Schoolhouse Campground (AZ)

Great camping, very clean sites!!!

Clean, level, awesome campground

Very quiet and clean. JIM is an awesome camp host. It was my first time SOLO camping and he made me feel safe and welcome. Will go back!

Very nice campground with an excellent host. Clean restrooms and lots of trash cans nearby. Was very quiet when we were there. Highly recommended. Also, very close to Tonto National Monument - a must see!

Great sites

No issues at all.

The campsite views were absolutely stunning. The tent sites are very large and perfect for setting up multiple tents.

Level parking space. Plenty of room between sites. Easy pull-through. Friendly campers.

Felt very unsafe, no park police or armed enforcement rangers. Bullet ridden signs tells me you have a serious crime problem. Visitor center only open 3 days a week, and closes for lunch when open. They have a neon open sign that stays on 24/7, even when closed. Need to bring a flashlight to visitor center to see exhibits due to lights burned out. Schoolhouse ranger station boarded up and abandoned, very sad. As are 164 of the 206 camp sites. Just abandoned and returning to nature. Camp host at Schoolhouse did next to nothing during our 6 days. Only saw her pick up trash once. Constantly let her dog wander the campground, day and night. She had guests over several days and was busy all day entertaining them so I thought maybe she was on PTO. She never even put a reserved sign on our post. Lots of trash in bushes. Lots of overgrown bushes and trees, to the point of not being able to use sidewalks. People were illegally parked and camping in boat ramp area, no one ever did anything about it. No tickets issued. We could have camped for free because no one was checking anything. I am told that in last few years multiple people have left but they were never replaced. USAJobs.gov shows no open paid positions for Tonto. Place could be nicer and have more campers, it's like you've stopped caring. Should turn it over to the state, they at least staff their parks. Even though they too have gotten rid of their park police. After schoolhouse we went over to Chipmunk loop at Windy Hill. Felt unsafe there too, but clean, landscaping taken care of. And the camp host Dave was constantly working, walking around checking on things, talking to campers. Very different.

We loved that is was quiet, we like seclusion when we camp. The lake views are beautiful! Be prepared for a true boondock experience because there are no hook ups or water facilities.