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SB Cove Bartlett Reservoir and the Arizona Upland phase of the Sonoran Desert. This site offers beautiful vistas of the surrounding mountains. Beach front camping when water level permits. Near Yellow Cliffs boat launch.
This site is 24 miles east of Carefree. Take Cave Creek Road 7 miles to the junction with Forest Road (FR) 205. Turn right and travel 6 miles to the junction of FR 205 and FR 19. At this junction take FR 19 for 7 miles to FR 459 and turn left. Continue on FR 459 (a paved, low-speed road) for 3 miles to the site. Click Here For Map.
Very easy to get to. Area was clean. Bathrooms (vault toilets/no sinks or water) were very clean. Bring your own wood. Buy your tonto pass and camping pass before coming because the machines are always broken.
One of my fave places for over-night fishing. Sandy/gravel beaches, mostly shallow, good for paddle sports and swimming
Took the family out in March '22 to SB Cove and had a great time in our little pop-up camper. We got lucky and was able to grab a spot right on the water front. Bring a shovel to help level your campers. You don't need a 4x4 to get to this area and we saw some smaller cars as well. There was a little bit of wind but nothing outrages. We saw a few people catch a lot of fish! Just make sure you buy your Tonto pass before you head out here just in case the kiosk doesn't work and to save a couple of bucks. The 2 bathrooms here were really clean and had absolutely no smell when we used it. You can access the restrooms by hiking back up away from the water.
Love this place ! It's one of my favorite spots (this time around, there was a lot of trash!! Wow, take ur trash with u when u leave ! Ridiculous) water levels are very low right now, so u can explore a lot of the shoreline and good spots for fishing. This place is good for the whole family
