Table Mesa Trailhead Area

Going in the road was rough with wash board and occassioal water dips. Going out I met the road grader. It was awesome. Road is much better. Rpod and I went 22 mph when we usually do 12. The road continues passed the shooting area which is most undesirable-- Garbage everywhere, just like the last shooting area. Maybe there is a link between the two, but in proceeding to the coordinates for camping all of the garbage disappeared and the exceptional beauty of a little higher elevation created a greater diversity in plant life. It is a garden. Yeah the shooting is constant, but far enough away to not be obnoxious. There was some ohv traffic, but not overwhelming. Public lands are for everyone.

It’s a fine spot for spending a night while you are on a road, but there are some things to be aware of. Table Mesa trailhead area is BLM land in a deserted area couple of miles in after you turn of highway. It’s slightly rugged and has a feel that same people might be camping there for a while. It has trash everywhere, ground is covered with empty bullet shells as this is an area where people come to target shoot and gunshots are going on all day and at all hours of the night. We spent two nights there, one on or way to California and on on a way back to Colorado. Nobody bothered us and everything went well.

Went here after abandoning mission at little pan site. Variety of sites with privacy, respectful neighbours with 4x4’s etc and quiet just after 10pm. So close to Phoenix to get there early or leaving there late. Road bumpy in some sections but fine if you slow down and take care. Some dickheads on main road and plentiful shorting areas which seem respected.

The road to the site is bumpy and rutted. Once there, though, the campsite is clean and has pit toilets. The toilets were disgusting when I arrived but the next morning they were hosed down and were fine after that.

I lucked out and didn't have any off-road vehicles at the site until Friday night when the "crank up the music, party, and ride our dune buggy" people came.

The area was quiet except for the people that ran their generator all day.

Not much wildlife except for whatever bug bit my leg in multiple spots. I had felt a little sting once in a while down there but didn't bother to check. After I left the area I noticed itchy red sores on my leg.

I downgraded the site quality because of spots where the gravel was too deep, making it difficult to maneuver. Also, I had difficulty finding a level spot because I wanted a site away from the concrete strip near the restrooms.

The road leading to this spot is rough and bumpy. We have a 44 ft 5th wheel and did fine as long as we were going slow. Be aware that the asphalt ends and turns into a dirt road. People speed up and down this road and there are some blind corners. Many ATV's use this road as well. The spot we chose wasn't too bad. It was dirt but it was level we had good cell service and some channels through our antenna. I read the reviews about the shooting range close by so I was aware, however, it was non stop morning noon and night. My family started to hike the Black canyon trail and had to stop because someone was shooting near the hiking trail in a non shooting area. Pretty scary. The part we did hike was riddled with trash and garbage that people hauled out to shoot at in a non shooting area.

Overall not worth the hastle

I arrived here on a Sunday, which I knew would be a little busy being so close to Phoenix. The road is wide and somewhat maintained, doesn’t mean it’s smooth. I noticed 2 designated shooting range areas and a lot of HOV’s coming in. This is a very active area on the weekends. I figured I’d tough it out knowing that it would calm down the next day. I found about 7 sites here and 3 of them are adequate for large groups or if you didn’t mind having a close neighbor there’s enough room for maybe 20 rv’s Including the big boys. The sites are somewhat level and clean. After the weekend warriors left I was left with a beautiful view outside of my 5th wheel with a consent firing of guns. Sure it let up some, but it’s a on going even during the week. That view from the camper was the only reason this place got 2 stars, because when I went out to hike the trails I found that the two shooting ranges weren’t enough for the locals around here. The whole area is trashed with gun shells and broken bottles for target practice. No shooting signs everywhere, but that doesn’t seem to phase them. That is one side of my site. On the other is trails that are all torn up and trash everywhere from the locals that have no respect for the land. So I go back to my site and enjoy my view with my ear plugs in hand. What a shame, such a beautiful area that has been DESTROYED by the undesirables ! On the other hand if you don’t care about leaving this land for future generations to enjoy the natural beauty of it all, then by all means go ahead and continue to trash this place.