Sunny Flat Campground

Arrived after dark so had to do some guessing as to which spot would allow us sufficient sky for both Starlink and solar. We were not disappointed. FYI, the branches are low and the road is narrow on the road in. There's also a one-lane bridge from the main road toward the campground.

We ended up in spot 12, one of the sites with a dedicated shade structures for the BBQ and picnic table (majority of sites either have sufficient shade from nearby trees, others have the shade structure I mentioned, and some are almost full sun). The views are breathtaking, surrounded by the mountains, nestled in the Sunny Flat valley.

Biked to various trailheads in the area and enjoyed the trail starting in the camp loop too. If you love birds, check out the Cave Creek Ranch. It's a bird oasis, with all types of food and feeders out to attract feathered friends. The Ranch owner request $5 to enjoy the spotting.

Bear boxes are large and convenient - it easily fit our large blacktop flat top.

Good solar this time of year from ~9am until 330pm. We were able to make Starlink work with our flag pole, otherwise the mountains are too close to use it in spot 12 (spots on the opposite side of the loop work better for open sky needed for Starlink).

Have driven down US 80 before, but this was my first visit to the Chiricahuas. Good road, albeit a bit narrow, going in. There are low hanging branches, so some rubbed the top of my 12’-2” motorhome. If you are in a bigger motorhome (like a diesel pusher) or a 5th wheel, I’d advise you not come here. The road sign says vehicles over 41’ not allowed, as there are some tight turns to get into campgrounds.
Sunny Flat road and sites are all paved, most pretty flat. Some sites are short, so a van, Class B or C would be ok, and some sites easily accommodated my 34’ motorhome. Sites have fire pits, Bear boxes, tables. There’s a clean pit toilet and trash containers. There was a camphost there, friendly, and she knows the area, and keeps the campground clean.
Views here are fantastic! I was stunned, as I didn’t know what to expect. Cave Creek that goes thru this area was sadly dry along this campground. But there is open water not too far away. No cell service here, so time to catch up on some reading.

Sunny Flat was a breath of fresh air after being in the desert around the Salton Sea, Quartzsite, and Yuma for the prior months. I arrived there on a Monday and found a great first-come-first-serve site. Apparently, sites are hard to come by on weekends. The views were spectacular and the sites were very nice. I used my access pass for 1/2 off. 10 bucks a night, can't beat it. No internet with Verizon and Weboost but had Wi-Fi at the ranger station that worked very well.

Sunny Flat Campground -
https://youtu.be/dPVIXH0f3Ug

Cave Creek Campground is a beautiful spot tucked in the Chiricahua Mountains on the New Mexico/Arizona border, and Sunny Flat is the only spot where RV's (UNDER 41' in length!!) can camp on this side of the wilderness. There are only a handful of paved spaces available, first come, first serve and we were very lucky to grab the only vacant one we saw when scouting the location. It is worth mentioning that you might plan ahead for topping off your gas tank when coming in from New Mexico as fueling options are few and far between from Lordsburg going south of the interstate. For that matter, Bisbee AZ had only one gas station on Highway 80 where you might fill up going in an easterly direction.
The sites vary in length, and there are signs along the road in saying vehicles over 41' in length are prohibited (for good reason). Low hanging tree branches, a narrow bridge and tight turns would make entry for longer RV's or 5th wheels very tricky. Check in is self-serve, with envelopes and a drop box by the restrooms.
Clean pit toilets, fresh water, food lockers and trash receptacles are the amenities, cell/internet service is nonexistent except at the visitor's center (both a positive and a negative, I suppose). There is a space blocked off for a camp host, but no host was present during our stay there. We did see a Forest Service guy picking up trash on our second day there.
The only issue we had is with maps for trails in the area. The Forest Service has not put out any maps that we could find onsite, and the visitor's center is run by the Friends of Cave Creek selling maps for $14.00
We very much appreciated the trails advice given by the visitor's center, but it was not very clear (two different volunteers gave advice on trails they had not actually done), and the trails themselves are not marked as well as is typical for the Forest Service. It is almost as if they are discouraging visitors to the area by not offering any camping 'infrastructure'. Nonetheless, we consider this an outstanding camping spot, if you can snag a space and are the sort who enjoy being respectful of your surroundings. Simply gorgeous...

Found this location on Campendium and was quite surprised at what I found despite the Google Earth views. As you leave the desert moving into the canyon, you are now surrounded by trees along the canyon bottom. The surrounding canyon walls and mountains are spectacular. Camping is first come, first serve. A little more than half the sites are in the shade mostly, the balance mostly sun, good for those who want to keep their batteries charged with their solar panels. No gas, propane, or grocery stores, so load up before you head out.

First we took the campsite in the sun, then found the campers in site #2 leaving and moved to it. Shade, and a running creek, to sit by for lunch. We walked the nearby trails, and loved the warmth in the first week of April. The visitors center had live examples of the local rattlesnakes, and cell coverage. Next day we drove over the mt. to the west and went to the Chiricahua park. Exotic birds and snakes all around.

As others have reviewed, this is an awesome place. Brought my birder friend and she loved it. The hiking is not bad, due to fires and flooding in past years, some of the trails have been eroded but still quite a few trails with various degrees of difficulty. Gas is back in Animas so come prepared. No cell service on Verizon. Campground host, Jan, takes care of everything at the park and is wonderful. The loop sites will be best for solar and the views except for site #9. Site#9 is pretty sloped front to back but would provide lots of privacy and shade for the summer. If you need laundry or a shower go to Mountain Valley Lodge and RV Park in Rodeo, the guys there are really nice. The visitor's center is manned by volunteers who are very knowledgeable about the area including where to find certain birds and the condition of the hiking trails.

Camped Thursday, 11/9/17 (Note: senior rate is $5)

The Chiricahua Mountains are absolutely stunning, and Sunny Flat is nestled in the valley below them, about 3 miles from Portal. A camp host was on-site and said it was okay to collect firewood if we needed it.

As mentioned in the other reviews, sites are well spaced, with pads wide enough for 2 vehicles. I think only 2 or 3 sites have covered picnic tables, but most sites are in the shade. Besides the tent pad, large fire ring, lantern hook, bear box and picnic table, sites have a pedestal grill. Some camp sites are along the road coming into the campground, and others are around the ring. We arrived Thursday morning, and the campground ended up being almost full.

No cell service at all (we got wi-fi at the lodge restaurant in Portal). Vault toilet house was a little smelly, but clean and stocked with TP. Also a light comes on automatically when you enter. No sink though. The water pump is outside the VT house.

Campground was quiet, except there was some road traffic, even into the nighttime, which was a little surprising given the somewhat remote location. We saw deer, squirrel, skunk and a number of birds. In was a moon-less night and stars were incredible!

Beautiful but remote site by Cave Creek. Popular with birders & hikers. No cell service, but can go to ranger station/visitor center about 1.5 miles away or to the Portal Library parking lot for wi-fi. There is a raised toilet & water spigot available. The spot has bear box, lantern hook, picnic bench and you are surrounded by beautiful views of the Chiricahua Mountains. You can get a hot shower at the RV Park in Rodeo about 15 miles away. The Chiricahua National Monument is a must see. The nearest gas station is at Animas or you can go to San Simon.