20304 W White Tank Mtn Rd, Waddell, AZ 85355
Date Visited: February 2022
Sites: #D-6, D-19, back-in, electric and water, Dump station
We paid: $40 per night
Review
We love this campground! It takes awhile to get here, driving through the county park along a windy and hilly road, but the road is well-paved and the signage is good. Located northwest of Phoenix, this campground feels like you’re in the middle of the desert, far away from civilization.
Campsites are large, gravel sites with concrete picnic tables. Sites are raked before you arrive and everything is very clean. Electric (50 and 30-amp) and water hookups, plus a well-equipped dump station on the way in/out, make this very comfortable, especially at this time of year. I imagine it would be very hot here in the summer.
Each campsite backs into open desert space with saguaros, cholla, palo verde, ironwood and other trees and succulents. You have views of the mountains and the desert, and might even get visits from rabbits or birds.
There is an easy hiking trail that starts right at the campground, the Ironwood Trail, which provides a great variety of desert foliage. You can also drive to multiple trailheads within 10-20 minutes, and the nature center is close to the entrance station (with its own hiking trail).
Our first campsite, D-6, was on the perimeter, which we slightly prefer, but even D-19 had a great amount of private space because the interior circle was not overly crowded or developed. We would definitely come back here again!