
That is Arizona’s state fish: the Apache trout. There is, in fact, a sport fish here that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. However, as is the case with most things, Arizona isn’t so black and white. When conjuring images of Arizona, the Grand Canyon and Saguaro cacti come to mind, not so much cold-water brooks in alpine climes. Reservations are highly recommended - most of the campers up there make their reservations 6 months out.For the uninitiated, Arizona may seem an unlikely fishing destination.
#Apache trout plus
We saw elk, antelope, wild turkeys, and heard wolves at night plus there was glimpse of a small black bear. There are other lakes and the black river - all a short drive from the campground. The fishing is great! Big Lake has a small boat shop where you can rent a boat or you can fish from shore. It was clean, quiet and the camp hosts were super! As a note you will NOT have WiFi or cell service at all! Additionally there are often fire restrictions in effect so if you want a fire plan on bring a propane fire pit and let the camp hosts know when you check in as they will give you a marker for your site. The campground was virtually empty when we arrived but filled up for the weekend. We were there the week before Memorial Day weekend through the weekend.
#Apache trout full
A combination of full hookups and dry sites that are nicely spaced. This is a hidden gem of a campground owned by the Forest Service - so hidden that your iPhone map won’t find it (found that out the hard way). We are glad we searched Campendium and found this place (after reading the reviews we couldn't resist.) They are all correct- this place is the BEST! We will be back.

We were able to drive around the area a few miles away to find a few bars to get texts/make a call to check on Grandkids etc. The only kind of negative was that there is absolutely NO Verizon cell signal in the campground. We even heard the elk bugling and saw many, many deer during our stay. The sites are spread out nicely, the group areas looked amazing, the facilities were clean and the volunteers and Rangers were all super friendly and helpful. We were able to enjoy a camp fire here during our stay as well.

We got a full hook-up site which was nice for the 5 days we were there. The campground is large, well taken care of and truly beautiful. It was a bit too cold and windy for us but we saw and spoke to many who had great luck. The lake was very low but still fishable from shore or by boat. We stayed early October on a Mon-Fri so it was the off-season and near when they close down for the winter (which is Oct. It was in the mountains, near Big Lake, and it was fall which made it that much better. The weather was dry this time, so the gravel at the site was nice for keeping dust down. Firepits and picnic tables at the site (only propane firepits allowed with the fire restrictions though)Ĥ.
#Apache trout how to
Fortunately we already knew how to get there but had we followed their directions we would have wasted a lot of time and gas. Last, the confirmation email gives directions for the long way to Big Lake.
#Apache trout free
There was free dry camping available within 3 miles of this site that would have made this possible instead. And the two sites are side by side barely 5' apart so no circling the wagons or pulling in in opposite directions to create a nice common area. Not so!! Site 6 was more like 30' and site 7 was around 60'. Second, we booked a double site that was listed as 61' and 64'. There is a dump station plus water stations at the campsite. Be careful! We don't mind boondocking so it wasn't a big deal. First, even though I filtered by full hookup (water and sewage hookups), it showed sites that were for boondocking. The COVID rules specifically state that tent camping is allowed if there is also an RV on the site.Īs for the campsite itself, I booked on the app. The specific rule was the no tent camping rule. (Actually, I had to find a spot of cell service since it is extremely limited there and screenshot the email). I had to show them an email from the forest service to show them that we were following the rules even though they said we weren't.

Second, the rangers at the campsite don't even know the COVID guidelines. First, the forest service is not answering calls right now so good luck calling them to clarify any info on the website. Let me start with the COVID restrictions.
