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Soldier Creek Campground Campsites at Soldier Creek (map) are nestled in a forest grove where large granite boulders sculptured by the forces of nature help separate the sites and add to the area’s scenic beauty. Just a short walk from camp, an abrupt drop-off provides good views of the lower slopes of the Pinalenos, of the Aravaipa Valley and the Galiuro and Winchester mountains. Soldier Creek is especially popular with campers during mid-summer because it is one of the coolest areas on the mountain. The area is also popular with the mountain’s large black bear population, so be doubly careful with food and garbage. Bear Warning: To avoid putting a bear’s life in danger and risking the loss of some of your own property, please dispose of all garbage in the bear-proof containers provided. Also, remember to keep all food out of reach and out of sight of these curious and powerful animals.
In Safford, AZ, at intersection of US Rt. 70 (5th St.) and US Rt. 191, take Rt. 191 south for 7.4 miles to State Rt. 366. Turn right onto Rt. 366 and go 29.5 miles to campground sign. Turn left at sign and go 0.1 miles to campground
I've been coming here for over 30yrs during the week of my mother's birthday in July and it used to be wonderful. I just came back early from a camping trip here. We got there and it was great....for one day. Only one other camper, very quiet. On the 2nd day a large family group came in and the first thing the patriarch did was to try to get us to leave because we were in their spot. We are talking about 30 people in his family.
3rd day, from about 9-11am, over 500 rounds of ammunition were being shot by this family. Sounded like a war zone. I couldn't let my kids go hiking because they were shooting near the trails. Never saw a ranger or anything. No camp host to call in that stuff. Pretty illegal in the national forest.
4th day a larger trailer parks right next to us and says about 20 more are coming. The campsites they took we're right on top of us. They also came and told us that they always camp in this spot and tried to get us to move. Then they just kept coming closer and closer to our campsite, to within 5ft of my tent all day long. They also thought chopping wood one foot from my lantern and 3 ft from my tent was okay. They were the most awful people I've ever camped beside. They straight-up harassed us out on my Mom's birthday. So be warned. So, very disappointing. Oh and by the way, my family has been camping at that same campsite (that we were driven out of) since I was about 9...or about 32yrs every year for my mom's birthday.
Beautiful campground. Nice flat sites with room for tents or RVs. Huge boulders are great for kids to play on. No water in immediate campground. Reasonable price. Good clean outhouses. One of our favorite spots.
Beautiful. Cool weather. Only problem besides the rare bear is skunks. We had several. No smell and didn't really bother us but we didn't bother them either.
Well-maintained camping sites. Very easily accessible from main road. Signage is clear and sites are spacious enough for a mid-size trailer. Picnic tables and benches are solid and made of concrete. Great granite climbing rocks located throughout the campground (both my kids loved them, and another camper said they were the main reason he chose this campground). Restrooms are adequate but not fantastic. Men's room has a very stout odor; women's is better. It was difficult to find water taps. Great bear-proof garbage cans. Nearby stream. Hiking trail to ice caves directly south from campground (these are fairly accessible and not hard to find off the main trail, downhill across the face of the mountain; the first cave is less than 100 feet from the trail and can be entered without climbing gear). Large mature conifer and quaking aspen trees give excellent shade. There is forest fire damage nearby but the campground was largely untouched. Will definitely go back again.
This is a litely used campground during the week. There were some nites where we were the only camper. Some of the sites are wetter than others, and some sites are better for tents. On one stay, there was no TP for 3 days. Luckily, we brought our own. We did stop at the nearby visitor center, and she gave us some rolls. There's a nice creek that runs next to the campground, and it normally has some water running. There's also some large rock formations that kids love to play on. All but one site has bear proof storage containers.
