Campground Review: Gilbert Ray Campground

Gilbert Ray Campground ,Tucson Arizona

Our site as the sun goes down

Why we chose here? We wanted to spend a few days in Tucson and this campground is close to the city, had good reviews and lots of sites, so we should have no problem getting a spot.  

Location: This is a beautiful setting. If you like cacti this is like Disneyland. Although this is a Pima County campground it is very closeto Saguaro National Park (Tucson Mountain Side which is west of Tucson)

Sites: Loop A, the largest area, was closed when we were there, but we still had no problem getting a spot even on a Saturday night.  The sites are a mix of pull through and back in. The sites have electric hook ups.  We stayed in C Loop, The campground was not very full when we were there, if it was then I think you would be quite closely packed in.   

Facilities: There are flush toilets here, a dump station and fresh water fill.  What they are really missing is showers.  That would relieve the pressure off our grey water tank. 

Groceries: Tucson has a good selection of grocery stores including all our faves,Sprouts, Trader Joes and Whole Foods. 

Reservations: No,this campground is only FCFS

Cell Coverage / WiFi: Yes full coverage with AT&T and Verizon. 

Price Paid: $20 

Date of visit: November 2014

Other: There is a maximum stay of 7 days here.  Note that Grants Pass Road which leads to the campground from downtown Tucson has a 12,000 lb weight limit.  You should enter on S Kinney Road instead if you are in a large rig or truck and trailer. 

Would we come here again? Yes.We are going to try Catalina State Park when we return to Tucson in the next few months to see how it compares. But this is definitely a great spot and we love First Come First Serve as a lot of the Arizona parks fill up many months in advance.

You can read our blog post describing our stay in this area here