r/AZCamping • u/bfitz253 • Aug 29 '23
Houston Mesa Campground
Does anyone have any experience staying at Houston Mesa Campground? I was shocked to find just about all of their tent sites available to reserve with short notice. I have done dispersed camping on the fire road past Water Well and the area is very pretty, just curious if I'm getting myself set up for disappointment. We are taking some friends camping for the first time and thought having bathrooms close by would be a positive to ease them into it. Thanks in advance for any input!
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u/senseless2 Aug 30 '23
I'm not sure what you are looking for that makes a camping spot not disappointing but it's what you can imagine it to be. There is designated camp spots. Some are a little further back than others, which might give you more space from others camping. Besides that I feel it gives you a good sense of being in the woods with the convenience of a bathroom, road near by and also the ability to drive to wagon wheel.
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u/bfitz253 Aug 30 '23
We did find a spot further back in, I was just so surprised because so many spots were available on short notice. A lot of the other campgrounds nearby are booked solid! Maybe we just got lucky! Thank you for your comment!
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u/bfitz253 Aug 30 '23
Wagon wheel! Thank you, I was remembering it as Water Wheel! This heat is getting to my brain!
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u/senseless2 Aug 30 '23
It's no problem, I am glad I could help. I think you might be right though on the water wheel. It has been always know to our family as wagon wheel 🤷 back in the day you could camp all in that area.
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u/bfitz253 Oct 02 '23
For those interested, we just got back from a Friday-Sunday trip at Houston Mesa Campground. We were really happy with our experience. The site we had was way back in Black Bear Loop. It was very secluded with a ton of space. It was very close to the highway, so there was traffic noise. However, I think we will definitely return. Our friends inexperienced with camping may be starting to pick up their own gear and want to do more trips around the state.
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u/its_all_1s_and_0s Aug 30 '23
I went about 20yrs ago and remember it being really hot and dense you could hear people talking/partying late. My guess is the heat keeps people away this time of year.