Roper Lake State Park — Attraction in Arizona

I only drove through and took a short walk but I'll share what I saw. It is $10 to get in, though if I'd gone on a weekday, I could have been given a 15 minute pass to check out the area. It is a clean campground, with areas for tents and some for RVs. There are ample restrooms, though some are small portable types that look like they'd be ovens on a hot day like today (105+). There are also cabins for rent, $70/night. They are small, but are air conditioned with window units. I only had a glimpse inside, but it looked nice. There is an RV dumping site and the RV spots have hookups for electricity and maybe water (not sure). We saw a hot tub, but it was closed probably due to the heat. There are also day use areas with only covered picnic tables and grill. All spots, even the cabins have both. Each type of area is separate from the others, though I did see some tent spots and RV spots in all overnight areas. There is a lot of shade in most areas from trees and the lake is lined in many areas with cattails. I saw 2 boat ramps. There was a sort of peninsula into the middle of the lake, really an island connected with a path. On one side of the island is a beach with a large swimming area marked with floats to keep boats away. Even with middle of the day heat there were a lot of campers, swimmers and fisherman. The fisherman were waiting for it to cool down some, but we saw a lot of fishing gear. It was a weekend, so it was more crowded than I expect a weekday to be. Even though I grew up in the area I didn't realize the lake was there and so close to town! My mother was an avid fisherman and if she had known it was there she would have gone often. It is the best kept secret of the area! If you are looking for a swim it looks great, but I expect fishing would only be good early in the morning. The water is just too warm. We saw a few ducks paddling around too so everyone was having a good time. The tables and camp areas have ample space between so you would not be bumping elbows with neighbors. There was also a pavilion with several picnic tables for large groups. There may have been showers as well, but we didn't confirm that. There were several rangers and camp hosts on hand, so swimmers had help nearby and the campground was well watched. If it weren't so hot and I were in better shape I'd be tempted to go there. Maybe once it cools down. 😉 So I recommend it highly for an outing of any kind. Have fun! Sorry, didn't think...

I would love to give this place 5 stars and we love this place but the ranger at the front gave us such a hard time getting in .See my parents arrived before us in their camper and reserved a cabin for my husband and I online. When my parents arrived the front to check in wasn't open, so my mom asked somebody cleaning when someone would be at the entrance, after talking with my mom the person cleaning gave my mom the access code to the cabin. When my husband and I arrived a few hours later and wanted to pay for whatever fee there was the lady couldn't wrap her head around my parents already there without her knowledge and asked my mom's name 3 different times, not because she didn't hear me but to tell me no one by that name was in the park. Also that she shouldn't be in the cabin because she has a camper, I wasn't going to argue. So I just had my mom come up in her bathing suit to confirm she was there and that it was our cabin. All in all the lake is super fun also you can bring floaties and stuff to grill. In the morning I walked to the hot spring and took a dip which was beautiful and calming. They have clean bathrooms and showers which have seats in them. And as long as you have a licence you can fish. One more thing there are racoons there that yes are cute, but please do not feed them. The people next to us did not heed our warning and the next thing you know it stole a box of sorts off their table which they were they not happy about. But then took us more seriously. That's not the only thing, they are wild animals that COULD bite so keep your distance and throw all trash away, and bring food and coolers inside. Also I saw alot off cigarette butts around I mean come on people treat nature with respect also cigarette butts are considered trash so don't litter, I wish you weren't allowed to smoke...

This was a lovely state park to camp in, BUT pretty doesn't make it a fabulous experience. We showed up to camp and sleep about 8pm. Upon reaching our camp site and setting up for sleep we soon realized there was a gentleman next to us who was sleeping?/drinking in his car. He was quiet enough at that point. At around 1 in the morning he made a loud phone call (he was essentially right next to us) and left only to return and begin playing loud music. Fortunately he left for good.

Unfortunately, before he left, a group of people showed up and set up camp probably around 10pm. They proceeded to party and talk loudly until past 2am. I eventually went to sleep in the car. My partner actually went to talk to the noisy neighbors. They quieted down, but continued to "quietly" party til 3:30 am.

Upon talking to a ranger the next morning the general response was that we should have called 911 or a park ranger. Alas, in my sleep deprived state these ideas did not come to me, and I honestly had no clue how to get a hold of a park ranger at 2 in the morning. Also, even though it seems there are quiet hours, it was explained to me that some folks are just rude, and well it's a holiday weekend (4th of July).

Ultimately if the independence of the U.S. makes people loud partying a**holes, I think I'll refrain from going to state...