Ponderosa Campground — Hotel in Four Corners States

We drove in on the 4th of July, later afternoon. Multiple signs hung in the guard shack at the entrance stating to go to the camp host. When you looked at the signs in the shack, there was literally a direct line of site to a post in front of a camp that said host. So, naturally, we went there.

The woman who came out began yelling and criticizing us immediately for basically being too stupid to read. I told her we were following the signs on the guard shack to first stop and see camp host. She mocked me and said it said to see the co-host. I chastised her for being rude and brought her over to show her the signs we followed. She pointed to a very tiny, folded up piece of paper she had hand written and stuck to the stop sign on the corner and said we should have followed that. It was impossible to have read that from the driver's seat and besides, the large printed official looking sign is what we followed. She then proceeded to complain that she had been working all day checking people out because apparently it hadn't occurred to her that most people who had gotten the extra long vacation with the 4th falling on a Tuesday, would need to get home to get ready for work. Lastly, after complaining about having to clean out these camp sites a day earlier than she expected, she still insisted we could only take the one spot thay had not been reserved. For those who don't do a lot of camping, it might seem odd thay people would reserve a camp and then leave but, with the actual holiday being a day they need to work after, most people will gladly pay for the day to not have to check out at 11am. Then, they can relax and enjoy their day off yet still get home to prep for work. So, if they have already officially checked out with the host as she complained about, thay means they are not coming back to their site. So this virtually empty campground was not allowing people coming in to find a space of their choosing. sigh We wound up just going to the dispersed camping and had a really...

LGBTQ FRIENDLY @2girlsandacamper absolutely LOVE this campsite!

The camp hosts are equally wonderful Joeb was really nice and you’ve probably already read that Beth goes above and beyond to help make your experience fun and exciting. Let me tell you, she came to us with a warm smile and plenty of insights to help keep us safe too (Oh!! Don’t forget to bring a biscuit for Bailey!) Beth is what all hosts should be measured by!

Kid Friendly we saw so many cute kids trying their hand at camping and doing a great job! Even had a little visitor who came by to wave at us!

Animal Friendly wish we had a dog, we saw so many well behaved pups out and about, and not a puppy poop to be seen! Way to go fur-rents!

Tent or Camper... a resounding BOTH!! All the sites seemed to be equally great for either type of camping. We just bought our little pop up and this was our first outing with her. It was easy in and out parking and we had a very spacious site. Couldn’t even see a neighbor where we were!

We all know CLEAN is a priority! Ponderosa Campsite is the cleanest site we’ve ever been to! The bathrooms are checked multiple times a day. They rake up each site, no stray trash. It’s absolutely pristine! They have a dump station and water refill (potable?) station. We also had fresh water near our site so we could drown our fire in the morning. Big plus for worry warts like me!

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION seriously, you can’t ask for a better location, it’s proximity to town is perfect for those minor emergencies you need to take care of! But you can drive to lakes and places to hike/walk (eg: Woods Canyon and Willow Springs Lake, and the Mogollon Rim)

You HAVE to try this campsite! It’s well...

This is a beautiful campground with unbelievably spacious campsites. It feels so private. Lots of huge gorgeous Ponderosa pines. Great walking and hiking. There are no hookups. Central dump for $10. Central water and other spigots throughout the camp but water pressure was very low so slow to get any water. Nice clean vault toilets that are well taken care of by the hosts hosts Don and Randy were super! They do a wonderful job maintaining their part and were very pleasant. The one drawback would be the noise from the highway although not constant. With the beautiful surroundings this did not bother us. It helps to get further back into the campground away from the highway. We got to camp for half price, $9 a day with our Senior Park Pass. It is cash only and you sign up at the entrance. There is a post with a box of paperwork to fill out and an envelope for your payment so do have the right change or you can also write a check. About 20 minutes from Payson, a nice day own with good shopping and...