About Houston Mesa
Number of accommodations: 60
Nearby Activities & Attractions
Hiking
Horseback Riding
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Open year round
This campground is open year round, providing flexibility for your stay.
Rates, Sites & Availability
60 Sites Available
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No available sites
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Site Details
Select a site to view details
60 Sites Available
No available sites
All sites are booked for your selected dates. Try showing all sites to see booked options, create an alert to be notified when something opens up, or adjust your dates.
Reviews (762)
What Guests Are Saying
Houston Mesa Campground is praised for its clean facilities, spacious sites, and friendly camp hosts, offering a peaceful camping experience with abundant vegetation for privacy. While the location is convenient with easy access to amenities, some guests noted significant road noise from the nearby highway and occasional maintenance issues like closed showers. Overall, many campers enjoyed their stay and appreciated the campground's natural beauty and cleanliness.
What Guests Are Saying
Houston Mesa Campground is praised for its clean facilities, spacious sites, and friendly camp hosts, offering a peaceful camping experience with abundant vegetation for privacy. While the location is convenient with easy access to amenities, some guests noted significant road noise from the nearby highway and occasional maintenance issues like closed showers. Overall, many campers enjoyed their stay and appreciated the campground's natural beauty and cleanliness.
Review Summary
Mayra M
VerifiedMay 19, 2021 • Stayed at: 050, Loop: BEAR
Host where great. I will be coming back.
Mayra M
VerifiedMay 19, 2021 • Stayed at: 050, Loop: BEAR
Host where great. I will be coming back.
Gail H
VerifiedMay 15, 2021 • Stayed at: 061, Loop: MOUN
Nice place to camp that is not from the necessities of life should you need them. Well-maintained campground and campsites. We enjoyed the nature trail!
Gail H
VerifiedMay 15, 2021 • Stayed at: 061, Loop: MOUN
Nice place to camp that is not from the necessities of life should you need them. Well-maintained campground and campsites. We enjoyed the nature trail!
James C
May 11, 2021
Our group had a great time at the Houston Mesa Campground in late April, 2021. The fire fit and tables were in great condition, hosts were helpful and friendly, and the bathrooms were the cleanest we had ever seen at a public campground.
James C
May 11, 2021
Our group had a great time at the Houston Mesa Campground in late April, 2021. The fire fit and tables were in great condition, hosts were helpful and friendly, and the bathrooms were the cleanest we had ever seen at a public campground.
Lucretia O
VerifiedMay 9, 2021 • Stayed at: 005, Loop: ELK
Loved our time there.
Tanya H
VerifiedMay 9, 2021 • Stayed at: 021, Loop: ELK
We stayed in elk 21. The campsite is really nice. There is room for 2-3 large tents under the shade of the trees. We had two tents and a privacy tent. Our teardrop trailer, suv, and double cab truck fit snuggly in the drive. The campsites are very clean. Even the ashes were removed from the metal fire ring, with decomposed granite put in there. We could hear road noise from 87, and elk 21 is right by the check in booth/entrance, so we heard that too. Being from a city, we tuned that out. Unfortunately, we had an RV next to us that used their generator from 6-10pm both nights. So, as we were trying to relax by the campfire all we heard was their obnoxious generator. Quiet time is 10pm, and the first night another generator ran from 11p-12a. Bummer! There is fresh ground water available out of pumps around the campground, and the bathrooms are flushing and very clean. We would stay there again, maybe in mountain lion loop. We still prefer dispersed camping.
Lucretia O
VerifiedMay 9, 2021 • Stayed at: 005, Loop: ELK
Loved our time there.
Tanya H
VerifiedMay 9, 2021 • Stayed at: 021, Loop: ELK
We stayed in elk 21. The campsite is really nice. There is room for 2-3 large tents under the shade of the trees. We had two tents and a privacy tent. Our teardrop trailer, suv, and double cab truck fit snuggly in the drive. The campsites are very clean. Even the ashes were removed from the metal fire ring, with decomposed granite put in there. We could hear road noise from 87, and elk 21 is right by the check in booth/entrance, so we heard that too. Being from a city, we tuned that out. Unfortunately, we had an RV next to us that used their generator from 6-10pm both nights. So, as we were trying to relax by the campfire all we heard was their obnoxious generator. Quiet time is 10pm, and the first night another generator ran from 11p-12a. Bummer! There is fresh ground water available out of pumps around the campground, and the bathrooms are flushing and very clean. We would stay there again, maybe in mountain lion loop. We still prefer dispersed camping.
Location Houston Mesa
Address:
2100 Houston Mesa Rd
Payson, AZ, 85541
United States
From Payson, Arizona, go north for 1 mile to the junction of Highway 87 (Beeline Highway) and Forest Road 199 (Houston Mesa Road). Turn right (east) onto Forest Road 199 for .10 miles. The campground is on the north side of Houston Mesa Road.
The campground is accessible via Highway 87 (Beeline Highway), which is located approximately 1 mile south of the junction with Houston Mesa Road.
Latitude & Longitude: 34.27 / -111.314
Elevation: 1546 feet
Policies & Rules
Arrival & departure
Check in time
2PM
Check out time
11AM
General
- Extra vehicle charge of $8 per night is required. Fee can be bundled with online reservation or purchased on-site at fee machine.
- No firewood sales available at campground. Plan to purchase ahead of time.
- Fireworks are always prohibited on National Forest Land.
- 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.
- 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
Nearby Campgrounds
Nearby destinations
Last updated: June 4, 2026
