4.3324 reviewsPrice
$10 - $40/night
Booking
First-Come
Sites
10 campsites
Season
Open seasonally from...
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
Price
$10 - $40/night
Booking
First-Come
Sites
10 campsites
Season
Open seasonally from...
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
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Idlewilde Campground, Cave Creek Canyon, Portal, AZ
Birders and wildlife photographers will find this hard to beat during fall migration, when the canyon funnels 200-plus species through mixed oak, sycamore, and cypress forest. Tent campers and van/truck-camper rigs only; arrive Thursday or Friday to beat weekend crowds.
Trailers can't come in at all, and reviews flag the absence of potable water as a real gap, so pack all your own. Hosts aren't reliably on-site, emergency services are 54 miles away in Douglas, and the first-come setup means no guaranteed site on busy fall weekends.
Reference information about Idlewilde Campground sourced from official USFS records and forestcamping.com. View official recreation.gov page →
<p><img alt="Idlewilde Campground" src="http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/fseprd746467.jpg" title="Idlewilde Campground" /></p><p>Idlewilde Campground is the first campground you encounter as you enter Cave Creek Canyon from the east.</p><p><a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coronado/recarea/?recid=25328">Cave Creek Canyon</a> is well known for its spectacular scenery and excellent birding. In addition, a short distance from the entrance, you’ll find the trailhead for the Cave Creek Nature Trail, which spans the lower Cave Creek Canyon from <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coronado/recarea/?recid=25428">Sunny Flat Campground </a>to the <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/coronado/recarea/?recid=25416">Silver Peak Trailhead</a>.</p><p>Sites at Idlewilde are best suited for camping in tents, vans, or pickup truck campers. No trailers are permitted.</p><p>Note: Black bears are common in the area.</p>
<p> Scenic canyon setting, Forested sites, Nearby stream, Bird/wildlife watching, Nearby Forest trails, Close to Cave Creek Visitor Information Center. Tables and fire grills.</p>
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Fall delivers the most reliable conditions: daytime temperatures in the 60s-80s, nights in the 40s-50s, and peak bird activity as migrants funnel through the canyon. Summer days can reach sweltering levels. Winter occasionally brings snow. Spring mornings stay cold enough to require warm sleeping bags. Most days are sunny and dry outside the monsoon months.
Fall offers reliable temps and peak bird migration; campsite fills quickly in season.
Sites at Idlewilde are best suited for camping in tents, vans, or pickup truck campers. No trailers are permitted.
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