Painted Rock Petroglyph Campground
Open
— Open year-round on a first-come, first-served basis using the Scan and Pay system. No advance reservations accepted. Campers must bring their own water as no potable water is available on site.
About
Painted Rock Petroglyph Campground sits approximately 90 miles southwest of Phoenix in the Sonoran Desert, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The campground provides visitors access to an important archaeological site containing hundreds of petroglyphs created centuries ago by indigenous peoples, considered sacred by many Native American tribes in southern Arizona. The site also preserves the routes of several historic trails including the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, the Butterfield Overland Stage Route, and the Mormon Battalion Trail.
The campground offers 59 individual campsites and two large group sites, all equipped with picnic tables and steel fire rings. Roads within the campground consist of hardened dirt and gravel suitable for large RVs and fifth wheels when dry, though the area is prone to flash flooding during monsoon season. Three sites are designated as ADA accessible with concrete pads and accessible vault toilets. The adjacent day-use area features shaded picnic ramadas, interpretive displays, and a trail through the petroglyph site.
Set between Oatman Mountain to the northwest and the Painted Rock Mountains to the east, the campground showcases diverse Sonoran Desert vegetation including saguaro cactus, cholla, barrel cactus, creosote bush, ironwood, and palo verde trees. Wildlife includes desert mule deer, kit fox, Gambel's quail, chuckwalla, and desert iguana. The location provides excellent opportunities for solitude, night sky viewing, birdwatching, and photography. Nearby attractions include Woolsey Peak Wilderness and Signal Mountain Wilderness.
Directions
Exit Interstate 8 at Painted Rock Dam Road (Exit 102), approximately 12.5 miles west of Gila Bend. Travel north on Painted Rock Dam Road for 10.7 miles to Rocky Point Road. Turn west on Rocky Point Road and continue 0.6 miles to the campground.
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