None has hookups on record. The nearest mapped RV dump station is at Super Pumper, 6.8 miles from town (OpenStreetMap).

Are there year-round campgrounds near Carefree, AZ?

Yes: Ccc Campground, Mesquite, and Riverside are open all year, per the managing agency. The rest are seasonal or have no season on record.

Where can I camp near a lake around Carefree, AZ?

Riverside sits on Bartlett Lake.

Where is the nearest emergency room to Carefree, AZ?

Honorhealth Scottsdale Thompson Peak Med Ctr, 7400 E Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ, is 11 miles from Carefree in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (480) 324-7001. In an emergency, call 911.

Every campground in the state: camping in Arizona ; by agency: National Forest campgrounds in Arizona ; by county: campgrounds in Maricopa .