McDowell Mountain Regional Park Campground
County Park
Write a Review 16300 McDowell Mountain Park Dr. Scottsdale, AZ 85262 480-471-0173 Official WebsiteGPS: 33.6937, -111.7295
Overview of McDowell Mountain Regional Park Campground
Last Price Paid: $32
Reported by DrewBoo on 1/6/2024
Longest RV Reported: 42 feet (Class A)
Reported by Life Rebooted on 3/21/2016
Number of Sites 76
Pad Type asphalt
Reservations yes
Elevation 1,935 ft / 589 m
Max Length 45 ft
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about McDowell Mountain Regional Park Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 480.471.0173
camper-857941 asked on 12/24/2023
Answer questionboonie asked on 2/14/2022
What time of year are reservations made for feb. visits? Thanks!
Reviews of McDowell Mountain Regional Park Campground 36 people have reviewed this location.
“Great but a few issues!”
Reviewed 2/25/2021
Days stayed: | 13 |
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Site Number: | 18-9-68-79 |
RV Length: | 28' (Class A) |
We absolutely love this campground. Super nice volunteers, great sites, unbelievably fun mountain bike trails.Great road biking. So why only 3 stars? We have been here several times over a period of about 5 years and we've never been able to get a campsite for more than 4 days at a time even though we start looking 6 months in advance.... more
We absolutely love this campground. Super nice volunteers, great sites, unbelievably fun mountain bike trails.Great road biking. So why only 3 stars? We have been here several times over a period of about 5 years and we've never been able to get a campsite for more than 4 days at a time even though we start looking 6 months in advance. This year we were able to stay here for 13 days but had to move numerous times. We discovered that some people have been here for 6 months! Unlike most of the really popular campgrounds that we've been to that have a maximum stay fo 14 days and them a mandatory break of a certain amount of time before you can re-book. Here you can make 14 day reservations one after another. This seems like a really bad policy. Not sure how these people do it since we are looking the minute the sites are available. At any rate, if you are lucky enough to get in you will have a great time!
Jenifer would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“I agree with all the other reviews! Beautiful park!”
Reviewed 2/17/2021
Nightly rate: | $32 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 17 |
We loved staying here! Had many plans outside the park, but ended up not leaving at all. We cruised around on the mountain bike trails and hiked every day. Climbed up the Lousley Hill Trail for 360 degree views. Also walked the informative North Trail Loop. Very appreciative of this beautiful park!
Kim and Dominik would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Cleanest campground we’ve ever been to!!”
Reviewed 2/16/2021
Nightly rate: | $40 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 61 |
RV Length: | 21' (Fifth Wheel) |
We wished we could’ve stayed longer!! This campground was so amazing. All the sites were so private and spaced out. So many hiking trails and things to do!
Emily would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Well managed and beautiful site”
Reviewed 1/26/2021
Nightly rate: | $40 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
RV Length: | 21' (Class B) |
The Maricopa County parks are very professionally run and very clean. Excellent amenities, decent number of OTA channels, okay phone reception, clean restrooms for showering. Some of the spaces can be quite close to one another, and I opted for inside the loop sites when booking b'c I was wary of rodents, but wish we'd gone for outside... more
The Maricopa County parks are very professionally run and very clean. Excellent amenities, decent number of OTA channels, okay phone reception, clean restrooms for showering. Some of the spaces can be quite close to one another, and I opted for inside the loop sites when booking b'c I was wary of rodents, but wish we'd gone for outside of loop. They seem to be full of wintering RVers with a lot of big rigs and gear, but we were comfortable being smaller overnighters. You hear a lot of distant gunfire from nearby ranges of some kind, but otherwise peaceful and beautiful park very near PHX if you need to be near the city, and decent hiking in the vicinity if you want to be in wilderness. The $8 per online reservation fee is frustrating b'c if you can't get the same site for two nights, you pay it twice in booking two separate sites, which makes it $40 with fees per night.
Dan the Can would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Loved this campground, will be back!”
Reviewed 1/26/2021
Nightly rate: | $32 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 72 |
We loved this campground! The sites are spaced apart so you don’t feel close to your neighbors. Well kept sites and facilities. Kids loved the playground. Wish we would have done some hiking/biking on the trails but our stay was short. Beautiful views and awesome staff!!
wanderingwithfive would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Primo biking trails and hot showers”
Reviewed 1/18/2021
Nightly rate: | $3 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | Overflow, T9 |
Amenities 5/5 Showers ONLY available at main campground loops and overflow, NOT in the tent camping area. Showers are small but warm. Flushing toilets. Mountain bike trails and competitive track are EXCELLENT. Season/ weather Winter 70s in the day 40s at night Cleanliness Very clean. Daily grounds keepers. No trash anywh... more
Amenities
5/5
Showers ONLY available at main campground loops and overflow, NOT in the tent camping area. Showers are small but warm. Flushing toilets. Mountain bike trails and competitive track are EXCELLENT.
Season/ weather
Winter
70s in the day
40s at night
Cleanliness
Very clean. Daily grounds keepers. No trash anywhere.
Value
30$ for tent camping
42$ for full hook up sites in main campground
22$ per night for overflow (must be registered)
We stayed two nights in overflow and one night and camping. The second day we took the entire truck to the competitive track bike trails and stayed all day, and then stopped by the showers at the overflow site before heading to tent camping the final night.
Overflow is actually very comfortable, although your neighbors are close everyone generally keeps to themselves and is very respectful. Tent sites are further apart. The two main loops have many campsites that are very close together.
Friendliness of staff
Very friendly but some new staff that are still learning the grounds and amenities. Ask lots of clarifying questions.
Pet friendly
Yep! Lots of cute doggos around. I suggest staying on the trails connected to the campgrounds with the dogs because there are fewer bikers. Do not walk the dogs on the competitive track trails made for mountain bikers only.
Price
30$ for tent camping
42$ for full hook up sites in main campground
22$ per night for overflow (must be registered)
Thanks for reading our review! We are full time camp lifers and enjoy sharing our experiences with others. Follow our journey on our website!
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Nichole would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Pricey, great trails”
Reviewed 11/21/2020
Nightly rate: | $32 |
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Days stayed: | 5 |
RV Length: | 25' (Pop Up Camper) |
So many trails for mountain biking, running and hiking. Lovely weather in November. There was an equestrian endurance race during a weekend we were there, fun to see the horses. Well maintained and there were two sets of camp hosts for our loop. Fire ban at the moment.
redfox would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Spectacular park with lots to do”
Reviewed 7/3/2020
Nightly rate: | $32 |
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Days stayed: | 12 |
Site Number: | 10, 11, & 26 |
McDowell Mountain is a phenomenal park, as are all Maricopa County parks. This particular one is popular for its bicycle offerings. It's a stunning park and the views from camp never disappoint. There's a cute little playground in the campground for the wee ones as well as lots of trails to chose from. It's consistent with the other... more
McDowell Mountain is a phenomenal park, as are all Maricopa County parks. This particular one is popular for its bicycle offerings. It's a stunning park and the views from camp never disappoint. There's a cute little playground in the campground for the wee ones as well as lots of trails to chose from.
It's consistent with the other Maricopa parks in that the partial hookups were reliable and the restrooms and showers always clean. The camp hosts are top-notch and turn the sites around quickly for the next occupant with their efficient system of cleaning and raking.
Like many other visitors, we pieced together our 12-night stay at 3 different campsites due to the nature of the reservation system. It tends to work out since we need to dump tanks from time-to-time anyway so we simply timed that activity with move days. The dump station was often very busy but everyone is always friendly and it just turns into a social event since most of us are doing the same thing by dumping on "move" days.
All 3 of the sites we stayed in (10, 11, and 26) were level and easy to navigate with plenty of room to unhook the truck and unload the sidecar from the toy hauler. They were typically too short to park the front in front of the trailer so it got parked off to the side.
Verizon cell signal was frustrating without having our signal booster installed yet. Just enough connection to make us think we could use it but really we just spent the whole time trying unsuccessfully to connect. I suspect with the booster running we would have been fine to keep working without that frustration.
The nearby town of Fountain Hills is known for its fountain that spouts on the hour. It was once the tallest in the world and you can see it from many places in the park.
Non-park tip: We found the nearby town, Fountain Hills, to be crowded and unpleasant, and the residents notably snobby. There are no laundromats, only laundry services so you'll need to look elsewhere to do the wash. We chose the Spin Doctor in Mesa and it was the best laundromat I've ever been in, and I've been in lots all over the country in my travels.
Val in Real Life would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great campground with awesome facilities”
Reviewed 1/27/2020
Nightly rate: | $32 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 33 |
RV Length: | 24' (Travel Trailer) |
We really enjoyed our stay at McDowell Mountain Regional park. Wish we had spent more time hanging out in the campground but since we were visiting friends in Scottsdale, we were out and about most of the time. Really clean, great desert and mountain views. Facilities like restrooms and shower (free!) were kept very nicely. Quiet at ni... more
We really enjoyed our stay at McDowell Mountain Regional park. Wish we had spent more time hanging out in the campground but since we were visiting friends in Scottsdale, we were out and about most of the time. Really clean, great desert and mountain views. Facilities like restrooms and shower (free!) were kept very nicely. Quiet at night with lots of stars to see.
zrokids would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Spacious campsites, plenty of hiking & biking trails, and great views!”
Reviewed 1/21/2020
Nightly rate: | $32 |
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Days stayed: | 3 |
Site Number: | 58 |
Located just 5 miles north of Fountain Hills, AZ; this park has a lot of amenities to offer along with the spacious and clean campgrounds. We were lucky enough to reserve (online) the last spot about a month prior to our visit. Given this is our first year owning an RV, we've quickly realized it's hard to reserve a campsite around the ... more
Located just 5 miles north of Fountain Hills, AZ; this park has a lot of amenities to offer along with the spacious and clean campgrounds. We were lucky enough to reserve (online) the last spot about a month prior to our visit. Given this is our first year owning an RV, we've quickly realized it's hard to reserve a campsite around the Phoenix/Tucson areas; Arizona winters are just too perfect. So, make your reservations well in advanced if you're visiting for the Winter ... you'll find plenty of spots in the Summer. :)
Our camp spot, Site #58, had excellent views of the McDowell Mtns, bathrooms just across the way, and trailheads quickly accessible. If you're into mountain biking, you'll love this park. There's a competitive track, also easy trails for novice riders. If you're travelling with pets, do keep them on a tight leash as there are plenty of coyotes roaming (especially around sunset) and one was brave enough to lunge at me while I got out of my seat ... he was hiding in the bushes, but was quickly scared off. But if we had out dogs out, he could have easily grabbed/attacked one. Just be aware.
We would definitely stay here again and will be sure to reserve ahead of time for next season. Also, it was nice to head into Fountain Hills to take in the main attraction.
TinPueblo would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- 30 Amp
- 20 Amp
- water
- Partial Hookups
Recreation
- picnic area
- recreation trail
Site Amenities
- big rig
- fire ring
- picnic table
Facilities
- dump station
- group sites
- ADA Accessible
- restrooms: flush
- showers
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
Nearby
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