Oak Flat Campground

I pulled in thinking it was just going to be another quiet camp site in the Tonto National Forest, turns out there are huge issues going on with this land and there are Native American groups that are long term camping out there and protesting the nearby mining companies fight to take it over for copper mining. Without knowing all the facts, I won't say my stance or get into this more, but as far as camping, I was disappointed in the events that unfolded after the camp host told me to look for a parking spot near group camping and that it was the last spot open. There were numerous things going on here... Spring breakers having (bass heavy) music going late, people walking around handing out info, petitions, and bumper stickers for the ongoing battle for the land. I parked in the "last spot", which turned out to be one of three open spots for the group camping roundabout, located in the back part of this area. There was one man there, with a camper trailer and a tent, with "hope" his son was going to join him, never happened. I asked him about the other tent that was unattended, he said "I don't know, it's been there for a week". It just seems like people were clustering this area up for personal business, rather than enjoying it for the camping, and numerous hiking and biking trails that were very evident. The land is very scenic, paired with the trails and its earned 2 stars. Sorry for the bad review, but it's just the info.

Just came into Mesa from Oak flat campground for a couple of nights. It was very easy to get to & right off the highway, but just far enough to lose the road noise.

There were many spots of all sizes with fire pits and picnic tables. The area seemed pretty full, but we had no trouble finding a spot, and it stayed quiet and peaceful.
Took a little hike around the area on the first day and discovered a road heading up into the hills where countless other vacant spots were, though I wouldn't attempt it without 4x4.

In the main campground there were pit toilets which were kept very clean. Some material remnants of the protests that other users have mentioned (huts, posters etc), but no activity.

Didn't seem to be any running water, or trash disposal nearby. Make sure to pack everything in&out!

Wireless service was basically non-existent so we kept it turned off.

I wasn’t super impressed with this campground. The sites are all over the place and hard to define. Many of them are not even close to level and I noticed lots of deep ruts where the wrong vehicle could easily get stuck. There were lots of open spaces, but only one or two that I would consider safe and comfortable for us to park on. We’re driving a 20ft Sprinter van, a larger rig might have some trouble navigating the tight turns along the loop and finding a large enough site. It appeared like some campers were living there. The campground is far enough from the road noise so it was quiet at night. The bathrooms smell like they've never been cleaned. I would stay again but only if I couldn’t find another free campground close by.

I went on a scouting expedition excited to find this free campground but felt like I was barging in on the homeless living in makeshift tents there. There were several spots where people appeared to be living and I was watched like a hawk as I drove through which made me very uncomfortable. I was so disappointed. Also, the road is seriously washed out on the way in and I seriously screwed the alignment on my Pathfinder coming in passing a shady patch with low visibility.

We used to keep up here quite often and loved it. We took a drive today to check it out for future camping but the Apache tribe is claiming it as their sacred grounds and are squatting with what appears to be long-term living. I wish I would have taken pictures of the trash. I would never recommend this place even to my worst enemies. It's in Tonto National Forest so I'm going to get a hold of them and see what's going on. So sad.

A recent review Said there were hostile Indians squatting here because it was their sacred burial grounds, And there was trash everywhere.
Well I got here this morning and there were 2 Indians picking up the last of their belongings Putting it on a flatbed trailer and they were very nice and friendly. The whole site was clean,there were some bottles and cans here and there but not bad. Right after they left U.S. forest service showed up in 4 different vehicles, Wearing masks and holding clipboards all official like, (that's the 2nd picture) to make sure they were gone.

It wasn’t so beautiful. We picked a spot that had a sign reserving it for a future set of dates which we were going to be long gone by even if we hadn’t noticed that there was no WiFi. We didn’t notice til after we’d set up. It’s a great boondocking spot. Perfect trees & it was unexpected that close to what I know as full on desert. It was a delightful to hike around when I was looking for WiFi. The Indians I did run into were wonderful & simply asked if we minded if they put their wood down near our campsite for their future powwow. I thought that was cool. Definitely got great pics & video clips too

Keep driving past the campground toward the mine site. Take the next left. It is down an easy hill. There is a beautiful pond with boulders as a backdrop. Could not have been nicer! Until…around midnight I woke to a young couple who decided to camp about 100 feet from me. They got into a loud domestic squabble. I shouted to quiet down but no response. I finally put my ear plugs in and fell back to sleep. At 5:30 AM I pulled in my slide and turned my rig around right in front of their tent. I accidentally honked my horn…8 times before driving off. (I replaced my little horn last year with an air horn from an 18 wheeler.)

We camped at Oak Flat over President's weekend. The campground was nearly full. The political activities described by the previous reviewer are still going on, but no one tried to hand us information. We had very little Verizon cell reception in the campground. When I tried to walk over a hill toward the entrance road to get better cell reception, someone leaving the campground stopped their vehicle and told me to leave the immediate area I was in because I was standing on sacred Native American ground. If you camp at Oak Flat, it might be best to stay in the campground itself and not wander off. The nearby Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park is well worth a visit.

I enjoyed this campground. It was quiet the whole time I was there. I could hear the highway traffic, but not loud enough to be an issue.

The area is very scenic and there are plenty of trails to explore. I would say about half of the campsites are shaded and the other half not. The outhouses were very clean and well-kept.

The area was spotless. No trash anywhere and no vandalism.

I had no cell access with AT&T, even when I hiked up the hill south of the campground.

I would stay here again.