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The campground is a fishing area with a picnic ground situated in a mixture of ponderosa pine, juniper and pinyon pine. Chevelon Canyon offers spectacular views and opportunities for hiking and fishing. NO trash collection available. This is a Pack-it-in / Pack-it-out area. Take your trash with you when you leave.
Directions from Winslow: Travel for 25 miles south on Forest Road 34 to Forest Road 504, continue south on 504 to Forest Road 169. Follow 169 to 169B, then east (left) to the campground. From the south proceed north on Forest Road 300 to 169. Continue north on 169 to 169B, turn east (right) and follow 169B to campground.
Very nice lake but it is a VERY long walk down and back up. A mile on a flat surface is one thing, but on a VERY steep, rocky, uneven and winding trail it was completely undoable. I would not do it again without an ATV or 4x4. BUT! Look at these views!
Chevelon Canyon Lake Campground is my favorite type of site. 1) vault toilets 2) National Forest location 3) semi established camping sites 4) still classified as dispersed camping.
There isn't any potable water at this site or trash. Bring your own water. Pack it in, pack it out.
The sites are large in the camp site area.
We were there on a non-holiday weekend and it stayed busy. The sites are first come, first serve and free. We camped in site #1 which had 2 fire rings, a metal picnic table, and large trees to provide shaded areas throughout the day. In mid-September, highs were mid 70 degrees Fahrenheit and lows were in the mid 50s. Our whole group commented on how nice the weather was on this trip.
We went during a new moon and the stars were fabulous.
There was definitely some rough road the last .5 mile before you reach the camp on FR 169B. Some of it had washed out and there are a few step areas. We had no issues with our group of stock 4×4 pickup trucks and Subarus. Our neighbor at the next campsite over even had a Fiat.
As for the lake, we were not prepared for how long of a hike down it was to the water. According to my watch, it was over a mile and 550 feet of elevation. It is not an easy hike back up. It's almost all non stop elevation gain and extremely rocky. We brought our mini bike and didn't dare take it down to the water. We ended up on carrying 1 kayak down to the water because no one wanted to have to hike it back up. It took 2 fit men, 90 mins to bring that kayak back up from the water the day we left. We even had a kayak cart.
We were very jealous of the people with quads. Our group only caught 1 small trout but we met other people that were having better luck.
Note: live bait is not permitted.
I would go back, but I wouldn't even try to kayak or paddle board again. I'd just take our time walking to water and brining a picnic to the lake. Maybe just cast a few lines from the shore.
Campground is normal. The main road to access the lake is good for any vehicle. Once you turn to the small road to access the campground I recommend at a minimum an SUV. The road is rough with one steep and not maintained spot that will likely cause cars to bottom out. The walk to the lake is about 1.1 miles and 600 feet elevation change with a few steep spots. As the pictures show the road down is very rocky and sometimes slide and easy to fall on. The lake is beautiful once your there, but the sides of the canyon are quite steep and there is a limited area that is flat and usable, the rest appeared to be steep and hard to use for setting or laying. I don't recommend small children do the trail unless you are prepared to carry them. I don't recommend for larger kids that are whiny either :). while at the crystal clear lake we saw lots of minnows, crayfish, and a water snake. your allowed to keep 2 trout but can only fish with artificial, no live bait.
Beautiful camping 🏕️ location surrounded by pine trees with beautiful views all around. We went there in winter time when snow ⛄️ was there. Recommend 4 wheeler ( SUV) to navigate through the icy paths. Fortunately We were able to find good location for our camping. Stayed there whole night. Morning view was beautiful as well. It gets super cold in night so prepare well especially keep sleeping bags, sleeping pads, enough water, food to eat, and arrangement for the campfire to keep you warm. Wind is super cold so make sure you have a good quality tent and fixtures. It will be super dark in night so headlight/headlamp and flash light is recommended.
