“'round a fire, under the stars, out in the west”
The developed portion of Dead Horse Ranch State Park covers 423 acres. The 3,300 foot elevation accounts for the mild temperatures that are ideal for camping, mountain biking in the Coconino National Forest, hiking along the Verde River, canoeing, picnicking, fishing, or just wading in the cool water.
Reviews of Dead Horse Ranch State Park Campground
87 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G/5G
Confirmed by 48 users | Last reported on March 04, 2024AT&T 4G/5G
Confirmed by 29 users | Last reported on December 01, 2023T-Mobile 4G/5G
Confirmed by 10 users | Last reported on December 20, 2023Stayed at the Blackhawk Loop campground. $15/night with hot showers and large facilities. Didn't think that there would be any spots, since we arrived after sunset but were happy to find a couple of spots to choose from that were really nicely maintained.
Creosote and hot air balloons in the morning, love it!
This makes for a nice little getaway. We enjoy fishing, or walking around the area. It is very close to many very nice little restaurants and bars so if you aren't into "roughing it" you can come go fishing in the afternoon and then relax and tell fish stories over a beer or wine at one of the local places.
They stock the lagoons with trout, I believe so there's always good fishing, and of course they have horses you can ride-- which is ironic given the park's name. It actually got its name from the family that owned the land before. They were looking for a ranch, and they found a dead horse on the road by this one. When the parents asked the kids which ranch they liked best they allegedly said "The one with the dead horse!" The name stuck, and when the land was sold to the state for a park, keeping the name was one condition of the sale!
Right between Sedona and Jerome, Dead Horse Ranch is a great campground to settle in for a week. We've stayed here twice and though I don't remember the details, I know we'd stay here again.
Nightly Rate: $25.00
Days Stayed: 6
Site Number: 49
We've stayed here multiple times and think this is a great place. All the camping loops have attentive hosts, easy back in sites and all are well maintained. Big rigs have no issues here. All sites have fire rings, tables and there are several handicap accessible sites. There are miles of hiking and biking trails, fishing ponds, and horseback riding. It's very close to all the Old Town Cottonwood activities/restaurants. Bathrooms and showers are clean. The campground sits on the Verde River which attracts a lot of wildlife and birds, we see eagles here regularly in the winter. Beware of foxtails and goatheads, two extremely annoying barbed thorns commonly found in the area. Will continue to come here, it's a very well managed place.
Nightly Rate: $25.00
Days Stayed: 4
Site Number: 70
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
This was our second stay at Dead Horse Ranch SP. We have stayed in the Cooper Hawk Loop both times. The back in sites are all level but the pull-thru sites do have a hump at one end but seemed long enough to level away from the hump. Each site does have water, electric, table, and fire ring. Restroom are adequate and well maintained. There are a number of walking, biking, and horse trails within the park. You can, also, take a trail to Old Cottonwood for a five mile round trip hike. The perfect location to visit Sedona, Jerome, Camp Verde, Tuzigoot Indian Ruins,and Montezuma's Castle and Well.
Nightly Rate: $25.00
Days Stayed: 5
Site Number: 83
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Overview
Our first trip and we enjoyed our visit. It was not a place that we are dying to get back to, but would stay there again. The surrounding area and access made it a great stay. Also the good cell coverage allowed us to get a little work done.
Review of the Park
The park has 3 camping areas and we stayed in Quail Loop, the oldest area. The sites are a little tight and some have length and height limitations. The outside spaces have some nice views of the mountains or the river. Each site has power, picnic table and a fire ring.
We found the park very quiet considering how close the sites are. Lots of kids, as we visited during spring break but no issues.
The bathroom is clean, but much smaller than some of the other areas. Showers were clean and hot. The bathrooms were heavily used compared to other parks. I think because there was a number of tent campers.
Verizon access was good at 2-3 bars. AT&T was lightening fast at 4 bars.
Review of Surrounding Area
There are some great walking and biking trails straight out of the area. The park sits on the Verde River. Fishing on several of the lagoons and even horseback riding.
Shopping Access
Cottonwood is close and has easy access for shopping. Walmart, Frys and Safeway are all there. The choice of stores is limited, but we did find some great restaurants and microbreweries in Oldtown Cottonwood.
Nearby Activities
Historic Cottonwood - great restaurants and beer
Sedona - not too far
Jerome - so funky and worth the drive but NOT in the RV
Flagstaff - worth the day trip for the microbrews
Tuzigoot National Monument - a good leg stretcher
Mountain Biking - Lime Kiln Trail (and yes you can see the old lime kilns)
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: -
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
This park is right out of Cottonwood, AZ which makes it a great base camp to explore the surrounding areas. We visited Montezuma's Castle & Tuzigoot in the same day, and spent the rest of our time relaxing in the park. Our kids earned their Jr. Ranger Badge, Sam and I both got in a mountain bike ride (Definitely intermediate to advanced trails!), and we explored down by the lagoons. Overall we had a pleasant experience!
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 68
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
We'd just acquired a dog from the shelter in Cottonwood and it was between our feet that he rest, staring at the campfire. I thought perhaps he might catch like a Q-tip, his hair thick and wispy at the ends. Though our neighbors were nearish, the night was quiet.
We were young and in love then, still figuring out the ins and outs of living with someone new--and now, for some reason I don't recall, a dog--in a small campervan with no running water, no bathroom, just a broken 12v fridge worth of IPAs and a pee cup.
And so it was through everything starry eyed and new hope for this future together that we saw everything. The short walk around the lake felt remarkable. Families on horseback screamed romance. And the little town of Cottonwood played the perfect adorable backdrop to it all.
So I leave the true reliability of my opinions here up to you. Be you a hopeful romantic yourself you may take them at more than face value, concoct ideas in your own head about the proximity to the mountain clinging ethereal several streets of happiness that make up Jerome and how it will ignite a passion with you and yours never seen before. Or if you're the cynical type, you may note that while it's also fairly close to Sedona, the town has been overrun by a sort of low key strip mall-idis that stings more than blatant Walmartian advertising principles.
Either way, I still recall the place fondly.
We arrived close to 7:00 pm, but we were able to meander to our site easily. They had the orange cone out to reserve our spot, and we backed in easily as there are not too many big trees around the sites in this campground. There are a few in between your neighbors, but it's pretty big and open. Though it's located in the hills, the site driveways are paved and fairly level. The hosts are friendly and helpful, and they kept the restrooms very clean. The hook ups worked just fine. Though you can see city lights in the distance, you still felt like you were out there. The park is about thirty minutes outside of Sedona, so a day trip there is very nice. We hiked in Fay Canyon, and that was very pretty and not difficult with kids (12 and 9) and Grandma (60-something). It was short trip, but a very nice weekend.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 67
Be the first to add a review to the Dead Horse Ranch State Park Campground.
Dead Horse Ranch State Park Campground
Hours
- Sun - Sat: 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Problem with this listing? Let us know.
Has RV parking changed? Let us know.
-
Parking
-
Pets Allowed
-
Restrooms
-
Wifi
-
Wheelchair Accessible
-
Credit Cards Accepted
- Max Stay
- 14
- Max Length
- 65 ft
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Sites Count
- 127
- Last Nightly Rate
- 30.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 10.0
- Back In RV Sites Count
- 30
- Pull Through RV Sites Count
- 33
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 44.0
-
Sites
-
Laundry
-
Propane
-
Showers
-
Big Rigs
-
Boondock
-
Firewood
-
Fifty Amp
-
Tent Sites
-
Cabin Sites
-
Full Hookup
-
Paved Sites
-
Dump Station
-
Mobile Homes
-
Public Water
-
Pull Through
-
Reservations
-
Sewer Hookup
-
Water Hookup
-
Potable Water
-
Age Restricted
-
Rec Facilities
-
Dispersed Sites
-
Open Seasonally
-
Permit Required
-
Back In RV Sites
-
Group Tent Sites
-
Fulltime Residents
-
Standard Tent Sites
-
Pull Through RV Sites
-
Vehicle Wash Permitted
Campground, Restrooms
Nearby Hotels
Related Trip Guides
The top things to do on an I-40 road trip
- 35 Places
- 49:44
- 2,851 mi
The top things to do on an I-10 road trip
- 55 Places
- 56:13
- 3,026 mi