OutReserve

Houston Mesa

Houston Mesa wooded view of trees and vegetation
Houston Mesa entrance
Houston Mesa Amphitheater
Houston Mesa trailhead
HOUSTON MESA

About Houston Mesa

Houston Mesa Campground is located in the forested northern section of Tonto National Forest, just one mile north of Payson, Arizona and less than two hours from Phoenix. With family, equestrian and tent-only campsites, this campground can accommodate a range of visitors and offers plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoors, including several miles of hiking and horseback riding trails nearby. As the fifth largest forest in the United States, the Tonto National Forest is one of the most-visited "urban" forests in the United States (approximately 5.8 million visitors annually). Its boundaries are Phoenix to the south, the Mogollon Rim to the north and the San Carlos and Fort Apache Indian reservations to the east.

Number of accommodations: 60

Seasonal information

2026 (Current year)

2026 Season availability

Current season
Upcoming seasons
Past seasons
Closed periods
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Open year round

This campground is open year round, providing flexibility for your stay.

365 Days

Sites & Availability

60 Sites Available

Site
Price
🚐 002, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 003, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 005, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 006, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 007, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
007, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
008, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 009, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
009, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
010, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
011, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 013, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
013, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 014, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
014, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
015, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
016, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 018, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
018, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
🚐 020, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 021, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 023, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 024, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 027, Loop: ELK
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
028, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
029, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
030, Loop: MULE
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$22.00
/ per night
040, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
041, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
042, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
043, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
044, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
045, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
046, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
047, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
048, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
049, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
050, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
051, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
052, Loop: BEAR
8 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
053, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
056, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
057, Loop: BEAR
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 058, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 059, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 060, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 061, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 063, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
064, Loop: MOUN
10 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 065, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 066, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 067, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 068, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 069, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 070, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 071, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 072, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 077, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 078, Loop: MOUN
Electric Only
$29.00
/ per night
🚐 Group Site 2, Loop: Fox
No Hookups
$170.00
/ per night

Reviews (374)

What Guests Are Saying

Houston Mesa campground offers spacious and clean sites, with friendly and helpful hosts. The location is convenient, providing easy access to nearby amenities and a beautiful natural setting. However, some visitors noted issues with road noise, limited bathroom facilities, and the absence of showers, which impacted their overall experience.

Review Summary

4.3
374 reviews
5
61.2%
229
4
19.8%
74
3
10.4%
39
2
4.8%
18
1
3.7%
14

Doss P

Verified

July 6, 2023 Stayed at: 023, Loop: ELK

2

Been coming to Houston Mesa for years and have always enjoyed the stay. But things have changed. Camp hostess not friendly and the facilities were never cleaned or toilet paper replenished. Bathrooms had grim that had built up over time. Really disappointing, so moving on.

Denny G

Verified

July 4, 2023 Stayed at: 068, Loop: MOUN

2

This used to be one of our favorite campgrounds but reservation tags are no longer used in the campsite. We drive a cabover camper and because there was not a tag when we went to town for dinner someone was in our site when we came back. Luckily it was a slow time and we just went to sleep in a vacant spot but could have been a mess if campground is full.

Jim V

Verified

July 1, 2023 Stayed at: Group Site 2, Loop: Fox

5

Great toilets, accessible water, nice tent sites and covered eating areas.

Dane T

Verified

June 29, 2023 Stayed at: 041, Loop: BEAR

5

The only complaint we have is that the showers aren't open. We won't stay longer than one night or bring our grandkids until the showers are opened.

Anaberta V

Verified

June 19, 2023 Stayed at: 053, Loop: BEAR

4

There’s room to improve the cleanliness of the bathrooms and the campsites. It’s convenient located close to town. Good place for first time campers!

Susan L

Verified

June 12, 2023 Stayed at: 056, Loop: BEAR

1

1) Our campsite was not clean. Upon arrival, we picked up a plastic water bottle, a large plastic ice bag, and a myriad of small papers and trash. Ashes in the fire pit from the previous guests had not been removed either.
2) The bathroom was not clean. We did not see anyone clean or disinfect it during our two days there. I myself picked up alot of toilet paper on the floor, a plastic bottle, cleaned up toothpaste in the sink, and so on.
3) Your website advertises that showers are available at Houston Mesa. The showers were all marked "closed" while we were there. This is false advertising. We were very disappointed.
4) No one enforced the 10pm noise deadline. We like Campsite #21, but particularly on our second night, the group next to us was noisy until 1:30 am, which is not fair to us. They were laughing and talking loudly as if they were the only guests at the campground. I too had to ask them to turn down their music in the afternoon because it was quite loud. We're fine with ordinary noise and music and guests having a good time, but this behavior was disrespectful to their neighbors.
Conclusion: From our experiences and disappointment this time, we will not return to Houston Mesa. We were very happy to leave on Saturday, June 5, and again, we will not return.

Marcela B

Verified

June 7, 2023 Stayed at: 060, Loop: MOUN

4

We had a great time there. Only problem we had there was, the showers were closed for the season. Not sure exactly why. 😢

Rebecca S

Verified

June 6, 2023 Stayed at: 071, Loop: MOUN

5

This was our first-time tent camping here. It was actually are really nice, semi-private site, we were able to pitch the tent tucked under the trees for shade. The bathroom was clean & always stocked with toilet paper. There was some traffic noise but with music and fire crackling in the pit, we barely noticed. We will definitely consider camping here again.

Mike G

Verified

June 2, 2023 Stayed at: 028, Loop: MULE

5

Nicely shaded spot at 28. I had a very relaxing 5 days at the campsite. Bathrooms were the cleanest I've ever seen at a campground. The gate to the trailhead is a little sketchy.

Road noise is my only complaint, but I went to this campground for its proximity to Payson. I knew what I was getting into.

Elizabeth W

Verified

May 29, 2023 Stayed at: 067, Loop: MOUN

4

Nice private spots. Road noise is a bit much sometimes.

Location Houston Mesa

Address:
2100 Houston Mesa Rd
Payson, AZ, 85541
United States

Latitude & Longitude: 34.27 / -111.314

Elevation: 1546 feet

Policies & Rules

Category About
General

Extra vehicle charge of $8 per night is required. Fee can be bundled with online reservation or purchased on-site at fee machine.

General

No firewood sales available at campground. Plan to purchase ahead of time.

General

Check in time is 2:00pm and check out time is 11:00am. Quiet Hours are from 10:00pm to 6:00am.

General

Fireworks are always prohibited on National Forest Land.

General

For first come first serve sites, you must physically arrive at the campground to see if the campsite is available. There is no guarantee this site will be available to purchase upon your arrival.

General

Campers who reserve sites 7 - 18 in Horse Camp (Mule Loop) are required to have horses or mules present. You do not need to have any to use sites 2 - 6 and 19 - 30 

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