Camping near Payson, Arizona
Camping near Payson, Arizona includes 16 public campgrounds on record, 11 reservable and 5 first-come. All are run by the U.S. Forest Service. The nearest, Houston Mesa Group, is 1.7 miles from Payson in a straight line, and 2 of 16 are within 15 miles. 3 are free, and 1 stays open all year. Another 22 public campgrounds filed under nearby towns are within 30 miles of Payson.
Houston Mesa Group Houston Mesa Campground 
Knoll Lake 
Long Valley Group Campground Mogollon Campground 
Aspen Campground 
Crook Campground
Knoll Lake Long Valley Group Campground Mogollon Campground Aspen Campground Crook Campground Camping near Payson at a glance
- Public campgrounds
- 16 (16 National Forest)
- Getting a site
- 11 reservable and 5 first-come
- Cost
- 3 free; lowest posted fee at Gentry Campground: "Single Site $18 per night; Group Site $90 per night (up to 50 people and 6 vehicles)"
- Distance from Payson
- 1.7 miles (Houston Mesa Group) to 35 miles (Gentry Campground) in a straight line; 2 within 15 miles
- Elevation
- 5,100 ft (Houston Mesa Group) to 7,725 ft (Gentry Campground), 13 of 16 on record
- Season
- 1 open all year, 9 seasonal with posted dates
- Campsites
- 440 across the 11 campgrounds that state a count
- RVs
- 14 take RVs; hookups at Houston Mesa Group and Canyon Point Campground; longest stated RV length 99 ft (Houston Mesa Campground)
- Drinking water
- 7 of 16
Distances are straight-line miles from Payson'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.
Reservable Houston Mesa Group First-come Knoll Lake Reservable Long Valley Group Campground Reservable Aspen Campground Reservable Crook Campground 
First-come Spillway Group Campground 
Reservable Spillway Campground 
Reservable Rim Campground 
Reservable Sinkhole Campground 
Reservable Gentry Campground
- Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Group Site with electric hook-up: $170 per night
- Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 86
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $29 per night
First-come Knoll Lake - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Mid-May to Early September
- Fee
- Single Site: $20 per night (up to 8 people and 2 vehicles)
Reservable Long Valley Group Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 1
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Overnight Use:
- Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 26
- Season
- May 1 to Columbus Day weekend
- Fee
- Single Site: $18 per night
Reservable Aspen Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 132
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $35 per night
Reservable Crook Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 2
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $25 per night
First-come Spillway Group Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- May 1 to October 31
- Fee
- Group site non-electric $185 per night, includes 25 people and six vehicles
Reservable Spillway Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 24
- Season
- May 1 to October 31
- Fee
- Single Site: $36 per night; $12 per additional vehicle
Reservable Rim Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 26
- Season
- May 1 to Columbus Day weekend
- Fee
- Single Site: $18 per night; $12 per additional vehicle
Reservable Sinkhole Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 26
- Season
- May 1 to October 31
- Fee
- Single Site: $25 per night; $12 per additional vehicle
- Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Year-round
- Fee
- Free
- Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 102
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $38 per night (up to 8 people and 1 vehicle)
- Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- April to October
- Fee
- Free
- Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 10
- Season
- April 1 to November 1
- Fee
- Free
Reservable Gentry Campground - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 5
- Season
- May 1 to Columbus Day
- Fee
- Single Site $18 per night; Group Site $90 per night (up to 50 people and 6 vehicles)
No campgrounds match.
More campgrounds within 30 miles of Payson
- Ponderosa Campground, 12 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $22 per night; Group Site: $100 per night); listed under camping near Star Valley.
- Ponderosa Group, 12 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Group Site: $100 per night); listed under camping near Star Valley.
- Kehl Springs, 13 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $8 per night); listed under camping near Washington Park.
- Lower Tonto Creek, 14 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $20 per night); listed under camping near Star Valley.
- Upper Tonto Creek, 14 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $20 per night); listed under camping near Star Valley.
- Christopher Creek Campground, 17 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Overnight Use:); listed under camping near Star Valley.
- Christopher Creek Group, 17 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Group site: $80 per night); listed under camping near Star Valley.
- Sharp Creek Campground, 19 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $29 per night; Group Site: $150 per night); listed under camping near Star Valley.
- Sharp Creek Group, 19 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Group Site: $150 per night); listed under camping near Star Valley.
- Fr 9350, 20 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Christopher Creek.
- Haigler Canyon, 20 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Young.
- Promontory Pit Road, 21 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Christopher Creek.
- Clints Well, 22 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $8 per night (up to 8 people and 2 vehicles)); listed under camping near Washington Park.
- Fr 195, 22 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Christopher Creek.
- Woods Canyon Group Campground, 22 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Group site non-electric $275 per night, includes 120 people and 30 vehicles; $25/night family sites when not reserved); listed under camping near Christopher Creek.
- Fr 169 Campground, 23 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest (free); listed under camping near Christopher Creek.
- Rock Crossing, 23 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $20 per night (8 people, 2 vehicles); Double Site: $40 (16 people, 4 vehicles)); listed under camping near Blue Ridge.
- Blue Ridge, 25 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , first-come ($20 per night.); listed under camping near Blue Ridge.
- Moqui Group Campground, 25 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Group Site: $85 per night (up to 50 people)); listed under camping near Blue Ridge.
- Fr 171, 26 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Forest Lakes.
- Horseshoe, 29 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $16 per night); listed under camping near Carefree.
- Mesquite, 30 miles from Payson in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $16 per night); listed under camping near Carefree.
Things to do near Payson
Public land and water within 30 miles of Payson, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.
- Tonto National Forest, 5 of the 16 campgrounds here sit inside this national forest, the nearest Houston Mesa Group at 1.7 miles from Payson; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
- Waterwheel Falls, a waterfall whose mapped point is 7.6 miles from Payson; details on the falls on swimholesmap.com.
- Hellsgate Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 11 miles from Payson; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Mazatzal Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 18 miles from Payson; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Coconino National Forest, 2 of the 16 campgrounds here sit inside this national forest, the nearest Knoll Lake at 18 miles from Payson; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
- Knoll Lake, at Knoll Lake (18 miles from Payson): Trout lake near the Mogollon Rim for fishing, kayaks, paddle boards and small boats.
- Fossil Springs Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 19 miles from Payson; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Fossil Creek Waterfall, a waterfall whose mapped point is 20 miles from Payson; details on the falls on swimholesmap.com.
- Fossil Creek, a swimming hole whose mapped point is 21 miles from Payson; swimming details on swimholesmap.com.
- Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, 9 of the 16 campgrounds here sit inside this national forest, the nearest Mogollon Campground at 21 miles from Payson; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
Supplies and emergencies near Payson
Nearest emergency room: Honorhealth Scottsdale Thompson Peak Med Ctr, 7400 E Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ, 53 miles from Payson , (480) 324-7001. Next nearest: Verde Valley Medical Center, 269 S Candy Ln, Cottonwood, AZ, 53 miles, (928) 773-2357. Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) . In an emergency, call 911.
- Groceries
-
- Bashas'
- Safeway
- Walmart Supercenter
- Fuel
-
- Safeway
- Circle K
- Speedway
- RV dump station
-
- Aspen Campground
- Woods Canyon Dump Station
- Potable water fill
-
- Aspen Campground
- Pharmacy
-
- Walgreens
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Payson: propane, laundromat, 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 Payson, AZ?
16 public campgrounds are on record near Payson. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Houston Mesa Group (1.7 miles), Houston Mesa Campground (1.8 miles), Knoll Lake (18 miles), Long Valley Group Campground (19 miles), and 12 more. 11 book through Recreation.gov and 5 are first-come, first-served with no reservations.
Is there free camping near Payson, AZ?
Yes: Airplane Flat, Colcord Ridge, and Upper Canyon Creek charge no fee at the campground.
Where can I camp with an RV near Payson, AZ?
14 campgrounds near Payson take RVs: Airplane Flat, Aspen Campground, Canyon Point Campground, Colcord Ridge, and 10 more. Canyon Point Campground and Houston Mesa Group have hookups. The nearest mapped RV dump station is at Aspen Campground, 22 miles from town (OpenStreetMap).
Where can I go tent camping near Payson, AZ?
Houston Mesa Campground and Houston Mesa Group list tent or walk-in sites on record.
Where can I camp near Payson with drinking water?
Houston Mesa Campground, Houston Mesa Group, Knoll Lake, Mogollon Campground, and 3 more have potable water on record.
Are there year-round campgrounds near Payson, AZ?
Yes: Colcord Ridge is open all year, per the managing agency. The rest are seasonal or have no season on record.
When is camping season near Payson, AZ?
Of the 9 seasonal campgrounds with posted dates, most open in May (7 of 9) and close in October (4 of 9). Colcord Ridge stays open all year. Each campground's own dates are in the table.
Where is the nearest emergency room to Payson, AZ?
Honorhealth Scottsdale Thompson Peak Med Ctr, 7400 E Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ, is 53 miles from Payson 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 Coconino , campgrounds in Gila and campgrounds in Navajo .