Christopher Creek Campground, Payson, AZ

Christopher Creek Campground is located in the Payson Ranger District of the Tonto National Forest (2 hrs 2 min northeast of Scottsdale, AZ) with an elevation of 5,706 feet. There are a total of 41 campsites. The campground is normally open from the beginning of April to the beginning of November. 39 sites can accommodate RVs and trailers up to 22 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring. Fees range from $24.00 to $80.00.

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Campsites Available Tonight, Sep 17, 2024 29 FF*

Site	Status	Driveway	Length	Price
#1	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#12	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24
#14	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24
#15	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#16	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#18	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#19	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#2	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#21	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#22	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#23	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24
#24	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#26	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24
#27	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24
#28	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#29	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24
#30	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24
#31	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24
#32	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24
#34	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#38	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#40	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#41	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#42	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#6	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#7	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24
#8	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24
#9	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24
#G1	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$80

Campsites Available This Weekend, Sep 20, 2024 or Sep 21, 2024 1 + 3 FF*

Site	Status	Driveway	Length	Price
#2	Available	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#21	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#22	First-come	Parallel	22 ft	$24
#23	First-come	Back-In	22 ft	$24

Campground Capacity (Next 30 Days)

Campsite Reviews (193)

4.5 out of 5

5 star		75%
4 star		16%
3 star		3%
2 star		3%
1 star		4%

@DanielBA792DF6 · Camped on Sep 3, 2024 at Campsite #9

Excellent time my wife and I planned another trip already for October and looking forward to fishing up at Woods Canyon Lake

@JohnR2194126 · Camped on Aug 6, 2024 at Campsite #17

Great campsite next to creek. Has bear box to store cooler and trash, but tight parking along side of road.

@JamesKB4C9FE1A · Camped on Jul 30, 2024 at Campsite #18

We had a wonderful time at this campsite! There was a little mixup regarding reservations with another camper, but Mike the camp host worked everything out in a smooth and professional way! Five stars for Mike the camp host, lol!

@StephenW521762 · Camped on Jul 29, 2024 at Campsite #25

The vault toilets smelt so bad that the whole campground smelt and as a result i left a day early. Have not had this problem at other campgrounds

@MonicaP1622DA6 · Camped on Jul 23, 2024 at Campsite #7

Sites are large. Bathrooms are well maintained. Very quiet place.

@BrianB7534319 · Camped on Jul 22, 2024 at Campsite #33

There is no longer a dedicated camp host. Now it is some kind of volunteer rotation. Guess how the bathrooms were? The smell of sewage could be smelled from 3 camp sites away. I could not even enter the bathroom because the stench was so bad. The one bathroom I could open the door, it had no toilet paper and 50+ flies swarming! We left after one night and will not be returning. Way to go federal govt trying to save a few bucks and leaving the camp to some redneck trash to manage.

@KristenTAB7EF0 · Camped on Jul 18, 2024 at Campsite #33

Always love, Christopher Creek and have been coming to this campground for years. As someone who enjoys to camp alone, I find comfort in camping at campgrounds with hosts and a few amenities available.However, I am very disappointed in the current hosts that are running this location. I camped for 4 days and never once did anyone stop by to greet me or check me in. Bathrooms are neglected. There were many instances of the host racing through the loops in their golf cart their dog running off leash beside them and children dangling off the sides of the golf cart. The hosts offered no sense of comfort, but instead made me feel uncomfortable and unsafe. I really hope this is their only season here.

@CarrieH9011980 · Camped on Jul 10, 2024 at Campsite #G1

We visit Christopher creek once a summer, always a fun trip. The camp hosts were great, friendly and the campsites/ restrooms are always clean.

@KATHRYNC109935 · Camped on Jun 28, 2024 at Campsite #35

I've camped here before last Aug (2023) so I'm not sure if there is a new host but the bathrooms were filthy when we arrived on Friday afternoon and weren't cleaned a single time all weekend with a full campground. The camp host zoomed around on his cart running his dog but never stopped to confirm my reservation or anything. Loud groups walked the loop past 11PM drunk. I won't ever return here.

@DonnaW8278919 · Camped on Jun 23, 2024 at Campsite #25

Peaceful. Bathrooms very smelly

@HannahK9401447 · Camped on Jun 21, 2024 at Campsite #42

Good spot, however weekends are really busy here. Bring earplugs

@JenniferM11870 · Camped on Jun 21, 2024 at Campsite #11

It was so sad to see the state of the campgrounds. We have gone every year for the past 5 years and this is the first time the campground was filthy. Fire pits were filled with ash, restrooms had no toilet paper and were filthy. The campground staff walked around shirtless with a gun holsterit was a jarring to see that. Incredibly sad and disappointing to see the campgrounds like this.

@BruceC8051679 · Camped on May 28, 2024 at Campsite #6

The listing stated the site was suitable for a RV, but in actuality the only place to put your RV on site 6 was the car parking space, meaning you couldn't have your living space next to your outdoor space. Site 6 was also surrounded on 3 sides by roadway, so of all the spaces in this camp area, it felt the least "woodsy" of everything we saw. Overall it was a beautiful campground, but we do regret reserving this specific space.

@DedreaDAFCB13D · Camped on May 19, 2024 at Campsite #40

Wonderful place to relax and enjoy the outdoors. The creek is a great place for kids to play.

@SaraM7513074 · Camped on May 17, 2024 at Campsite #19

Such a cool campground and beautiful! The creek was right behind our spot and is so serene. The host we interacted with was really friendly and kept the place clean especially the bathrooms. Overall great place and would stay there again

@AnthonyW983D96 · Camped on May 3, 2024 at Campsite #42

The location is beautiful. We usually love it here. Ever since the camp hosts left, the "no/low noise after 10 pm" rule is well enforced, which is great. The only complaint we had this time was that the bathrooms were not being taken care of. Toilet paper was not being replenished (bring your own backup TP). Cleaning was not being done. They also were getting near full on sewage capacity. Normally we go in October and have never seen the bathrooms so sorely neglected. Maybe this is a May thing?

@JessieWDD4EADD · Camped on Apr 22, 2024 at Campsite #26

Such a great site close to the creek! Go during the weekday to avoid crowds and noisy generators. Take the creek SW to find a swimming hole and lookout over the rapids.

@SarahM1574964 · Camped on Apr 19, 2024 at Campsite #G1

The group site is a great set up, with ample space to play and explore. Our group had kids ranging in age from 5-14, and they all enjoyed playing in the creek, exploring the woods, playing tag, swinging in hammocks, and making s'mores around the campfire.

@ErinP5541950 · Camped on Apr 19, 2024 at Campsite #18

Restrooms were a lot cleaner than years past. OnlyProblem was there was no toilet paper.

@RandallP667683 · Camped on Oct 29, 2023 at Campsite #25

Overall we enjoyed our stay here. We just had one interaction with the staff and they seemed friendly as well as strict on rules. They will require you to keep all tires of both car and trailer on the driveway of the site, so make sure you chose a site that will work for you in that regard. Also, there are just pit toilets here, no showers (at least in the area where we were). Very clean though and a nice place.

@NicoleB2196888 · Camped on Oct 20, 2023 at Campsite #28

Beautiful campground, been camping here for years. Easy to find and the place was lovely. Would recommend anyone to this site and we will continue to come camp here at Christopher Creek. Do watch out for bears!

@GabrielJEB8BF3 · Camped on Oct 20, 2023 at Campsite #12

We enjoyed our stay, the campground was well taken care of,

@VicHFB44218D5B · Camped on Oct 19, 2023 at Campsite #6

Camp hosts were great. The site needed to be more level.

@MaryJ2608736 · Camped on Oct 16, 2023 at Campsite #33

Nice and quiet campground, sites are well spaced apart. However, Latrene #8 was unusable due to intense ammonia smell.

@SpencerR8571B2 · Camped on Oct 15, 2023 at Campsite #17

Buy firewood in Payson before showing up.

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