About Ponderosa Campground and Group Sites
[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/53108273@N03/albums/72177720304337109) Ponderosa pine trees surround and tower over open-space campgrounds, providing cool shade and gorgeous vistas. Most visitors enjoy taking advantage of the area’s hiking trails and lakes, traveling to Payson for the day or simply relaxing at the campsite to the sound of fluttering leaves. Review At-A-Glance below for more details about the site. **Natural Features: **The ponderosa pine trees make this a memorable campground. Larger ponderosas release a vanilla scent into the air and have a relatively open understory, making the area perfect for camping. Mixed into the understory are junipers, oaks and manzanita shrubs. The campground sits on the border of the Mogollon Rim, pronounced by locals as "muggy-own," a 200-mile-long cliff in northern Arizona that ranges between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation. The unique…
- Fees: - Automatic fee machine is available on site at campground entrance, please follow the instructions. - $22 per night for standard sites…
- Season: April 1st – November 2nd
- Managed by: USFS - Tonto National Forest
- Where: 2 mi southwest of Kohls Ranch, AZ · 34.29886, -111.11367
Things to do:
Official page for this camp (fees, closures, booking)
Weather by month
Typical daily highs and lows (°F), 1991–2020 NOAA normals. Best months: Apr–May & Sep–Oct (comfortable days, mild nights, little rain). Nights below freezing: Nov–Mar.
Fly over it in 3D, check today's weather and fire news, plan the drive and print a trip plan.
Trails near camp
| Trail | Open to | From camp | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derrick Spur | Hiking | 2.4 mi | 0.9 mi |
| Hell's Gate | Hiking | 2.7 mi | 8.6 mi |
| Bear Flat | Hiking | 2.8 mi | 8.0 mi |
| Derrick | Hiking | 3.0 mi | 2.2 mi |
| Mescal Ridge | Hiking | 3.0 mi | 2.3 mi |
Straight-line distance from camp, from Forest Service, BLM, state and OpenStreetMap trail data.
Good to know
Verizon 4G · AT&T 5G · T-Mobile 5G
From the carriers' FCC coverage maps, which tend to be generous.The Milky Way shows rich detail, horizon to horizon.
Class 2 of 9, from NASA/NOAA night-light data.Stargazing nearby: Tonto National Monument (Dark Sky Park), 44 mi.
Dump station: 9.8 mi
Water fill-up: 9.8 mi
Propane: 19.8 mi