Houston Mesa

This campground is very clean and the camp hosts are friendly. The only thing is the road noise can be annoying at night when quiet time starts. You also can’t run your generators between the hours of 10pm and 6am here. Just wanted others to know this since I never read it anywhere else. Overall, we loved being spread out form our neighbors and be tucked away in the woods.

We had a wonderful 4-night stay at Houston Mesa. The camp hosts are friendly, efficient, unobtrusive, and keep the campground spotless. Our campsite had been cleaned and groomed, and was in perfect shape upon our arrival. Sites are spaced a nice distance from each other so as to provide some semblance of privacy. There are four camping loops; one for tents only, one for equestrian campers, and two for tents and/or campers. Sites vary in size, so check the dimensions of your site when booking, to make sure your site matches your needs. We have a travel trailer, and due to above-average temps, had to, unfortunately, run our generator more than planned, as did other campers, but even the sounds of the generators, at least in our Loop, were not disruptive. This campground is close to two major roadways, so there is traffic noise during the day and into the night, but with the exception of the excessively loud vehicle/motorcycle now and then, the traffic noise wasn't all that noticeable, and both the campground and roadways quieted down nicely at night, to the point that we could sleep with our camper windows open. We listened to birdsong by day, and gazed at the stars at night, so we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The town of Payson is close by for a quick run in to town should the need arise, and the Mogollon Rim trails are just down the road. The dump station at the campground was convenient, and has a self-serve credit card station for the $10 fee, making it easy to use. We had a wonderful escape from the East Valley heat during our stay at Houston Mesa, and have already made a reservation for another stay. Our first stay left a very favorable impression, and we imagine subsequent stays will do the same!

Went up north to get away from the city. We loved this place it was beautiful and the spot we rented was clean and ready for us to use. Bathrooms were very clean too, we loved it here and will definitely be back!

Went up north to get away from the city. We loved this place it was beautiful and the spot we rented was clean and ready for us to use. Bathrooms were very clean too, we loved it here and will definitely be back!

Almost $30/night. Noisy, dirty bathrooms, and not really remote (just 1 mi away from town). On top of this, whenever we left for a few hours during the day, the rangers would collect our belongings, thinking we drove home several days before out departure date.

Almost $30/night. Noisy, dirty bathrooms, and not really remote (just 1 mi away from town). On top of this, whenever we left for a few hours during the day, the rangers would collect our belongings, thinking we drove home several days before out departure date.

Really nice place, we enjoyed our stay.

Really nice place, we enjoyed our stay.

The camp host is super friendly and efficient. The sites are nice and the restrooms were cleaner than most. Aside from a little traffic noise, the campsite is convenient, easy to get to, easy to make runs to store for ice or whatnot, and a lot more dense in trees than we would have expected, so you feel you are more separated from your neighbors than some other campgrounds we've been to. We bring a portable/chargeable speaker and just play white noise in our tent to drown out any traffic noise when sleeping. The last time we went, we were visited by some bees for a short bit while cooking breakfast, but not the previous time we were there a couple of weeks ago. This time, we just moved our water jug away from our picnic table and they left. During the hotter part of the day, go to Wagon Wheel waterfall about 15 min away---can cool off in the cold water and hike for great exercise. Then, do yourself a favor and get takeout from the Bucket of Spaghetti place in Payson for dinner... and be sure to get the meatballs! Made for a great camping meal (and easy cleanup!). We will definitely be back again.....and again.

The camp host is super friendly and efficient. The sites are nice and the restrooms were cleaner than most. Aside from a little traffic noise, the campsite is convenient, easy to get to, easy to make runs to store for ice or whatnot, and a lot more dense in trees than we would have expected, so you feel you are more separated from your neighbors than some other campgrounds we've been to. We bring a portable/chargeable speaker and just play white noise in our tent to drown out any traffic noise when sleeping. The last time we went, we were visited by some bees for a short bit while cooking breakfast, but not the previous time we were there a couple of weeks ago. This time, we just moved our water jug away from our picnic table and they left. During the hotter part of the day, go to Wagon Wheel waterfall about 15 min away---can cool off in the cold water and hike for great exercise. Then, do yourself a favor and get takeout from the Bucket of Spaghetti place in Payson for dinner... and be sure to get the meatballs! Made for a great camping meal (and easy cleanup!). We will definitely be back again.....and again.