Dead Horse Ranch State Park Campground

Great area with lots to do and see. We stayed in Red Tail Hawk campground. Host was helpful and friendly. Restroom was clean!

We stayed 2 nights in Red Tail Hawk loop and one night in Quail loop. We preferred being on the hill in Red Tail Hawk. Great amenities. Bathhouse, playgrounds etc.

The quail campground is a nice spot for small to midsize campers and tents. Our spot number 19 is perfect. It was close to a trail going down to the river. We like it so much we will try to book that spot again next year. The hosts were very nice and the bathrooms were very clean. What more could you ask for?

We pulled into our spot at Dead Horse Ranch as the temps crept below freezing. This was our first night ever in a campervan, and we were feeling very fortunate for scoring the last site with electricity. 

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It snowed in the night (February) and we woke to discover that the bathhouse was heated with free hot showers. This, combined with dishwashing stations (again with hot water) and friendly campground hosts, made for a lovely stay at Dead Horse Ranch.

The only downside was the lack of privacy between sites - fine for van or RV camping, but not ideal for tenters. 

There are a couple of nice trails in the park, one leading into Old Town Cottonwood - try Old Town Cafe for their flaky croissants! Dead Horse Ranch is about 30 minutes from Sedona and fantastic hiking, which we took advantage of all three nights we were there. 

Bottom line, this was not a wilderness experience, but Dead Horse Ranch provides nice sites and great amenities, and you can't beat the convenience of the location. 

We preferred the Red Tailed Hawk loop to all the others, and really liked sites 57 - 64 for the views and access to trails.

We’re full time R.V.ing, and generally use BLM land, but every now and then we opt for an easy to get to space. This was that! It was clean, pretty, we didn’t check out the showers but there were showers and bathrooms. Easy to find, easy to pay (even after hours - it’s a drop box) and the spaces are FCFS. There was plenty!

Dead Horse Ranch State Park is a perfect place to stay if you want to visit, Montezuma Castle National Monument, Tuzigoot National Monument, Old Cottonwood, Red Rock State Park, Jerome and the many Sedona attractions. Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot are pet friendly although if your pet doesn’t like stairs Tuzigoot may be a little more difficult walk for them. The price of one ticket covers both National Monuments and Tuzigoot is only 4 miles from the campground. Within the campground, there are three lagoons and miles of trails to hike or bike. The bathrooms are well maintained, and the showers had great water pressure. We were in site 91 which was a large site and level, but the metal picnic bench needs to be replaced. Brush between the sites adds privacy. Staff and the camp host were all very friendly and helpful. Firewood can be purchased for$8 cash from the camp host. The dump station is on the way out of the park is easy to access. Overall, we enjoyed the park. It was very quiet and a great location to multiple attractions.

I didn't like it. No water only a tiny stream. No! Hunting

Decent spot. Our first camp in our travel trailer. Nice easy access. Easy hookups. It was hotttt (May visit and it's AZ so...) there and the sun came up on our awning side so not much for shade but there are some better spots for shade. 3 lakes/ponds you can fish in (not play in) that were peaceful. Kids playground (wished it was covered). The bathrooms were nice and clean! Showers, kitchen cleanup sink.

This is a wonderful state park and campground set in the valley between mountains.  There are some good hiking trails and also some man-made ponds that have trails around them.  Bathrooms are clean and showers are great with plenty of warm water. 

Prescott and Sedona and Jerome are easy to drive to for a day trip.  Cottonwood is a cute town with restaurants and shopping.  

We would love to camp here again!

We had a great night here during a road trip. I reserved the site online, which was very easy, and the site was easy to locate when we arrived. The office had already closed but we had no problem finding a map and getting to our site.

The campground overlooked town yet we had a great view of the night sky. We had a bit of rain overnight and woke to fog. The showers were free and clean and the sink to wash dishes was a huge bonus. The proximity of sites to the shower building was helpful with a toddler.

We would definitely stay here again.

Large campground, lots of families and dogs. Sites are pretty well spaced. Site 116 is extra large and has a pretty view overlooking town.

The women’s shower had no hot water when I was there. The men’s shower had hot water.

Bring your own drinking water. They only water available is at the bath house.

We stayed here for our first trip with a TT in December 2020. Water and electric hookups. They have a dump station. They have a lake to fish in and equestrian center to go on horse back rides.

Spent the day hiking in Sedona and needed a place to stay on our way south. Place is out of the way but close to everything. Huge site with a lot of room between sites. No shade but the night sky is amazing. Check in by 4:30 which we missed but no big deal. Would definitely stay here again. Clean toilets is a plus.

The forest was closed in Northern Arizona so I decided to camp out at Dead Horse Ranch SP.  I was pretty pleased overall with my trip.  My campsite was comfortable and private enough, considering how close the sites are at this campground.  I had some shade trees to help keep my travel trailer cool but definitely needed to run the AC all night in order to stay comfortable.  The RV sites here have fresh water and power, but no sewer.  There is a dump station at the park entrance that is easily accessible when both entering and exiting the park. I enjoyed fishing, hiking, and bike riding while I was here but had to limit my outdoor activities to the morning hours due to the heat.  

One afternoon I went into old town Cottonwood, which is only a couple of miles from the park.  It's a great place to visit if you're into antiques or wine tasting.

This is by far one of our top campgrounds. We love the access to the verde river and swimming holes. The 3 lagoons have some great fish in them! The grounds are all very well kept. We recently learned about the junior ranger program that each state park does. Fun for kids interested in participating. Cottonwood is 3 miles away and cell service is great for Verizon. There is a little bmx track up by the tent loop and SO many hiking and biking trails.

Several bike trails start at this park. Technical single track and some easier rides. Facilities are fine but very minimal shade so very hot midday.

Wow, what an awesome state park! Camping here with little ones was awesome, it had so much to do. The three small lakes are a great spot to fish and lots of shade. A horse stable and playground are nearby. There are 4 camping loops, 1 tent only. The cabins are on a separate road and have so much space and shade between. There is also river access. Close to national monuments and wineries. Not too far from Sedona and Jerome. Lots of day trips close by. We will be back!

We pulled in for a night. Very nice facilities and nice helpful camp hosts. Campsites are nice and roomy. Full hookups are nice.

Playground for the minds... peaceful lake with benches and fishing for the more seasoned. Highly recommend.

It was a nice campground and close to Jerome for some fun. It was really really hot when I was there so I’d plan to go back when it is cooler.

We are always pleased with our stay here. The park has so many different activities from hiking, horse trail, lakes and access to the verde river. We stayed in spot 97 this time and had some privacy with the bushes and trees from our neighbors. The bathrooms were clean and well maintained. There is a fun bike track for the kids or even adults up by the tent loop. Cottonwood is just a few miles and lots to do in town.

Very pleasant environment. Our dogs loved it. This place is close to tuzigoot national monument, wine tasting, sedona, red rock hiking. And the campground is just very pleasant and peaceful. No complaints.

Very nice, clean campground with clean bath houses and friendly staff. Ask for site 91. It’s one of the best. Also, Site 61 is large, has shrubs for privacy and direct access to the Mesa Trail. There are many hiking trails leading into the desert above Cottonwood. Jerome sits on the mountainside above.

We spent 3 nights here, using our camp spot as a"command center" for exploring the area around Cottonwood(including Sedona, Jerome, Montezuma's Castle, Tuzigoot, etc. etc.) We kept busy and were really not"home" during many daylight hours, but it was a great base to return to each evening. Dead Horse Ranch State Park has A LOT of camping spots, and can accomodate pretty much any vehicle. We were in a pull through site(31) that we really liked. The only surprise was that our nicely blacktopped spot was not very level...we had to put two blocks under the front passenger tire and one under the rear passenger tire. Hardly the end of the world though. One night we were there was Monday night, and folks were outside enjoying grilling and watching the game. But nothing ever got anything close to rowdy. It was a very quiet campground, and even though every site was full, and honestly, the space between sites is only about average, we never felt squeezed in or encroached upon. Every site has a picnic table and a grill. The electric and water hookups were fine(water pressure not the best I've ever had, but more than okay). Because it's such a busy place for camping, the two dump stations on the way out of the park DO sometimes have a wait. And one of them doesn't have access to water, which is tough when you prefer to also backflush your black tank.

The park itself is lovely, but unless you like fishing, probably won't hold you there too long. It's more as a quiet, inexpensive pretty place to stay rather than a destination in and of itself. We walked around a couple of lagoons and enjoyed some bird activity...but I would say don't think of this place as the be-all, end-all of your trip. But you're 30ish minutes to Sedona, 20ish minutes to Jerome, etc. We would certainly stay here again.

We stayed at this campground for 3 nights in mid-October and recommend this state park for camping in the Sedona area.

Pros:

-all sites in the Blackhawk Loop where we stayed had a level pad for tents (either small gravel or a wood platform), picnic table, and fire pit (though they could not be used due to a fire ban

-can easily fit 2 smaller tents on the tent pad or 1 jumbo family tent

-good amount of shrubbery in between sites so it didn't feel like you were right on top of your neighbors

-driveways have space for 2 cars if needed

-shower house was fairly clean and had hot showers

-dishwashing sink behind the shower house was a nice perk

-usable cell phone service (T-mobile)

-no tent sites with power if you need that.  We filled up an air mattress using the outlet in the bathroom which worked fine.

Cons:

-sites really vary in terms of how far back from the road they are.  Our site (122 in the Blackhawk loop) was a bit back from the road and had plenty of shrubbery, but some don't have as much privacy

-not a ton of water fill up stations, but our loop was pretty small, so it was fine

-you have to pay $15 per night for a 2nd car, which was a little steep, but given the campground is reasonably priced, this was fine

Absolutely gorgeous campsite surrounded by fantastic old towns and hikes. This is a must-stay that we will definitely return to. There aren’t sewage hookups, but an easy to use dump station as you exit.

April 26-28. 2019 March weather would have been a LOT cooler. We enjoyed this park and hope to go back when it is cooler and when we can stay longer. Park has electric, water, showers, flush toilets, Verizon cellular service, $32.50 for site DHR-58. Concho's Mexican Restaurant was delicious - very unique taste.

We enjoyed our stay here. The campground is close to area attractions such as Tuzigoot National Monument and Montezuma Castle National Monument which I both highly recommend. Campground is also close to the towns of Jerome and Clarkdale which are fun places to visit for the day.

We really love this state park. Each site has electric and water hook ups. No sewer unfortunately but if you camp there it’s free to dump. We stayed this time in quail loop in spot 33 which has good shade throughout the entire day. Mesquite trees so not full shade but better then most. You are close to the trailhead that leads down to the verde river with some great swimming holes. The camp hosts are friendly and keep the grounds very clean. There are showers at both loops. And even a designated tent only loop. You are within 2 miles of Cottonwood if forgot something.

Our campsite loop was 50% shaded and unfortunately ours was not. Very clean, especially restrooms! Beware of gusty winds in the afternoons! Camp hosts, Oscar & Laurie were great!