Ponderosa Campground

Most sites are large and not too close together, so its nice to not be on top of your neighbors. Some of the back in spaces are hard to get into with RVs or they aren't level. We started at A16 and moved to B2, a pull through. But the trees on this site were low, so we had to back it up to get out. Some pull throughs have plenty of tree clearance. A sites are closest to the road and 260 is quite noisy. You can hear the traffic all night. Your best bet is to pick a D site.

Lots of trees around for shade and during monsoon season, it was nice and cool. We were able to wrap long dog leashes around for our dogs to have plenty of space for them to hang out.

There are plenty of pit toilets around all the sites that were well stocked. Firewood for sale for $7. Camphosts were nice, friendly and helped us back out. Cell phone reception can be spotty, but it works most of the time.

5 families split between 3 sites (B2, C1, and C2). In total we had 6 adults and 13 kids.

The sites were closer than they had appeared on the map, which was good for us with all the kids roaming to/from each site. This also made having meals together easier.

Sites like B2 with pull through parking are big enough to accommodate 3 cars and easily fit 3 tents up to the 10 person/site max. Sites like C1 and C2 could also fit 3 tents but only 2 cars in their pull in parking spots.

The site hosts were fantastic. Very friendly and helpful. They put on a great presentation on bears and how to be a good camper. My 8 yr old and 2 yr old enjoyed it!

Campground is well maintained. Clean bathrooms with plenty of toilet paper, a water spicket near each bathroom, and easily accessible trash dumpsters. Roads are entirely paved which keeps the dust to a minimum. Well worth the $18/night fee.

Campground is easily accessible from 260 and close enough to Payson for any needed supplies and access to hiking and fishing spots.

Cell and data service was better than expected. A little spotty but otherwise reliable.

I have been here twice with my 35' fifth wheel. I chose sites with the longest drive set to fit 35'. I am an experienced driver and can back up almost anywhere so far! That being said both spots were extremely painful to back into. The drives are narrow with trees everywhere. By the time I get trailer backing in the truck was coming off road in front. Trees rubbing camper. I did get it in both spots but will not be returning. They won't fix the drives or trim trees it appears!

First the good: we've never seen a National Forest Campground with campsites as large as these! Individual sites are very large, and very spread out; even if you are near a group campsite, you still don't feel crowded. Lots of trees and un-developed forest between the sites. Tall, mature Ponderosa pines throughout, interspersed with manzanita, juniper and oak. Fire rings with grates, picnic tables, and raised BBQ grills on every site. This is bear country, so all sites have steel storage boxes for food. Very nicely suited campground for tent campers; in fact, during our stay our trailer was one of but a half-dozen trailers or RVs among the 40+ occupied sites. Plentiful pit toilets and water spigots throughout the campground.

And, the not-so-good: Maybe because it was a middle-of-June weekend, and the CG was full, but the campground hosts did not seem up to the task. They had a hard time keeping the toilet buildings clean and stocked, and didn't seem particularly keen on enforcing standard, National Forest CG rules: Campers were using spigots for washing; the maximum 10-person site next to us had at least 16 campers; campers were shooting in the forest nearby (during a period of no-shooting fire restrictions).

Be aware that the recreation.gov website for reservations does not show the locations of the pit toilets, so it is hard to pick a site that is relatively close, but not too close... especially during a busy summer weekend, if you know what I mean!

While the location and setting are nice, it can be quite warm here in the summer, at only 5,600 ft. Look for one of the CGs further up the Rim, for cooler temps, or come in the spring or fall.