Spring camping White Mountains of AZ

[wileyAZ46]

I know several forum members live in the AZ desert like me! We were looking for somewhere to camp in the Big Lake or Show Low area in the middle of April. We've been doing a lot of high desert camping (Sonoita, Saguaro NF, etc.) so we're ready to get up in the pines! We would prefer hook-ups but could go either way, especially since our last three trips have been boondocking we could use the hook-ups. It looks like all of the Forest Service campgrounds like Rainbow, Apache Trout, etc. are all closed until May 1st. Fool Hollow in Show Low is not our favorite and is pretty well booked.

Does anyone have any good campgrounds or boondock areas they recommend? We'd be coming up the US60 from Globe unless it was in the Alpine/Luna area we might go through Morenci.

[wileyAZ46]

As an update I talked to the Apache-Sitgreaves Forest Service office and all developed campgrounds (like the ones I mentioned above) are closed until 30-June due to the pandemic. Primitive sites are free to use (for now she said)...boondocking it is!!

[That 1 Ron]

I assume you would be traveling through salt river canyon. Have you ever towed your truck/trailer through there? If so, how did it do? I've only ever driven through there unloaded or on a motorcycle.

[wileyAZ46]

I assume you would be traveling through salt river canyon. Have you ever towed your truck/trailer through there? If so, how did it do? I've only ever driven through there unloaded or on a motorcycle.

Yes, we ended up at Fool Hollow State Park in Show Low a few weekends ago...not my first choice but we ended up having a great time! It was my first time going up the Salt River Canyon from Globe to Show Low and I was a bit worried going into it. It really ended up being totally fine, especially on the uphill ascents. I would say going southbound downhill into the canyon from Show Low was the worst, just had to take it really slow or it felt like the trailer was pushing me around the tight corners! My F150 has the 10spd automatic, and it did remarkably well staying in low gear and maintaining my speed so I didn't have to brake too much. All in all it wasn't bad, I would even say I-80 in Colorado (with my old Tundra) was worse!

[That 1 Ron]

Yes, we ended up at Fool Hollow State Park in Show Low a few weekends ago...not my first choice but we ended up having a great time! It was my first time going up the Salt River Canyon from Globe to Show Low and I was a bit worried going into it. It really ended up being totally fine, especially on the uphill ascents. I would say going southbound downhill into the canyon from Show Low was the worst, just had to take it really slow or it felt like the trailer was pushing me around the tight corners! My F150 has the 10spd automatic, and it did remarkably well staying in low gear and maintaining my speed so I didn't have to brake too much. All in all it wasn't bad, I would even say I-80 in Colorado (with my old Tundra) was worse!

Yep, the southbound side does seem to be worse.

I’m towing with a Tundra and I think a 8 or 10 speed transmission would help this truck a lot on many fronts.

[wileyAZ46]

Yep, the southbound side does seem to be worse.

I’m towing with a Tundra and I think a 8 or 10 speed transmission would help this truck a lot on many fronts.

I've said this in many other posts but my F150 with the 3.5 EcoBoost and the 10spd tows 100x better than my 5.7L Tundra CM4x4. The Tundra really struggled on extended inclines like I-80 in Colorado or AZ-77 between Mammoth and Globe. Just a smoother, more powerful ride all around with the Ford.

[traveldawg]

hey - you all reminded me of trip we made with our kids back in the 90's. (and, having said that, I suppose I am the old guy telling stories...)

Anyhow, we took our motorhome up to Catwalk Canyon Recreation Trail. Back then it wasn't so well known, the catwalks were semi-treacherous, and it was not busy at all. I recall the road growing more and more narrow after local folks told us it was 'no problem'. When we got the part where you have to fjord the river (in your vehicle) we panicked. I got out to check the water level and it was pretty shallow (maybe 4' to 6"??). Thank goodness it was paved even then.

We crossed the river, parked, were the only ones there, and hiked the canyon & catwalk. When we got back there were maybe 1 or 2 more cars parked.

I went to start the motorhome and it was dead - flat dead - no grunt, no noise at all. We were so remote back then my immediate thought was someone had taken the battery. Panic set in.

In the end it was some bad, very bad, connections to the starter (which we replaced in Show Lo).

Thanks for the memories. I hope to get out there again soon. We always end up further north in Utah and the boarder of UT & AZ. Enjoy the camping around there. And sorry if I hijacked the thread...

[GreyGhost]

I assume you would be traveling through salt river canyon. Have you ever towed your truck/trailer through there? If so, how did it do? I've only ever driven through there unloaded or on a motorcycle.

We tow a 34' Heartland Greystone with a F-250 6.2 gasser and have no trouble. Now the steep pull slows us down a bit, but we are able to breach the pass without over heating. Beautiful drive and well worth the effort.