roadtripper3354421

This lovely little campground, just out of Lava Hot Springs is perfectly situated. Only a few minute drive from the springs. The night sky is black and beautiful!! I pulled in after dark (in October 2022) and there were cozy fires and glowing windows in the rigs around the circle. It felt safe and homey. UNTIL ... the trains blew past, blowing their horns for the road crossings - only a few dozen feet from the campground. This was not a once a night thing... as their were multiple trains. IF THE TRAIN NOISE DOESN'T BOTHER YOU, this campground is in a pretty little setting, close to Lava Hot Springs and a wonderful place to hang out.

Only passing through, so didn't stay. Wanted to. It is so quiet and peaceful here. I visited site 13 for a bit. Campground is in rolling forest, so some spots are high and some low. Campground is well suited to vans, small RVs and tent camping. A few sites will accommodate a little larger rig. Sites have a wooden table and a parking pad. Some are level, some not so much so. The campground is up over 9,000 ft, so it might be an problem for someone with cardiac issues. There are vault toilets. Spotless when I was there. I had 2 bars on T-Mobile. Though I do have a cell booster (WeBoost) that gave me 3-5 bars. Still a bit slow on data. Please keep in mind that data (up/downloading or streaming) is another issue. Note: this site is on a hill. It's a peaceful, lovely spot in the high mountains. Would stay on another trip through here.

Rate: $10 (with senior pass $5)

This is a lovely campground. It is accessed by several miles of gravel road. Washboardy when we were there, but not bad. You will go through a private residence area... keep going ALL the way to the end to reach Cochise Stronghold Campground. My Ram is 18' and easily fit into the camping space. My friend's rig is 23' and it was a challenge to maneuver into site #4, partly due to the angle of the sites.

The cost for a single site is $20. If you have a discount on Federal Lands such as the America the Beautiful Senior Pass, the cost is $10 a night. There are red pay envelopes as you enter the campground. The larger hang-tag goes on your windshield, the tiny tab on the site-post, and the envelope with cash or check in the payment kiosk.

Before coming to Cochise Stronghold Campground, you'll pass a pretty nice, modest sized Boondocking campground on the right (which is free); though be prepared for interior roads that (in some areas) need high clearance to access. For those that like the space provided while Boondocking, the free campground a couple miles down the road might be a better choice than Cochise Stronghold, as the Boondocking spots (in relation) are fairly well spaced.

I came with friends where we occupied sites #4, #5, and #6. These three sites sit on the upper side of the campground, have a little bit of a view over the rest and sit near the restroom and bridge access to the trails. Site #6 actually had a bit more breathing room and would be my first pick, as I faced my van door to the east where the neighboring site was a distance away. Site #6 required five levels of the lego-style chockblocks to get my rig up to height. Note: sites #2 and #3 are right on top of each other. If you are vehicle camping, you will be parked directly next to your neighbor. I didn't really assess the other sites.

The roads in the campground are paved, as are the pads (some of which are not very level). There are no hookups and there is no water available. The concrete picnic tables are positioned on a newer concrete living area and each site comes with a stellar fire pit, including cooking grate. The restrooms are outhouse style, but were cleaned and serviced twice a week and were very to moderately clean most of the time. It was overall pretty quiet in the campground, with slower weekdays and the usual weekend increase in traffic.

The Nature Trail is a modest little hike and was great for getting Jax out for a walk. Hiking the Cochise Spring trail isn't what I would term difficult, but it is not flat or wide and has many areas that require navigation of rocks and roots and is a 1 mile climb to the spring. Take water. Both of these hikes are accessed by a very pretty walking bridge over a large dry wash. There is an interpretive trail as well, that tells some of the history of the Apache people and of the area. Quite a few rock climbers and hikers came in on the weekend.

This campground is a very pretty developed site and felt very safe. Like much of the Arizona desert, the stars put on a brilliant show. If I could secure the rights spot, preferably #6, I would definitely stay here again.

I needed a single night and this place was wonderful. I accessed from the south (via Hwy 169). It's a four mile climb through an area of dense, low-lying chaparral on a decent paved road with a smooth surface and a very low speed limit of 25 mph. Coming over the top to see the Ponderosa Pines and large Juniper was such a refreshing surprise. It's off the beaten path, but I liked that about it. It was very quiet but for other campers with generators and low volume music. That would vary based on the crowd, not the campground. Nothing offensive.

The sites have what looks to be vintage stone and concrete tables and very large fire rings. There is also a standup charcoal BBQ next to the table. No water available, but had nice vault toilets that are cleaned three times a week.

This is free camping so I didn't really look at the site number. It was situated on the pretty little wash that runs the length of the campground, just before site 9... so I think it was #8. The two sites are fairly close together with one site across the road. Please remember that I am accustomed to boondocking... so the concept of close is relative.

Be aware that many of the sites, may have a leveling problem. I had to use 5 leveling blocks high for my Promaster Van. The campground is well oriented for tents and small vehicle camping, but with a little extra work it can be a great place for smaller RV or shorter trailers. NOTE: There were a couple of 25-35 trailers and it looked like the did ok. The end of the campground road did have a circular turnaround.

DETAIL: The campground is accessed via FR372 also known as W Cherry Creek Road. It looks as though Cherry Creek Rd goes on through to Hwy 260 at the edge of Cottonwood (Hwy 260 also goes to I-17). I cannot vouch for the road that direction; except that it is paved where it passes the campground and the map shows it to be very long and seriously winding.

Had only planned one night, but stayed two. Campground was quiet and especially nice with the sound of the creek. Spots are pretty simple to level with a couple chock blocks. The area has enough room to not feel crowded. Just note that there are no bushes or trees between sites. It is open enough to maneuver a fair sized rig' which is important as its required to turn around to get back out, as there is no drive through exit. The entire campground is grassy, so it's nice for tents. Vault toilets were ok, not scrubbed clean, but not gross. It was a good overnight spot for me. Rate was $8. $4 with a Senior Pass.

Nice, quiet. Rate is $15 / $7.50 with senior pass. Easy walk down to the Rogue River from the back of the campground. There is a boat ramp here and some dry camping** down on the gravel along the river though I **couldn't ascertain if it was legal; got mixed answers. I was in Site #5 which is on a little promontory and a bit more secluded with a good view over the river. All of the higher # sites are pretty private. The highway wraps the campground so there was a little road noise, but not bad. Clean restrooms with water and power. I picked a lot of Oregon blackberries which were in season at the time (August 2022). Its about 20 minutes into Gold Beach for supplies. BTW: there is a great RV/car wash on Harbor Way across from Woggys (which is a great Fish'n'Chips place). I would stay again.