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Submission
Upper Tonto Creek Campground The union of Tonto and Horton Creeks is at the north end of the campground. Fishing in both creeks is a popular sport. The trailheads for Horton Creek Trail 285 and Derrick Trail 33 are located in the campground. Both of these trails access the Highline National Recreation Trail (#31). Tonto Fish Hatchery is four miles north of Highway 260 on Forest Road 289. The Arizona Game & Fish Department welcomes visitors and has a self-guided tour of the hatchery.
This site is 17 miles northeast of Payson. From Payson, travel 16 miles east on State Hwy. 260. Just east of Mile Marker # 269 at Kohl’s Ranch, turn left (north) on Forest Road (FR) 289. Travel one mile and turn right into the site.
Awesome spot. We got there early on a Friday evening and were lucky enough to snag one of the larger campsites. Ken the site host was awesome. Checked on us periodically and let us know that he had firewood bundles for sale. The vault toilets were clean and the campground was kept in great shape. Ken runs a tight ship! Everyone had a great time, especially the kids. We will be back in the spring for sure.
Awesome camp host. He was around cleaning and checking on things 4 times a day. Nice big spots with big mature pines for shade.
A primative camp site off 298-A two miles from 260, in the headwaters of Tonto Creek, which begins off the Mogollon Rim. A spacious natural area in the national forest, it contains numerous trailheads, tent sites and picnic tables for daytrippers. Being October in a dry autumn (several small fires burned in the windy region) the creek was only filled with a minimum amount of water, but it was cool and shady, and crows chortled and sqawked in tall ponderosa pines, enjoying their undisturbed habitat.
We stayed here October 5th and 6th and loved it! There are 9 campsites at this location and they are first come first serve. Each site has a metal fire ring, with a grate, and a picnic table. The host is Ken and he is friendly and keeps the place clean, including the restrooms. Note - I read a couple of bad reviews about him. If you break the rules he will call you out on it. If you follow the rules then he is great!
The campground is quiet and there are a few flat spots for tents and plenty of trees for hammocks.
The Horton Creek trailhead is right next to the campground and provides lots of fun exploring for all ages.
New Airstream Basecamp Owner on first camping experience greatly helped by Ken, the Campground Host. He recommended the best site for a trailer, came over and helped the driver backing in her spot, answered questions on operating some of the BaseCamp features and gave advice on fishing conditions. Ken was awesome and very kind. He keeps the campground and bathrooms in excellent condition. We had a wonderful time!
