By:
Submission
Close to historic western towns and centrally located in Arizona, Playground Group Campground is a great place for groups of up to 100 people to enjoy a secluded mountain getaway.
The 7,500 ft. elevation of the site, puts it near the summit of Mingus Mountain in Prescott National Forest. Spectacular views of the surrounding desert valleys as well as the nearby towns of Sedona, Jerome and Prescott Valley await campers on the winding drive to and from the site.
The surrounding forest offers many hiking trails of various levels of intensity, from easy short-distance walks to more challenging elevated climbs.
Campers who need a break from hiking can relax around the campground, take in the views and listen to the sound of the wind in the pines.
The site has a large group gathering place with picnic tables, grills, a large fire pit and vault toilet and is adjacent to a family picnic area. There is no drinking water available.
The nearby towns of Prescott Valley and Cottonwood have grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, shopping and other conveniences.
The campground is in a secluded site in the tall ponderosa pine trees. Pleasant daytime temperatures and cool mountain breezes make it a nice respite from the summer heat of nearby deserts.
A short drive away is the colorful town of Jerome, an abandoned mining town that has been transformed into an artist and tourist community.
Tuzigoot National Monument, an ancient ruin of the Sinaguan culture, and Dead Horse Ranch State Park, which has mountain biking, canoeing and fishing along the Verde River, are also close by.
[Tuzigoot National Monument](http://www.nps.gov/tuzi/index.htm)
[Dead Horse Ranch State Park](http://azstateparks.com/parks/DEHO/index.html)
Take State Highway 89A (seven miles southwest of Jerome or 13 miles east of Prescott Valley) to Forest Road 104. Travel on Forest Road 104 for two miles to Playground Group Campground.
There was once a playground here, but only the frame of a swing and see saw remain. Overall a great camping spot.
It was a nice area but the name and pictures are a little misleading. There is no playground, unless you call a swing set that doesn't have any swings attached to it a playground.
Visited this place 6/7-6/9 for a girl scout camping weekend. Absolutely loves this place!! However, we were told no camp fires by the tents.... Which made no sense because there is currently NO fire restrictions. My girls were disappointed, plus I had spent money on fire stuff. I wish there was some sort of playground or equipment for kids to play on since it is called "playground group campground" 🤷 the road is absolutely horrible!!! Over all we had an amazing weekend!!
This group site was okay. I don't see how you could fit the advertised amount of people here though. It was nice that they have a hook up option for anyone with a rig. Bathrooms we're a bit smelly, but typical for campsites. No water available, which was expected. There was one dumpster available for trash, which I was surprised wasn't bear proof since there's bears in the area. Really no hiking options from the campsite, but there are places to explore if you keep going down the main road. Speaking if the road, this site is right off the road, so we were listening to cars throughout the entire stay. (Even at 3am.) There is a gate at the entrance to the site, which is nice to keep people from constantly pulling into and driving through the camp. Overall, we had a great time camping, but will probably not come back to this site. There's just so many better campsite options out there!
