Catalina State Park Campground

I travel to Tucson from Phoenix on a regular basis. CSP is close enough to get to my destinations and it provides scenery and views comparable to $400 a night resorts in the same vicinity. Plus I can camp and do my astrophotography at the same time.

We've stayed here on 3 different trips to the SW, 2019,2020 & 2023. A very nice break from the remote, amenity-less places we usually camp. It's a great place to resupply, dine out, see the sights, clean up and relax in the Arizona sunshine while gazing a the Santa Catalina Mountains. 

There is some hiking including guided Ranger led tours. Lots of birds, coyotes and a whole lot of giant saguaro cactus. In spring at least, there is water, sometimes a lot.

I find that some of the sites are well spaced, some with stunted trees which could provide more shade once they leaf out. We've never had that experience with all out visits coming in March or early April.

We're not much for big campgrounds or RV Parks but this one works for us. It has however gotten, like everywhere else, EXTREMELY HARD to reserve a site, especially one of the better ones.

One other note - Wood fires are not allowed!! We use a propane Firebowl there.

Very nice campground with great views of the mountains, hiking, and biking around Oro Valley on road bike. Easy access to the loop trail. It was low 30s in the mornings (February). Bathroom and showers in loop A were coolish.

Catalina State Park in Tucson, Arizona, is a fantastic campground that offers a perfect blend of natural beauty and convenience. The campsite is surrounded by stunning desert landscapes, with majestic saguaro cacti and rugged mountains providing a picturesque backdrop. 

The well-maintained facilities and spacious campsites make it an ideal destination for both novice and experienced campers. What sets Catalina State Park apart is its remarkable proximity to the town of Tucson. Just a short drive away, campers can easily access the vibrant city to explore its cultural attractions, dine at diverse restaurants, and shop for supplies. 

This accessibility makes it an excellent choice for those who want to enjoy the serenity of the outdoors without sacrificing the convenience of urban amenities. Whether you're into hiking, stargazing, or simply seeking a peaceful getaway, Catalina State Park offers it all. The stunning natural beauty combined with its proximity to town makes it a top-notch choice for a camping adventure in Tucson, Arizona.

Well kept Campground north of Tucson. We stayed in 3 different sites because we made last minute reservations. Great hiking and biking. Birds everywhere, fun to watch.

This place is the best!! Paved sites, clean bathrooms , showers (free) great walking trails Loved everything about this place

Stayed for a full week in March 2022. Sites had water and electricity (30 amp). Spaces were large, open, had fire ring and picnic bench. Paved, level.  The views are spectacular!   The advantage of this campground is that it is close to urban amenities, there is a shopping center just across the road from the park entrance. Hiking, biking & horse trails abound.  On Saturdays there are nature camp events in the park.  Will stay here again when in Tucson area.

Absolutely love this campground. Quiet, peaceful, beautiful views, friendly staff.

This is a beautiful park! If you are reserving a campsite, beware! Ringtail loop does not have electricity or water hookup and it is not that easy to tell this on the reservation system. It is just a dirt parking lot for trailers to sit in. There are amazing hiking trails and the nature in this park is stunning, especially the saguaros. The campground fills up fast so reserve early in the year if you want a site with electricity and water.

We camped in the Ringtail loop which is open to individual camping from January through March (usually a group camping area). It is a big gravel parking lot where they jam everyone in there. Super tight! Decent hiking trails from the park especially Romero Canyon trail. Bathrooms/showers were fabulous.

I have stayed here a twice and enjoyed both visits. Bathrooms are clean and all sites are well maintained. No wood fires are allowed but you can bring a propane fire pit. Plenty of trails are nearby.

Beautiful state park campground. Huge, level, paved sites. All the sites in the B loops have water and electric( 20A, 30A, and 50A). Picnic table and bbq. No fire pits. Dump station near exit of loops and another near state park entrance. Nice selection of pull through and back-in sites. We had a back-in on outer edge and had beautiful views. Plenty of space between sites and with clever positioning and trees, you have some privacy. Was very quiet (with the exception of the coyote's at sundown 👍) Nice clean bathrooms and showers. Many sites have some trees that may provide some needed shade in warmer months. Great hiking and biking in park. Bicycle paths in Oro Valley area are also awesome.

Separate dry (area a) and hook up areas (area b) first come first serve. $ 30 full hook up includes entry fee. Showers. Lots of birds. Little free library. Friendly folks all round.

Walmart nearby DOES NOT allow overnight. Did not check out amenities but the campground had roomy sites and is very well groomed. Everyone was friendly. Filled fresh tank at campsite. Dump station very clean. Great mountain biking-50 mile trail- in park.

Peaceful, quiet, and some of the best hikes ever. The view amazing each morning.

Great location in the park with full hookups. Just be warned off its rains heavy, roads will flood.

Easy to find great access large sites

Two of us camped together in a group area with one other couple. Beautiful sunset. Coyotes howling. Good company over the fire pit. Great shower facilities

Me and my family did a 1 day tent camping trip to Catalina state park. And we all absolutely loved it there. The bathrooms are super clean, the staff was very helpful. The camping sites are great, lots of space. Would definitely recommend a trip to Catalina state park.

Campground has two loops one with hook ups and one without hook ups Plenty of hikes,or just pretty walks easy to more difficult. Late winter and spring have great temps getting warmer as the days lead to summer temps. Close to shopping, restaurants and more.

I typically rate campgrounds as they fit into 1 of 5 categories. This campground will be rated as a Regional/Public Park — Grounds that are on public lands, and have a cost for entry and/or overnight stay. Ratings for this category are based on: Cost: 5 Allure of the park/lands: 5 Amenities as available (bathrooms, showers, hookups, etc): 4 Layout and privacy of sites: 5

Catalina SP is at the Northern end of metro Tucson. It’s about 30 minutes to downtown and 1 hour to either division of Saguaro National Park (East or West).

Reservations during January for a short-term (2 night) stay were surprisingly easy to obtain via their online booking tool. Longer stays should book far ahead of time, max stay is 14 days, I believe. Price of $30/night +$5 booking fee was very reasonable for RV Electric and water hookups for the stay.

Check in was easy with the attendants and there is no extra cost for park admission for campers, which is a nice bonus for AZ state parks (many states charge the fees outside of the cost of camping).

The sites were huge, very big-rig friendly, and private. Additional signage for numbered sites would have been helpful, but it’s not hard to find your spot using the power of deduction. Backing in our 25’ trailer was easy. Electric and water hookups were available at our site (30) in the B Loop. No sewer hookups and the dump stations were crowded when we left at 11:45am on checkout day. Restrooms were open, and require masks. They were spotless! Water pipes at the campground froze overnight on an evening where temps barely touched 32 degrees. They were defrosted and flowing by 8:30am. There were also dish cleaning stations outside the restroom.

Very nearby are grocery stores, gas stations and other shopping/eating spots, but the proximity to commerce doesn’t impact the natural feel of these grounds... night at the campground is very dark.

The hiking accessible from the campgrounds is fantastic with tons of desert landscape and saguaros dotting the skyline. Low mountains add to the scenic view and trees throughout the campground contribute to privacy from your (fairly distant) neighbors. Yet another fantastic reason to choose state parks for your camping/rving adventures!

This campsite is in the heart of the Sonoran Desert on the outskirts of Tucson. You are minutes from the city, but still tucked into the valley of the Catalina Mountains. The perfect place for a desert retreat! Across the street (5 min drive for the campsite) you’ll find in ‘n out, Walmart, and other retail stores. Just down Oracle Rd. you’ll find great local restaurants... El Molinitos, Guadalajara Grill, Tap and Bottle, Village Bakehouse, and Truland Burgers. There is so much to explore in Tucson, but this campsite alone is a destination. If you’re lucky enough to be around after mountain snowmelt, you can enjoy the water. Hiking baths are aplenty as are the birds for birding enthusiasts. Campsites are clean and spacious. There isn’t much shade in the desert, so plan accordingly. Stargazing is great here. This State Park is a hot spot for locals, so hit the trails early in the morning or just stick to the campground on the weekends to avoid the crowds. The park and the adjacent mountain range suffered greatly from a large fire in the summer of 2020. Deeper into the park on hikes you’ll notice the devastation and also see desert regrowth. Be sure to check before you go as some trails are still closed from the damage.

We camped at ringtail loop and have no complaints! The park was clean as well as the showers and bathrooms.

Camped 14-15 March 2021 - Minutes from the hustle and bustle of Tucson and Oro Valley, but surprisingly quiet. Catalina State Park Campground has two campsite loops- A and B, as well as the Ringtail group tent site. I tent camped at site A16, which was a decent distance from the neighboring sites. The loops and parking slips are asphalt paved. Familiarize yourself with the site map, because most of the campsite numbers were on posts set back a distance from the road, making it tough to locate some of the sites, especially if you’re arriving after dark. Campsites are typical desert sand, with mesquite and palo verde trees. I had plenty of location options within the site for setting up my tent, but had to choose carefully, as to not sleep atop an access hole to the round-tailed ground squirrel burrows that are in abundance throughout the campground. The site had water, an electric hook up (which I didn’t need), a nice sized thermoplastic polyethylene coated metal picnic table (easy to clean), a raised BBQ grill and a beautiful view of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The restroom and shower facility in loop A was clean and adequate, with three toilet stalls (one of which was ADA compliant, as well as two showers (one being ADA compliant). Signage on ADA shower stall indicated adaptive equipment (shower chair, etc.) was available through the camp hosts. An open breezeway between women’s and men’s restrooms includes a sink, soft drink machine, a small “Take a book, share a book” cabinet, and informational bulletin boards. A posted sign indicated wifi password for the campground, but whenever I tried to connect, I got a prompt that it was unavailable. I had a strong Verizon signal. Per another sign posted in the breezeway, the 48-day Bighorn Fire of June 2020 burned almost 120,000 acres / 25% of Catalina State Park. Because of vegetation loss, the Canada del Oro wash (along the main road between the entrance/ranger station and the campground) is prone to flooding when it rains at higher elevations. The wash has been running black with ash, and for longer periods of time than before the fire. The ash coats the sand, preventing the rainwater from being absorbed, creating the potential for flash floods. The Romero Trail to Romero Pools has been closed since the fire, with signs indicating reopening in May 2021. There are still plenty of miles of beautiful desert trails to enjoy. There are two large grocery stores and two gas stations within five miles of the campground.

This is a great campground. It’s perfectly suited as a site that takes little time to get too, and yields tons of star gazing, hiking and camping fun. You can use a primitive site and get a feel for boon-docking, or take advantage of the super clean showers and bathrooms near the more established camping site. We fully recommend this camping location.

Conveniently located a short 15 minute drive from the heart of Tucson, this state park is one of our all time favorites! We first stayed in the Ringtail Camping, which is overflow for the main campgrounds. The showers and bathrooms were clean and well maintained. The campground hosts were lovely people who were very helpful. There are no hookups at the ringtail campground, but the price reflects it.

We moved over to campground A for a few days, which had full hooks up and spacious sites with lots of trees and privacy. All the amenities were well maintained and the staff is friendly. The hiking trails are endless, along with the gorgeous Catalina mountains and colorful sunsets. Would highly recommend!

I loved this park. The staff was friendly and the camp hosts were so helpful. I stayed for 7 nights at the A site, B site, and Ringtail Loop. A and B have back in’s and pull-thru’s, & water/electric. There is a dump station and several picnic areas, plus short hiking loops and horse trails. AND the VIEW of the Catalina mts is stunning!

In general its a lovely state park with good provisions. Ended up in the group site, which appears not be an actual group site, as sites are individually reservable and functions as overflow camping. You are unfortunately....right on top of each other. We had maybe 8 ft between us and the camper van next to us. That said, other campers were quiet and respectful.

The campsite was totally packed, lots of kids but a good environment. There are camp supervisors that keep the camp in line. But my favorite part was all the trails!

I stayed here for two nights on 12/30/20 and 12/31/20. The first night was full and very quiet. The second night was a bit louder but quieted down by 10:00 PM. I expected it to be louder since it was New Year’s Eve. The bathrooms were cleaned multiple times throughout the day. The sites were also well taken care of. Water and electric at most sites and there was trash and recycling as well. Views of the mountains were awesome. I recommend making reservations early since they fill up fast. You can not burn wood either. You can use a propane fire pit or burn a duraflame type log in the grill.