Rusty's RV Ranch

Amenities aren't usually a big deal to us, but they really stood out here. They have a very nice pond with a black swan and ducks, a small aviary with some interesting exotic birds (and Koi pond), and a lot of astronomy lovers willing to let you check out their telescopes. There was also a lot of little touches like having free bikes, games, and grills available, a 24/7 hot tub, and dog walk. Even without the amenities its well worth the Passport America price, the spots are huge and everything was exceptionally clean and well maintained.

Great RV park to recover from remote camping. We loved it!

PROs

• well kept park w beautiful mountain views
• shower and toilet is kept clean, just for one person, like at home
• awesome hot tub pool, available 24/7
• club house open 24/7 w full kitchen
• full hookups and wifi for surfing not streaming
• amazing dark skies
• they have a little zoo going on w ducks, birds and turtles

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

• it is REMOTE, bring all the groceries you need. There are some spices in the club room if you are in a pinch
• you are 50 miles from MX so the area is patrolled. This may bring some people comfort, or feel like a military state to others. I kinda go both ways.
• Goatheads - they are pervasive in the entire southwest. I got one in my flip flop one the way to the hot tub and the hurt like hell. Stick to the roads and not the softer ground. Not a good place for paws.

We needed a place to bathe and recuperate from boondocking. Rusty’s fit the bill perfectly.

PROs

• Well kept grounds and spaces
• Awesome hot tub - can use 24/7
• dark skies, wonderful star gazing
• Sites are full hookups, plus fire pit and picnic table
• Nice shower facility for one (basically a bathroom like you would have at home)
• very quiet and remote

GOOD TO KNOW

• the office closes at 5 or earlier, depending on season. Call ahead if you may arrive later. The gate opens to let you in, but it may feel sketchy arriving at night since it is so remote and dark
• the hot tub may be covered but you can still use it, leave it as you found it
• come prepared w groceries, etc as Rusty’s is very remote
• goat heads - those mean little seed thorns are everywhere (not just at Rusty’s!) so mind your feet. I was wearing flip flops to the hot tip and got speared. Walk on the road and it’s safer

I needed to recharge, do laundry, etc after boondocking for a couple of weeks. This place is great! From the koi pond by the laundry room to the spacious level sites to the starry night sky, great space to recharge. Easy to find, right off state route 80, but very little road noise. Staff is very helpful and friendly. Definitely will come again, probably for a bit longer.

On our way out of Saguaro, we hit a hidden pothole and our food cabinet blew out. The spaghetti sauce exploded and covered our bedding (and much more.) We did our best to clean up, but really needed a dryer before turning in. So our plans to boondock disappeared and we looked for an RV Park around Animas. Lo and behold, there was Rusty’s. It’s in the middle of nowhere on the eastern flank of the Chiricahuas, quiet and very beautiful. The staff is super sweet, the spots are spacious, and there’s an enclosed area for our pup. And, yes, there’s a dryer.

This is a great park with long pull-through sites. The desert and mountain views are stunning all around. Level gravel with 50 amp FHUs.

Rusty is very welcoming and the professional star-gazers in the park are very friendly.

No headlights allowed at night so its VERY dark for amazing starry skies.

Do your shopping and fill up with fuel as there's nothing close by. Easy access, watch for the signs if you come at night because there's no where to turn around for miles.

She has shower houses and laundry room which we didn't use.

We visited Rusty's RV Park for two days in December. It's about 20 miles off the Interstate, in a pretty isolated, desert area, with nice mountain views. The campground itself is pretty nice, but the interior roads are dirt and were pretty rutted/bumpy (e.g. deep, hardened tire ruts from what was probably a rainy/muddy season). Our site was at the end of a row so we had tons of space on our camping side, but rigs are parked next to each other facing opposite directions with shared utilities in between, so we had a rig very close on the driver's side. There's no AT&T service at all, and we were only able to get 3G on our Verizon. Fortunately, the free campground WiFi worked pretty well for the basics (e-mail, social media, maps, etc.). The price was a little high for basic amenities ($32 with tax), and while they offer a 50% discount for Escapees members, it's only usable for 3+ night stays. Since we stayed for two nights, we actually paid more ($64) than we would have if we'd stayed for three ($48) which is a strange way to do business. It was very quiet during our stay. Also, it was fairly windy each afternoon. We'd stay here again if we ever return to the area, as long as we don't need high speed internet/cell service.

This was our 3-4(?) visit and we stayed one night this time and got caught up on laundry and email. It is a clean and mostly welcoming campground. But, in a rush to try and get a campsite in Cave Creek we forgot to dump black and grey water. Came back the next day and asked to dump then, but were told even after offering $20.00 "we do not offer that service". I thought it was rude after we had stayed there at least three previous times for them to deny the dumping service.

This is really out in the middle of nowhere. To the point that stocking up on groceries and gas is necessary.
The location is beautiful though and the nearby Coronado National Forest has some great hiking and photo taking opportunities.
The RV park itself is clean, has solid 50amp full hookups and level sites.
The staff is very nice and helpful and will make you feel welcome. Rusty has a lot of knowledge about nearby activities. They also have weekly potluck dinners and other social events if that’s your thing. If it’s not, then you can just chill out in the huge sites and enjoy the views.
The laundry is small and there’s only 1 bathroom.
There is also no cable and we were unable to pull in any OTA channels. For cell service there’s no ATT even with a booster. I was able to pull in decent Verizon (4.5d/l) and T mobile (3 d/l) with the booster. However, without the booster it wasn’t reliable. The park’s WiFi was really good for a private park (10d/l) but they ask that you don’t steam with it so we respected that and streamed with our Verizon and T mobile hotspots.

There’s a great 1mile trail around the park and a fenced in dog park so this is a dog friendly location. Also the national park is dog friendly.

The place is in the middle of nowhere! Which is great for all the birders and star-gazers that choose this place. Also great for hikers and dog owners like us. The sites are all pull in and large, ours had a small patio that included a fire pit. The dog park is large with a shady area for the dog owners. The property is completely fenced in and includes a 1-mile running trail within the perimeter. There is a large hot tub in the middle of the property which is a great place to watch the stars. No outside lights on at night because of the star-gazing.

There is excellent hiking in the nearby Coronado National Forest. You can also get to Chiricahua National Monument from here but it is a treacherous road with 10mph turns with no guardrails and thousand foot drops. Just go slow and be brave.

Pot luck every Friday and the owner Rusty is very helpful.