Gilbert Ray Campground

Stayed 2 nights here to visit Saguaro NP and it was so gorgeous. We had a wonderful site and went to sleep under the blooming Saguaro & Ocotillo cactus. The area is absolutely gorgeous. Site A64 was angled well to back in and very roomy. I think there were some semi homeless people in an old/rundown RV nearby. The woman tried to steal my husband's toiletry bag at the sink behind the bathrooms for dish/hair washing. She bolted out of there and left it on the ground when he heard her and turned around. It was nice to see the county sheriffs coming through occasionally. Other than that, we made sure to completely secure our site and belongings and truly enjoyed our visit to the area. The setting was absolutely gorgeous.

We arrived at Gilbert Ray Campground late at night, making it a convenient overnight stop on our way to our final destination. Initially, we were unsure about late check-in procedures and gate access. Thankfully, we made it to our campground designated spots without needing to check in. Similarly, our early morning departure was seamless; a quick email to the campground confirmed we were good to go, despite the posted checkout time. The true highlight of Gilbert Ray is its stunning natural beauty. The night sky was absolutely breathtaking, offering a panoramic view of countless stars and the silhouette of the surrounding mountains. In the morning, we were greeted by a friendly bunny and serenaded by distant coyote calls, adding to the peaceful ambiance. The campground's amenities were well-maintained. The central dump station was exceptionally clean, and accessing fresh water was easy. The water station is conveniently located before the dump station, and for novice RVers like us, the circular layout made navigating the area straightforward. Our only suggestion for improvement would be to provide clearer information regarding late check-in and early checkout procedures. While our experience was smooth, having this information readily available would add to the peace of mind for late arrivals and early departures. Overall, Gilbert Ray Campground offers a remarkably peaceful and scenic experience. The combination of stunning views, well-maintained facilities, and a tranquil atmosphere makes it an excellent choice for a restful stay.

We stayed here for the allowable 7 nights. Such a quiet campground. I loved hearing the coyotes howling at night, so peaceful. The bathrooms here are very clean, with a very good setup for washing your dishes outside. The camp hosts in Loop H, Perry, and his wife were very friendly and kind people. Enjoyed our talks and appreciate everything you guys do for this campground. There are 4 camp hosts all together doing an amazing job! There are no showers here and only have electric hookups, 30 and 50 amp. but the dumping station and water stations are nicely situated and easy to maneuver around. There were some sites that we're a bit narrow or on the short size, so be careful when booking. There are so many trails and other things to do around here. We needed the 7 days, lol. We will for sure come here again, if we come back down next year. Thank you so very much!

This campground is in a beautiful location, surrounded by cacti and ridges which reflect the orange sunlight as twilight falls. The restroom here was excellent by campground standards. Large stalls and clean faucets. The flush -however- is notable, as there is no lever, only a button above the shitter; which causes an immense rush of water to befall the blissfully unaware basin. This may be the loudest wash-down I have yet heard.

2 nights, January 2025 - the second time we stayed here. We were in loop A, made through the reservation system. Most sites are pretty level, although our space, A27 had quite a drop-off from the blacktop to the gravel, with crumbling chunks of cement. There were a few other spots with similar conditions, but most sites appeared to be in good shape. Otherwise the campground was as nice as we remembered it. You have the desert and all it has to offer. We wish there was at least one "dog accessible" trail in the area, but at least the campground is large enough to ensure our dog could get a good walk. Two of the loops in the campground were getting updates. The one we were able to walk around was looking very nice with upgraded electric posts and to ensure the spots were level.

Love the campground, no hosts were there at the end of the season. The office was closed. We were there 4 days and the women's bathroom was dirty. Dirty toilet seat, dirty sinks. Not sure how often they clean now. There are no showers, but we don't mind that.

Nice campground. Electric at RV sites, water and dump at station. Bathrooms are clean. Close to Old Tucson Studios (walking distance). Some sites are tight and not all are level. Overall a nice place to stay

The park manager helped us sort out the site situation(some double booking and site size inaccuracies) We enjoyed the camp, Electric only with spigots throughout the park by the roads . Dump with two spots and separate water fill. Nice trails, relatively quiet.

Peaceful and beautiful. This campground has nice sized spots with freshly layered rock flats on each site. The A loop has 30/50 electric and water at each site with a central dump. Most important once you are comfy are the staggeringly beautiful views. Come and relax.

This is in the Tucson Mountain Park area. No water hook up, only electric. But there's water faucets all over the campground, where you can fill up. Sites are pretty descent size, but not paved. Nice place to ride your bike, walk your dog and just walk or jog around the area. There are trails for hiking around the area. Very close to Saguaro National Park.

Nice campground with hook ups, must have self contained water. Close museum, desert hikes, bike trails, beautiful sunsets. No showers.

On line reservations through Pima parks department website was easy. This is about 30 minutes from North Tucson. The campsite has nice amenities such as a concrete picnic table and electric outlets but is tight for larger rigs. You definitely get the flavor of being remote camping surrounded by the beautiful Sonoran desert.

Lovely and quiet camp ground. We stayed for 3 days/ 2 nights during our 2 week long Christmas trip. The campground was quiet, there's a decent loop around the campground to walk dogs but be careful for cactus. Spots are large, the tables for RV sites are tad small. But we didn't use them. There's no wood fire pits, charcoal only. That that into consideration. Quite close to Saguaro National Park. I recommend leaving your campsite about 20 minutes to sunset and snapping some incredible photos. Pull outs are great for that. We stayed loop C and got in at night. Bathrooms are super clean, heated, soap and paper towels. Hosts were lovely.

The nice lady at the kiosk allowed us to drive around and check the place out. With a map we made good progress in making decisions to where we will camp next time. The bathrooms were clean. There were watering refill stations throughout the grounds.

Beautiful views and extremely peaceful! Friendly onsite staff. Some quite small rv spots so choose wisely.

One of my most favorite campgrounds we have stayed at. We camped in January 2021. You are camping in the midst of beautiful Saguaro's. It feels like you are in Saguaro National Park since the campground is so close. We stayed on loop A. I recommend staying on the outside of the western side of the loop if you love to watch the sunset. There is no water or sewer at our campsite but there is a water fill and dump station provided in the campground. We are in a 35 foot 5th wheel that we pull with an F250. We are in spot A26 and fit perfectly. We are raising our truck hood and placing lights around our truck and camper since we read reviews about the Desert Pack Rat.

You're in the desert!...yet not far from town. The drive through site(s) accommodate our 38.9 ft RV wonderfully. Nice and quiet evenings.

Tent camping here has gone excellently. The reservation website is tough to get to and navigate, and the confirmation email you get is gibberish, but the stay is excellent. We've stayed at B1 and B5 and love it for how spread out the sites are and how quiet it is. The bathrooms are spread out so they can be a bit of a trek depending on where you're staying. But the bathrooms are clean and functional. Checking in a straight forward and easy to do, as is checking out. It's so close to the city, yet feels like a little oasis outside of it. The views are great and the ambiance is just right for campers. At night, there are coyotes, and they will get up and sniff the tents, so be sure all your food is stored properly and there won't be an issue. We've come here with 2 small dogs and have done fine with them, they settle in and are able to get comfortable. I've noticed that people like to bring their bikes and bike around the loops, and they like to walk their dogs and cats (yes, cats get walked here), so just be sure to be mindful of your surroundings, mind your pets, don't cut off bikers.

Lovely campground with clean bathrooms and nice sites. We were pleasantly surprised that although it was very full, it was quiet and friendly. Definitely a great spot for spring!

This place is great but it gets 2 stars because it's online reservation system is unreliable. I'll update review if/when they fix it. Reserved a site in A Loop for a Saturday in Nov 2020. Arrived and it was occupied by a giant RV. Registration office was closed until Dec and phone answered weekdays only. Ended up in first come first serve L loop. Lucky there were open sites. Don't trust a reservation if you make one.

Wow beauriful place! Long drive, well worth it... After reading all the rules such as; the camp host is responsible for picking your campsite, you have to check in first, dogs need to be on leashes, all good! Checked in, camphost picked my site, on the way to paridise, yea! Stoped to fill water tank, then to my campsite, after 8 hours of driving we were looking forward to setting up, walking the dogs and relaxing. Well, our campsite was just occupied, I said WHAT! The nice young lady on my site said they were registering now, I indicated this site was assigned to us, why are you there, she indicated it was their site! Went back to the office where the young lady's husband was registering with the camp host, I had to cut in, asking why they were in my site, husband flippantly said whats the big deal! Camp host said "you must have been away for a while, I said just filled the water tank, she said, you snoze you loose. I get it, followed their rules, huband did not, no apologies, no sorry, need new host that follow their own rules!

I almost feel like I should not leave a review here for the fear that others will find this gem. This is a must see and a must do if you don't mind electric only for your RV. Stunning location in the middle of the desert to listen to coyotes out your door and stare at the stars in the desert sky. We will be back!

Great campground with beautiful surroundings. Nice and clean bathrooms. There are tons of cactuses everywhere, including the saguaro's. You can back right into a space with spectacular views of the start of Saguaro NP. We must have gone in the off season because the park was very empty and we had it all to ourselves. Only two other campers further away from us. There are electrical hookups, and a spigot for filling your fresh water tank. We had a 33 ft RV and it fit very nicely. Nice and clean bathrooms as well. Only downfall was there is cactus everywhere, so you need to be careful with your pets. We had two dogs and I was not about to let them walk off of the asphalt path. The trash is far away. And no firepits. Because the campsite is part of Pima County it is a little hard to navigate to find and make a reservation, but once you figure it out its easy.

Beautiful campground right next to Saguaro National Park.

Generally disappointing. For those who just want to park an RV and need a place to sleep, this place would get the job done. But for tent campers it feels a bit too institutional. We took a couple of kids on their first campout, hoping to see a good story night sky. Imagine my surprise when the ambient light where is brighter than my home in town. I don't know what commercial or industrial setting is responsible, but there's a steady glow to the north that obscures good stargazing, and you listen to a steady flow of airplanes. Please be aware that although the campsites are advertised as having grills, there are only four or five grills in the entire campground and they are in, and locations between campsites. Given the prohibition on open fires, that means that good opportunities for a cookout are limited and are directly in your campsite unless you bring a camp stove. It's definitely not a wilderness experience, though I guess that saves money for those wanting to avoid a hotel. A very average camping experience.

This county park is one the best we have stayed on,clean restrooms and a great place to camp,in a tent or RV, Have spent a week here for the last 15 winters and hope to spend many more

Love the seclusion of this campground. Staff is friendly and always seem to be waiting to help you get checked in. Super quiet and dark park where you can see the stars at night! Wish they would let us stay longer than 7 days!

Highly recommened this camp ground. Got here early on a Friday morning and had to sit and wait for a spot but it sure was worth it. Booked 7 nights. Clean bathrooms. Beautiful area.Very friendly. Close to town. Will be back. Snowed on us...yes I said snowed on us and they let us book for 1 more night. Great peeps! Thanks!!

We had a great time staying here. We were on a road trip in a camper van on our way to Tombstone. Without being able to make reservations, we were a little nervous about getting a site, but being the middle of April the campground wasn't anywhere near full. Sites are all gravel, very clean and the brush had grown in, making it pretty private. There didn't seem to be any place to put a tent that wasn't gravel, so if you're tent camping, I would make sure to have something for under the tent. The bathrooms were also very clean. There aren't showers, but my husband and I put on our swimsuits and rinsed off at one of the water spouts. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that they closed a bathroom without giving us any heads up that they were closing it. We chose a site close to a bathroom on purpose and all website research I did had that bathroom open for another couple weeks. Then before the end of the first night there they closed it and we had to walk a really far distance to the next available bathroom. I'm sure this usually isn't a big deal, since almost all people camping there were in RVs, but had we known about the closure we would have picked a different site. Overall, I would definitely return if we were coming back through that area.

This place is a steal! Gorgeous plant life, clearly marked campsites with plenty of buffer in between each spot, and the price is right: 10$ a night. One of my favorite spots I've camped to date.

Excellent for the price. A little farther than I would have preferred from the freeway but overall perfect for driving through. Clean bathrooms, sites and available water. Would have been nice to also have a shower but if you don't mind taking a bird bath the bathroom is big, clean and supplied.

We love this spot! Our 3-day stay turned into 6 real easy, as we settled in to the relaxing atmosphere and the great weather (late November). We stayed in our RV with our 2 large dogs, and everyone was happy. There are some great trails nearby, but even just walking around the campsite grounds every day with the dogs was fun. You've also got the museum and Tucson Studios within bike riding distance. Camp hosts were friendly, facilities were clean, and the price was OK...$20 per night for RV's. Highly recommended place away from the bustle of Tucson, but close enough to visit...

This place is awesome! Only $10 a night for tent camping and very spacious sites with access to clean bathrooms and potable water. The location is great - only a few miles from the Sonoran Desert Museum and Saguaro National Park and about a 15 minute drive to Tucson. There are also nice hiking/biking trails from the campground. The visitors center and people working inside are very helpful and even let us use their phone a couple times - T Mobile does not have any service here! Apparently other providers have no problem here. The only other downside is the lack of shade although the very first campsites you see seem to have the most shade.

This campground is what the ladies at the Saguaro National Park Visitor Center recommended to us. It's on the road on the way there (well, sort of- there's a sign and you turn). There's a place where you put money in an envelope and turn in your payment for the campsite. It was absolutely gorgeous here- plenty of wildlife (we heard "coyote parties"), birds, and plants. So many plants. Such a variety of nature literally within reach everywhere. The best part was that it wasn't very crowded- I think there was only one other group there when we were there, and they were down a ways in an RV space from our tent space. Weather was gorgeous. Peaceful place. Just walking around the campground was so wonderful. We really enjoyed it.