Openings · last 7 days
8
Booking reality
Campsite Sniper detected 8 site openings here in the last 7 days
01 · Detected Opening History · the openings record · file CS-234563
When Ponderosa (AZ) reopens
Ponderosa (AZ)'s openings record: every site-date Campsite Sniper detected turning available, logged and time-stamped. Refreshed hourly.
Openings · last 30 days
33
Openings · last 90 days
33
Only 33 openings in the last 90 days: not enough recent activity for a reliable pattern. A free Campsite Sniper alert watches around the clock instead, and pings you the moment one opens.
02 · Availability Outlook · Sep 18 – Nov 1, 2026 · of 51 monitored sites
Of the 2,295 tracked site-nights (Sep 18 – Nov 1, 2026): 1,218 open for online reservation · 447 reserved · 630 on sites not offered for online reservation (first-come, first-served or administrative). Of the facility's 51 monitored sites, 37 can be reserved online and 14 are first-come, first-served.
Where the open windows are
46.9% of tracked site-nights are not currently open for online reservation. 1,218 of 2,295 remain open; here is where they are.
Load status
Sep 18 – Nov 1, 2026Not open online46.9%
Open site-nights1,218 / 2,295
Reserved (of online inventory)447 / 1,665
Weekday openings792
Weekend openings426
Of the open site-nights on mapped sites, 792 fall on weekdays and 426 on weekends (Fri–Sun).
Open dates by month
Sep 2026 – Nov 2026October holds the most room. 855 of 1,581 site-nights are still open there.
Holiday windows
Sites open per night · of 47 sites| Window | Night | Sites open | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor Day | SAT Sep 5 | 0 | None open |
| SUN Sep 6 | 0 | None open | |
| MON Sep 7 | 0 | None open | |
| Thanksgiving | THU Nov 26 | 0 | None open |
| FRI Nov 27 | 0 | None open | |
| SAT Nov 28 | 0 | None open |
Labor Day: no online availability on any tracked night. Thanksgiving: no online availability on any tracked night.
Best-availability sites
Most open site-nights · tracked window| Site | Open site-nights |
|---|---|
| A-21 | 43 |
| A-07 | 42 |
| A-19 | 40 |
| C-02 | 40 |
| B-01 | 39 |
The 5 sites with the most open site-nights in the current snapshot. Pair a bookable date with a free alert to cover everything else.
Next windows
As of Sep 18, 2026 snapshotNext open dateSun · Sep 20
Next open weekendFri · Sep 25
The next bookable night is Sep 20; the first open weekend starts Sep 25. Campsite Sniper can watch later dates for you.
Stays and site detail
1,218 open site-nights across 37 sites at Ponderosa (AZ), from the same hourly snapshot as everything above.
Multi-night stays. 128 2-night, 123 3-night, 52 7-night openings where a single site is free for every night, per Campsite Sniper's current snapshot — soonest Sep 20 at site A-21.
RV length. Longest recorded site here is 45 ft. 43 sites take 25 ft, 29 sites take 35 ft, 3 sites take 40 ft. 2 sites of 47 have no recorded maximum and are not counted.
All 37 sites with current availability
| Site | Max RV | Hookups | Open site-nights | Longest run | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-21 | 35 ft | None | 43 | 43 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +31 more |
| A-07 | 35 ft | None | 42 | 42 nights | Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +30 more |
| A-19 | 35 ft | None | 40 | 28 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +28 more |
| C-02 | 25 ft | None | 40 | 21 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +28 more |
| B-01 | 45 ft | None | 39 | 15 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +27 more |
| B-07 | 35 ft | None | 39 | 21 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +27 more |
| C-05 | 35 ft | None | 39 | 29 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Oct 4, Oct 5 +27 more |
| A-10 | 25 ft | None | 38 | 28 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6 +26 more |
| A-11 | 25 ft | None | 38 | 28 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6 +26 more |
| B-02 | 45 ft | None | 38 | 15 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +26 more |
| C-04 | 35 ft | None | 38 | 28 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Oct 5, Oct 6 +26 more |
| A-20 | 35 ft | None | 37 | 28 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7 +25 more |
| A-04 | 25 ft | None | 36 | 18 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6 +24 more |
| A-09 | 35 ft | None | 36 | 19 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3 +24 more |
| C-07 | 35 ft | None | 35 | 21 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4 +23 more |
| A-14 | 25 ft | None | 34 | 28 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 27, Sep 28, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 9, Oct 10 +22 more |
| A-18 | 35 ft | None | 34 | 21 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6 +22 more |
| B-04 | 35 ft | None | 34 | 21 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5 +22 more |
| C-03 | 35 ft | None | 34 | 21 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7 +22 more |
| C-06 | 35 ft | None | 34 | 21 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +22 more |
| A-06 | 31 ft | None | 33 | 21 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Oct 6, Oct 7 +21 more |
| D-02 | 35 ft | None | 32 | 21 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 6, Oct 8, Oct 12 +20 more |
| A-16 | 25 ft | None | 31 | 11 nights | Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8 +19 more |
| D-03 | 35 ft | None | 31 | 8 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5 +19 more |
| D-10 | 30 ft | None | 31 | 21 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 12, Oct 13 +19 more |
| GR-E | Not recorded | None | 31 | 8 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5 +19 more |
| D-01 | 35 ft | None | 29 | 14 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5 +17 more |
| D-07 | 35 ft | None | 29 | 8 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 6, Oct 7 +17 more |
| D-08 | 35 ft | None | 29 | 8 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7 +17 more |
| C-08 | 35 ft | None | 27 | 21 nights | Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14, Oct 15, Oct 16, Oct 17 +15 more |
| D-04 | 35 ft | None | 27 | 8 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 12 +15 more |
| GR-F | Not recorded | None | 27 | 8 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 12, Oct 13 +15 more |
| D-11 | 35 ft | None | 24 | 7 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7 +12 more |
| D-05 | 25 ft | None | 23 | 12 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 14, Oct 15, Oct 18 +11 more |
| D-06 | 28 ft | None | 23 | 5 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 6, Oct 7 +11 more |
| A-05 | 35 ft | None | 22 | 9 nights | Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 9, Oct 10, Oct 11 +10 more |
| C-09 | 35 ft | None | 21 | 15 nights | Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 12, Oct 18, Oct 19, Oct 20, Oct 21, Oct 22, Oct 23 +9 more |
About Ponderosa (AZ)
Overview
Named for the towering pines under which it sits, Ponderosa Campground is tucked in the rolling forests of northern Arizona. As one of the largest forest in the country, the Tonto National Forest is one of the most-visited urban forests in the United States, boasting about 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.
While this campground did undergo a timber sale a few years ago it still has many ponderosa trees that will be stronger and healthier for future generations to enjoy.
Recreation
Take advantage of the area's hiking/biking trails and lakes or simply relaxing at the campsite. Scenic driving and outdoor recreation abound in the surrounding Tonto National Forest. A series of lakes called the Rim Country Lakes are about a 15 minute drive east. Woods Canyon Lake is one of the most popular recreational lakes in the state and offers options for boating.
Facilities
The facility provides 48 single campsites and two group sites that can accommodate up to 25 people guests each. The campsites are clean, flat and spacious with a good amount of shade from pine trees.
In addition, first-come, first-serve sites are available with payment completed using the on-site fee machine. No cash is accepted.
Check-In is 2:00 pm
Check-Out is 11:00 am
Natural Features
The ponderosa pine trees make this a memorable campground. Larger ponderosas release a vanilla scent into the air and have a relatively open understory, making the area perfect for camping. Mixed into the understory are junipers, oaks and manzanita shrubs.
The campground sits on the border of the Mogollon Rim, pronounced by locals as "muggy-own," a 200-mile-long cliff in northern Arizona that ranges between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation. The unique landscape was created by extreme erosion and faulting that has sculpted spectacular canyons and buttes. The rim serves as the geographical dividing line between the cool high country above and the hot, dry desert below.
51 monitored sites14 FCFS sitesRVs up to 45 ftNo hookupsPets OKFire pitsMax party 25
Getting there
From Payson, Arizona, go east on State Route 260. The campground is located on the south side of 260. A campground sign is visible before the campground entrance.
1009 East Highway 260, Payson, AZ 85541
CampingFish HatcheryFishingHikingHorseback Riding
View on Recreation.gov ↗ Get directions ↗
03 · Field Photos · roll CS-234563 · facility + sites
Photo gallery
Roll CS-234563 · Ponderosa (AZ) · Payson AZ12 frames · facility + sites
FAQ
How do I get a reservation at Ponderosa (AZ)?
Reservations for Ponderosa (AZ) are made through Recreation.gov. 1,218 of 2,295 tracked site-nights are currently open (53.1%). Campsite Sniper has also detected 33 site openings here in the last 90 days, so further dates may appear. Pick a site on the map to see its calendar, or set a free Campsite Sniper alert. You complete the reservation yourself on Recreation.gov.
Does Campsite Sniper book this campground for me?
No. Campsite Sniper sends alerts and direct Recreation.gov links. It never books, pays for, holds, hoards, or resells reservations.
How current is this availability data?
Campsite Sniper re-checks public Recreation.gov availability for this facility every hour and republishes whenever anything changes. This facility's data last changed at Sep 18, 2026 15:19 UTC; an older timestamp means nothing has changed since that time, not that checking stopped. Always confirm final availability on Recreation.gov when you book.
How often do new openings appear at Ponderosa (AZ)?
Campsite Sniper detected 8 site-date openings at Ponderosa (AZ) in the last 7 days, 33 over 30 days and 33 over the last 90.
Can I get a multi-night stay at Ponderosa (AZ)?
123 three-night openings are showing, counting only runs where the SAME site is free for all three nights. The soonest starts Sep 20 at site A-21. Confirm and book on Recreation.gov.
Which sites at Ponderosa (AZ) fit a 35-foot RV?
29 of the 47 sites that support RV analysis have a recorded maximum of 35 ft or more; the longest recorded is 45 ft. 45 of those 47 sites have a recorded maximum length and 2 do not; they are not counted as fitting.
Which month has the most availability at Ponderosa (AZ)?
October 2026, with 855 open site-nights in the current snapshot of 1,581.
When is the next open date at Ponderosa (AZ)?
As of the Sep 18, 2026 snapshot: the next open date is Sun, Sep 20 and the next open weekend starts Fri, Sep 25. Detected openings can add earlier dates at any time; a free Campsite Sniper alert catches those the moment they appear.
Stop refreshing. Let the app watch it.
Filter
Lakefront, hookups, your RV length, weekends only - set it as picky as you want.
Watch
We run paced availability checks for Ponderosa (AZ). One watch covers every matching online-reservable site.
Get the ping
When a match opens, you get a push with a Recreation.gov link so you can review and book it yourself.
Alerts monitor online-reservable inventory only; first-come, first-served sites are not included.