Butterfield RV Resort & Observatory

So clean and tidy! Walking distance to Safeway Supermarket makes it extra convenient. All facilities onsite are extremely well maintained with two really nice gas grills to use in a covered area right next to the pool and hot tub.

This is your typical big RV park with long gravel pull throughs lined up in row upon row. Unfortunately, it is very near the train tracks and the trains roar through blowing their whistles all night long - bring your earplugs! We dealt with two different women in the office and one was very nice and helpful and one was quite a sourpuss. Wifi did not work for us. I don't recall how much ATT we had, but I did jump on our cell service because the wifi did not work.

We prefer small parks and boondocking, and this definitely doesn't fit into that category. Rather large park with some permanent homes and a lot of snowbirds in the winter. In general the people are nice.

The real WIN and the reason for staying is that they have a university grade telescope and observatory on the premises and they do nightly shows with their on staff astronomers at no cost for those staying in the park, which was a lot of fun.

They do accept Passport America which helps.

Didn't try their wifi but had good enough AT&T and Verizon to work and stream off of.

Close to Tombstone and Tucson.

Agree with the previous poster that the trains were loud, but I have lived near louder, so it didn't bother me much, but I am sure it would bother most people so I gave them a low rating for Noise.

[Actual stay was 3/5/17]

What a pleasure it was to stay here, especially at the off season Good Sam rate of $29/night (starting April 1) for a wide gravel spot on a lot comfortable enough for a car and tow dolly in addition to the RV. A hot tub kept at 103F, a pool with water in the low 80's, pickle ball court, free morning coffee, a nice laundry, and centrally located in Benson. The worst thing I could say is a train runs through town a few times a day but the noise is diminished by a wall and, I suspect no matter where one lives in Benson, the sound would be the same. After a couple of times passing, I stopped hearing the steady, lulling sound of the trains.

Every corner of this park is spotless and up to date, from the community bathrooms to the community center. A first for me is that, while in the laundry, without exception every user cleaned the dryer lint traps when finished. Which brings me to the the fact the park seemed filled with respectful, happy, friendly people, including staff. The back of the park has Park homes for rent and purchase. A multitude of activities are available seasonally, including wood shop, dances, ATV club, etc for those interested but especially staying for awhile. The park has a free observatory sky viewing, weather permitting, and an exercise room.

Lots of seniors but did see families and groups come in for the weekend. I enjoyed the full hook ups and the full, trimmed trees, one on each side of the RV. I definitely would come back here and consider staying longer as a base for day trips to Tucson and Tombstone, among other places.

Pros: Clean; Spacious and level sites; Friendly staff; Easy ingress and egress; Easy to find from the Highway; Strong WiFi; Pine tree to help shade on every site; Good power and water pressure; Good laundry facility; Clean Pool; Putting Green; Free Ice; Grocery store within walking distance; Newer picnic tables; Got a great rate using Passport America.

Big Bonus: A wonderful on-site Observatory with free program taught by someone who could translate difficult astronomy concepts into everyday understanding.

Cons: Near a very, very busy and loud railroad

Cool Observatory and nice presentation given. However, too many tall trees and bright skies to see anything dim during new moon.
Skies are very bright and can hardly see Milky Way due to the bright shopping center lights and other lights nearby. You are basically right in town.
Loud train right next door comes through every 20 min or so all night long. Need loud noise machine to drown out plus earplugs. Also traffic noise and emergency vehicles.

Cable stations are analog and some are unwatchable. Too much interference and static noise. Could not pick up any stations using standard digital antenna.

The WiFi, if you can sign in at all, is very slow and does not even connect most of the time for a Samsung tablet. Had to rely on phone using AT&T.
Most sites are paved, but note that for even the pull-throughs they require you to disconnect towed vehicles. Otherwise they may stick out too far.

All hookups work well and pads are fairly flat.

NOT PET FRIENDLY AND EXTREME TRAFFIC NOISE!!
I should have read the other reviews before staying here. If I could change staying at Butterfield RV Resort for the 17 days we paid for a premium site, I definitely would, even making the extra miles into the Tucson area. Here are the reasons.
1. The observatory is a joke. Just a large telescope in a dome. I can see more using my binoculars. We made the 1500 mile trip and the telescope was broken waiting on parts, then a super letdown on the quality of the site when it was repaired.
2. The water pressure was so low, that we had to fill our tank every day, and use our pump to take quick showers.
3. The WIFI is so slow that you can't use it, so virtually none here. The manager said that the park was full, but its poor engineering and planning. We were 6 spaces from the office and WiFi antenna.
4. Most people travel with pets, the rules here are too stringent to be pet friendly and taken to the extreme. My dog urinated a foot into a site corner and I was disciplined and lectured even though I apologized. So, if the dog pen is occupied you better make your dog hold it.
5. The pool and hot tub were advertised but under construction, so those amenities don’t exist here.
6. This park is up for sale, possibly because it is in a HIGH train noise area. The trains run all day and night blowing their horns and car traffic is heavy so road noise is almost as bad.
7. Customer service is nonexistent, the office and park staff are not responsive.
8. MARK THIS ONE OFF MY LIST.

The park is kept impeccably clean. Roadways are paved, most sites are gravel. Ours was level, backing onto the south wall with a view of a small wash. There are two small dog areas, which are sanitized daily (nice!) One pickle ball court, but the famed observatory was out of order while we were here (rowdy kids knocked it off alignment) The pool was under construction while we were here. Walking distance to Safeway and a couple restaurants. The staff and other guests are all very friendly, and there is always something to do if you are feeling social. The only downside for us was the train whistle, at all hours of the day.

Great pool, showers, laundry, power/water/sewer, propane service, mobile RV repair. Terrible train noise, useless wifi, not kid friendly (kids under 16 must be accompanied), tightly packed sites.

This was an easy place to find, right off I10 and the grocery store is walkable. The pool hours are only until 6pm now and the observatory is closed due to Corona, so that was disappointing, but understandable.
The whole property is clean and tidy.