Verde River Child's | Informal Campsite

April 22nd, 2019 by frugalnomadz

We came here for the hot springs of course. We camped for 3 nights, on 3rd night, drawn in by long time campers for some guitar picking by a campfire. Some stay here for a month but sign says 5 day limit. If you walk to the hot springs, which of course I hope you do, follow the path by the river at first then you will see a path that takes you right and up the hill to the dirt road. Follow dirt road down a long hill and you should be able to see a rock spray painted with white x and green arrow on the left. Follow path to river, cross river in rushing water but doable. Go up and left, then enjoy springs. There are 2, one outside is the cooler of the two. Great photo opportunity here. Camping was nice and quiet here.

January 6th, 2019 by pasties01

Camping and access to Verde Hot springs. Long gravel road (Fossil Creek Rd). The last ~5km are mountainous, narrow and rugged. Normal cars can get down to the parking area above the campground but high clearance is required to go the last couple of 100m to the campground. The road is clay based so it gets very greasy after a rain or snow. I barely got out with my 2wd van with BFG KO2 All-Terrain tires after it rained all night. Locals said that vehicles get trapped at the bottom as they can't climb back out so be forewarned. Hot springs are great, about 2.5km hike and a river crossing. Water crossing can be tough, water can be knee to waist deep but river can also swell (local reports of people being trapped at the springs when river swelled and they couldn't make it back across). I went nude but then a big group of late teen early 20-somethings showed up so I put a suit on. Depends on your comfort level.

October 29th, 2017 by travelingtogether814

Spent two night in October. This is a popular spot due to the great hot spring on the other side of the river. First night was Saturday and it was a bit crowded with the best campsite on the river already taken. People keept filling in through the night. Someone was firing a gun in the late evening. The pit toilet was alright. If your already used to the toilets in Mexico it's not so bad, but our friends we met up with were not too impressed. On Sunday morning 95% of the cars and people left. Great for dogs. Most people had their dogs running free. It's hot and dusty during the day and very cold at night. Most spots have a fire ring. The road from Strawberry to here is closed. This is in the Tonto National Forest, but you do not need a recreation permit for this spot. You will pass miles of signs on the way here saying Parking Permit Required No Camping -No Campfires April 1st -October 1st but that is just for that area and for those dates. About a mile before this spot you see a sign that then says after this point no permit required and camping allowed. It's free. Pack it in Pack it out. Bring your own wood. There is non here. Hot springs is about a mile hike with no signs leading the way. You have to cross the river. The river is cold and may be too swift for small children, old dogs and drunks. The pools are a great temperature and overlooking the river. Signs say nudity is prohibited and everyone when we went at dusk was following the rules. The road out here was 2wd, but the last .25 miles was very high clearance and 4x4 recommend. There were ALOT of bees.

March 25th, 2017 by wolf

A wild Camp Place beside the Verde River. The road is very bumpy an steep. Not recommended for big rigs. No Service, just a Toilette.