McDowell Mountain Regional Park
When summer camping winds down and you are ready for a camping trip in the Phoenix Valley, McDowell Mountain Regional Park is a perfect option. With over 50 miles of mixed use trails in and around the park, playgrounds for the kids, wildlife viewing, stargazing and a wide variety of ranger events to choose from, this park has it all.
Are you a camper who needs a few of the comforts of home? This place has got you covered with warm showers and flushing toilets. Even the most resistant camper will warm up to this camp experience.
Other important notes.
- The park is divided into two campgrounds. One for tents and the other for tents, RV’s and travel trailers.
- Ironwood Campground is tent only with 13 sites and one group area. There is no electricity in this section.
- E.I. Rowland Campground has 70 sites all with electricity and some with water. Only 2 have sewage hook-ups. But the campground does have a dump station.
- Each site has a table, fire ring and a grill or grate.
- Closest town for supplies is Fountain Hills.
- Campground is open year round but, use in the summer months is not ideal to the extreme temperatures.
- Campsites are $22.00 for tent sites and $32.00 for most sites with electricity.
- Reservations can be made here: https://maricopacountyparks.org/mcdowell.
Why it works
This park has over 50 miles of mixed use trails for hikers, bikers and horseback riding. For the little ones, there are playgrounds and ranger lead activities. I would not label this as a “roughing it” kind of campground. The good news about that, you may be able to talk your friends who are, unwelcoming to the camping life, to give this place a try. For folks in central Arizona, you won’t be far from home making quick weekend trips easy-peezy. If you are an RV family passing through, do not pass this place by. Especially in the fall, winter and spring months. But make the reservations now because it can fill up quickly.
Who’s going to love it
This is a terrific family campground and a great place to bring people who are resistant campers. If you are a family with horses, the Four Peaks Staging Area is a primitive area, ideal for overnight camping groups with horses. The playgrounds will be a hit with young kids while the mixed use trails provide plenty of options for hiking and biking.
Things to consider
The McDowell Mountain Regional Park is located in Phoenix Arizona in the lower Verde River basin. This makes it a desert valley campground. If you are looking for big trees, shade and moderate climates, this may not be the spot for your next trip. Being from the Midwest, desert camping took me some getting used to. But, if big night skies with plenty of stargazing make you smile, you’ve got to spend some time here. Make sure you check the temperatures, June-August are going to be extremely high temperatures but the winter months are beautiful.
Make sure to keep close eye on the dogs and young kids in this environment. Snakes can be common and the cacti are an unwelcome surprise if you are not careful.
See you at the campsite!
