Feb. Car Camping Near Phoenix

Can you be a bit more specific? 3 hours from Phoenix can either have you almost to Mexico if you go south, in California if you go West and in mountains that will be far too cold to camp in if you go North or East. In February the desert can drop in to the teens at night and the mountains are far colder and snowier. If you head 1.5 – 3 hours North or East of Phoenix you are in mountains that range from 6,000-12,000 ft tall and winter weather to match. The Superstition mountains east of Phoenix and the Catalina mountains near Tucson may be fine, however two years ago in the burbs outside of Phoenix where I live it got down to 17 degrees in January, at that time these mountains were covered in snow that lasted a few days. Sedona might be another good choice but again it can be quite cold at night. Patagonia is another location less than 3 hours away that will be nice in winter. It has a lake as well. Roosevelt lake, Saguaro Lake, Apache Lake, Canyon Lake Dispersed camping with a water source is another hard thing to ask for. Most maintained campsites with water are going to be full of RV's. If they are dispersed you are probably completely on your own. There are a lot of streams that run in the winter but you'd need to filter the water.

Thanks, Heath. If pressed, I'd say we're looking more towards a desert experience. We're not looking for winter (i.e., snow) camping, but cold-ish overnight lows (20's?) would be fine. If the forecast doesn't cooperate we can always change our plans and do something else (e.g., stay in town). Filtering water isn't a problem, although we might just haul jugs in since we'll have a vehicle. It's more to give the kids something to do (throwing rocks into bodies of water is pretty high on their list of "favorite things to do"). Will definitely check into the places you mentioned.

No problem. If you have any questions about the area, or are looking for anything specific feel free to pm me. You can get aquatainer water containers at Sportsman's Warehouse in Mesa, AZ and then there are Water and Ice stores nearby that you can fill them at. Far cheaper than lugging around those 5 gallon containers you can get at grocery stores.

Plan on buying jugs to haul all your water, and at minimum rent something high clearance. Organ Pipe and the Cabeza Prieta are gorgeous in the winter and usually have very nice temps. That close to the border you do run the risk of witnessing border traffic, which with kids you may or may not want to do.

I just moved to Florida from Arizona. I've spent hundreds of nights car camping all over the Grand Canyon State. In February you'll certainly want to camp below 4000' elevation, and just forget about trying to get near a water source, it's Arizona. What few places (below 4,000') that have access to water will be too sought after and crowded. Go to Walmart and get 2 or 3 of the 6 gallon water containers. Hands down the best place to car camp in Feb is near Rye, AZ. It's about 65 miles north of Mesa on Hwy 87. Take Forest Road 414 west from Rye. It goes back for about 8 miles into the National Forest and eventually stops at a Mazatzal Wilderness trailhead. Cattle are grazed in the lower elevations, so you have to watch out for cow pies here and there. You'll see many places along FR 414 where you can park and camp. In winter there are a number of other campers in the area, but a good spot can always be found with a little effort. 4 wheel drive is not a must, but high clearance is recommended. After the winter rains FR 414 can get a little slippery so you'll need to be cautious so as to not to get stuck without FWD. Watching the sun come up over the Mazatzal Range is one of my favorite Arizona memories. The AZT follows the spine of the mountains (aka the Mazatzal Divide Trail). And the Barnhardt trail is a must see. It's one of the top 5 classic Arizona hikes (outside GCNP). The geology is mind blowing. Much of the 250,000 acre Mazatzal Wilderness has been burned by wildfires, but the Barnhardt Trail is still fantastic. Payson is only 15 miles from Rye and you can find all the provisions you'll need (Walmart, restaurants, etc)

Thanks for the suggestions, Dave and Monte. I've definitely got some homework to do. What do folks think about the pros and cons of Joshua Tree as an alternative? It's pushing the limits of how far we'd like to drive (3+ hours from Phoenix). I know we'll have more of the "campground" experience there, which isn't necessarily what we're after. Any reason to make the trip versus some of the alternatives people have mentioned?