The Painted Rock Petroglyph Site is a collection of hundreds of ancient petroglyphs near the town of Theba, Arizona, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The site is operated and maintained by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and includes an improved campground as well as an informative walking trail showcasing the petroglyphs. Prior to 1989, the site was part of Painted Rock State Park, which included camping facilities on the nearby Painted Rock Reservoir, referred to as the "Lake Unit". When the state turned control of the park over to the BLM in 1989, the Lake Unit was closed due to concerns over pollutants in the Gila River and is not maintained by the BLM. Currently, there is no public access to Painted Rock Dam or the Lake Unit.
Reviews of Painted Rock Petroglyph Site & Campground
37 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G/5G
Confirmed by 24 users | Last reported on April 01, 2024AT&T 4G/5G
Confirmed by 9 users | Last reported on April 01, 2024T-Mobile 4G/5G
Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on April 01, 2024We loved this place and would definitley go back again. Its quiet, scenic, there are great hikes and cool petroglyphs! Its in the middle of nowhere, so I dont think we had any cell service -- but its worth it.
Nightly Rate: $8.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: -
We thought this would be more of a remote boondock experience, but it's more like a campground without utilities wrapped around a pile of rocks behind a fence.
The petroglyphs were pretty cool, but would have made more of a "stop along the road" then a destination. You can peruse them in about 20 minutes. There was some other decent hiking nearby and the sites themselves were pretty large and there were picnic tables, a vault toilet and such...
Nightly Rate: $15.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 00
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
You come here to see the petroglyphs. There are very many in this pile of rocks. It's very cool. The sites are huge. There are no real amenities, no electricity, no water. There is a dumpster, and pit toilets. No shade. There IS cell service, if you are into that kind of thing.
It's better than a WalMart parking lot, but not as luxurious as an RV resort. We plan on returning. Pick your poison.
Nightly Rate: $8.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 12
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
AT&T 4G
This is the type of place we love. Remote. Quiet. Beautiful in it's own desert-y way. No water. There are outhouses. GREAT Verizon service which is important to me since I need it for work.
It is far away from everything, so stock up first.
Nightly Rate: $8.00
Days Stayed: 6
Site Number: Can't remember
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
The sites here are huge and mostly well separated although there’s no vegetation for visual privacy. We enjoyed relaxing away from the freeway and train tracks. Verizon Service was blazing fast. Easy access from I-8 with just a short drive on dirt. We did have a dust devil tear through the campground and were chewing sand for a few hours. There are well maintained vault toilets and a dumpster. No other services.
The petroglyphs were interesting. We were able to overhear an archaeologist’s interpretation of them as he spoke to a tour group he was leading which was a bonus.
Nightly Rate: $4.00
Days Stayed: 4
Site Number: 27
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Large open sites. Ample distance between sites but little vegetation. Just quiet, wind & flies! Main negative is the flies.
Nightly Rate: $8.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 24
Fairly remote campground but the road is in good shape for the 11 mile drive from I-8.
The campground is well-maintained and has really large sites, completely suitable for larger rigs. Most of the sites are pull-through, pretty level, with fire pits and cement picnic tables. There isn’t much vegetation so don’t expect any shade. Pit toilets, but very clean. Despite it only being April, temps were in the mid-90’s and had to run our generator almost the entire time to keep our rig cool, maybe that’s why we were the only ones in the campground. Generator hours are 8 am to 8 pm.
The petroglyphs are within easy walking distance from the campground, it doesn’t take up a lot of time . We took the short drive to visit the dam but the road is closed off. Not a lot to do out this way so we decided to try and find the Oatman Family Memorial that we saw on the map. We got a bit lost in the hay fields coming from the campground so approached it from the west, Sentinel exit. The road was good…until it wasn’t – a high clearance 4WD is recommended if you come from that direction.
I agree with another reviewer in that this is a great stopover but there wasn’t enough to draw me to stay longer. A lot of flies and gnats will make you want to have good screens on your RV.
Nightly Rate: $8.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 29
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
60 spacious sites with table and access to pit toilet The petroglyphs are really cool Middle of March and wild flowers were blooming
Nightly Rate: $4.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 60
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Even at 96 degrees, we were not the only campers at this remote desert campground! One other couple was enjoying the other end of the campground so it was as if we had the place to ourselves.
Amazing desert views, but not much else. The petroglyphs were a nice early morning walk and we even learned a little about the various trails through the area.
As previous reviewers have mentioned the flies were a bit overwhelming at times. Thank goodness for the mild breeze to keep them at bay.
Nightly Rate: $8.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 49
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Stayed overnight at the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site and Campground, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Arizona. This big rig friendly campground has picnic tables, a fire ring, trash receptacles, and two vault toilets. There are no hookups, no water, and no dump station —dry camping only. Adjacent to the campground are ancient rock carvings/petroglyphs. This BLM campground is located just 11 miles off of I-8, Exit 102 and made for an excellent overnight stay. Verizon cellular service clocked in at 24.2 Mbps download speed and 19.9 Mbps upload speed. AT&T cell service was barely usable at 1 bar LTE. The fee is reasonable at $4 per night with the interagency access pass/senior or golden age pass. The regular fee is $8 per night.
Nightly Rate: $4.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 55
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
AT&T 4G
Be the first to add a review to the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site & Campground.
Painted Rock Petroglyph Site & Campground
Hours
- Mon - Fri: 7:30 am - 4:15 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
- Affiliation
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
- Last Nightly Rate
- 8.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 40.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 2.0
- Max Stay
- 14
- Sites Count
- 64
-
Paved Sites
-
Full Hookup
-
Rec Facilities
-
Pull Through
-
Tent Sites
-
Dump Station
-
Big Rigs
-
Open Seasonally
-
Age Restricted
-
Boondock
-
Cabin Sites
-
Dispersed Sites
-
Firewood
-
Fulltime Residents
-
Group Tent Sites
-
Laundry
-
Mobile Homes
-
Permit Required
-
Propane
-
Public Water
-
Pull Through RV Sites
-
Reservations
-
Sewer Hookup
-
Showers
-
Sites
-
Standard Tent Sites
-
Water Hookup
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