Gilbert Ray Campground
Tucson Mountain Park
Write a Review 8451 W. McCain Loop Rd. Tucson, AZ 85735 520-403-8116 520-724-5000 Official WebsiteGPS: 32.2208, -111.1444
Overview of Gilbert Ray Campground
Weight restrictions apply to Gates Pass Rd. Long rigs should enter Tucson Mountain Park from Ajo Highway to Kinney Rd.
Generators are not permitted. Dogs are not allowed in Tucson Mountain Park, however, they are allowed in the campground.
Last Price Paid: $20
Reported by ElaineS on 6/29/2024
Longest RV Reported: 40 feet (Class A)
Reported by Geardowntravels on 1/12/2022
Number of Sites 130
Pad Type gravel
Reservations yes
Elevation 2,624 ft / 799 m
Max Stay 7
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Gilbert Ray Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 520-403-8116
Kkenney asked on 2/14/2023
Are the site lengths listed on-line accurate? Looking at a site that is 28’ long, but we are 31.5’. Class C.
TwoChihuahuasTraveling asked on 2/6/2023
Are the skies pretty dark? Yes,I know that they're pretty, but, we'd love to see the stars! Thanks!
Ledhead asked on 1/2/2022
From what I'm seeing, I take it there are no sewer hookups at the sites?
nygirly asked on 2/11/2021
Does Gilbert Ray Campground have standard plug 15 amp electric service at the campsites?
Reviews of Gilbert Ray Campground 155 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 86 Users
Last reported 6/29/2024
Confirmed by 42 Users
Last reported 3/18/2024
Confirmed by 17 Users
Last reported 11/7/2023
“Nice Campground, Close to Hiking and Biking”
Reviewed 2/15/2017
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
Gilbert Ray is a nice campground outside Tucson. We stopped for one night on a lovely February weekend. The campground was quite full, with a relatively even split between full time RV'ers and campers from Tucson. Be aware that they do not take credit cards - cash or check only. Sites have little shade but are relatively level. T... more
Gilbert Ray is a nice campground outside Tucson.
We stopped for one night on a lovely February weekend. The campground was quite full, with a relatively even split between full time RV'ers and campers from Tucson. Be aware that they do not take credit cards - cash or check only.
Sites have little shade but are relatively level. Trailheads for hiking and biking are walking distance from the park, and the Sonoran Desert Museum (one of the top ten museums in the US) is also biking distance.
Had some noise late at night, and heard neighbors say that some folks come late from Tucson, camp/party, then leave before the office opens to avoid paying. That seems plausible, as I did not see any patrolling of the campground in the evenings.
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TigerNomad would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Desert stunner and amazing hiking outside of Tucson”
Reviewed 2/13/2017
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 7 |
Overall Rating
One of the most beautiful spots we've been to in all of our travels. Sites are spacious and private with electric hookups, but no water. Amazing trail system for mountain biking and hiking right outside your door. Close to Tucson without being too close. We can see why there's a 7 day stay limit - we might have moved in!
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Busy Campers would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful desert campground”
Reviewed 1/14/2017
| Nightly rate: | $10 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
Overall Rating
Stayed here in September 2016. There was some noise from Old Tucson Studios but it didn't last too long. The campground was not very full at all, but the entire A loop was closed for the season. Very dark and natural at night, separated from the city by mountains. Did the Brown Mountain hike, but it gets hot quick even though we ... more
Stayed here in September 2016. There was some noise from Old Tucson Studios but it didn't last too long. The campground was not very full at all, but the entire A loop was closed for the season. Very dark and natural at night, separated from the city by mountains. Did the Brown Mountain hike, but it gets hot quick even though we got an early start. Modern bathrooms but no showers and no hand soap, though I was thinking of sneaking a shower using the spray faucet at the dish sink behind the bathroom. The rate for car/tent campers is only $10.
AZ_Kit would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Peaceful beautiful desert area ”
Reviewed 12/13/2016
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 7 |
| Site Number: | H24 |
Overall Rating
We really like this campground. It was only about 20% full when we arrived in mid December. The National Park is right up the road and there are plenty of hikes to explore. Only takes about 25 minutes to get into Tucson. Park host were very nice. Bathrooms are a little dated but clean. All site have electric except for a coupl... more
We really like this campground. It was only about 20% full when we arrived in mid December.
The National Park is right up the road and there are plenty of hikes to explore. Only takes about 25 minutes to get into Tucson.
Park host were very nice. Bathrooms are a little dated but clean. All site have electric except for a couple tent sites. There is a dump and water within the park.
There is a 7 day limit and then you have to be out of the park for 7 days.
We really enjoyed this park.
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KenneysSeeAmerica would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful Desert Camping”
Reviewed 11/18/2016
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
| Site Number: | A43 |
| RV Length: | 25' |
Overall Rating
We had a great three-day weekend here over Veterans' Day. We arrived late Thursday evening, and there were plenty of spots still available. We were surprised that the campground never filled over the holiday weekend, especially since the weather was so gorgeous (70s during the day/50s during the night). We really liked Loop A and ma... more
We had a great three-day weekend here over Veterans' Day. We arrived late Thursday evening, and there were plenty of spots still available. We were surprised that the campground never filled over the holiday weekend, especially since the weather was so gorgeous (70s during the day/50s during the night).
We really liked Loop A and made a point to get a spot that would allow our Airstream to create a shady spot to sit so we could enjoy the beautiful weather without getting too sunburned. This loop might have most of the larger sites and they are all back-ins. We prefer back-ins so there's more privacy and better views out the rear window, however Loop C has a few pull-thru sites. Loop H sites seem very small and cramped, and Loop B is for tents only. We were far from the restroom (not all are open during "summer"--hard to believe November is considered summer), but it wasn't a problem. We really loved our site and the weather was so pleasant, so we didn't mind the walk.
The campground is very quiet except for the occasional gun fights at Old Tucson Studios a stone's throw away. Also, there must be a gun range nearby because we heard a lot of shots interrupting the peacefulness of the outdoors in the early morning. You can hear some road noise but it's not bad. You can see some headlights coming over Gates Pass in the night and the far-off lights from the surrounding valley, but otherwise it has a very secluded feel.
Saguaro Natoinal Park's western visitors center is very close as is the Desert Sonora Museum. It's about an hour drive to the NP's eastern district, and we did spend a day over there hiking a few trails. We preferred the western district, though hiking in the backcountry of the Rincon District is supposed to be wonderful, too. We didn't have time for that on this trip, though.
The only downside is that you can't have wood fires. You can use charcoal in the grills, but they are very strict about campfires.
4airstreamers would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet desert oasis near Saguaro National Park west of Tucson, AZ”
Reviewed 5/21/2016
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 53 |
| RV Length: | 30' |
Overall Rating
My wife and I stayed at Gilbert Ray campground in late May, 2016 and found this place to be an extremely nice place to stay. It feels like a desert oasis with a variety of desert / western foliage at each campsite, including towering Saguaros, ocotillos, prickly pears and chollas, along with Mesquite and Palo Verde trees. The par... more
My wife and I stayed at Gilbert Ray campground in late May, 2016 and found this place to be an extremely nice place to stay. It feels like a desert oasis with a variety of desert / western foliage at each campsite, including towering Saguaros, ocotillos, prickly pears and chollas, along with Mesquite and Palo Verde trees.
The park itself was very quiet, clean and friendly. This time of year the registration desk is not staffed, but a camp host is on site in case of any questions, concerns or problems (we had none).
30 amp hookups worked fine. No water or sewer hookups at each site, but a dumping station is available and water stations are placed at various locations around the park.
All in all, this was a great park and we will definitely stay here again.
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Steve @ Full Time Explorers would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Incredible location”
Reviewed 3/30/2016
| Days stayed: | 7 |
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| Site Number: | A22 |
| RV Length: | 25' |
Overall Rating
The location of Gilbert Ray Campground cannot be beat. It is located in the heart of Tucson Mountain Park, and minutes away from Saguaro National Park West and the Desert Museum garden/zoo (even if you don’t like captive animals, the gardens alone are worth the price of admission and you can avoid the animals for the most part), and th... more
The location of Gilbert Ray Campground cannot be beat. It is located in the heart of Tucson Mountain Park, and minutes away from Saguaro National Park West and the Desert Museum garden/zoo (even if you don’t like captive animals, the gardens alone are worth the price of admission and you can avoid the animals for the most part), and thirty minutes away from the heart of Tucson for services and some great food.
The campground itself is great too, though there are some sites that are noticeably better than others (our personal preference are those sites on the outside of the A loop that are spaced further apart). All RV sites have electrical hookups and no generators are permitted. Most sites, but not all, are separated by plenty of vegetation and offer privacy.
If you like saguaro cactus, there is no better place to see them. There are hillsides of packed to the brim with saguaro, more like saguaro-forest than saguaro-desert. Other Sonoran Desert flora are abundant as well, and easily viewed along the roadside or numerous trails. Avoid the temptation to wear sandals as you will inevitably discover cholla balls the hard way!
While the drive up and down Gates Pass should be avoided with your trailer at all costs (see the campground website for recommended routes to the campground), it offers a great view of the saguaro and surrounding mountains once you are unhitched.
The one downside to the park is the 7 day stay limit, as we would have preferred to stay much longer (though the Snyder Hill BLM area is only about 20 minutes away, and you can ping pong back and forth as long as you wait 7 days between visits to Gilbert Ray). The lack of reservations is something we like as we do not usually plan our trips in advance. We arrived on a Friday morning in March and there were plenty of available sites even though it was the busy season, and the campground never filled during our stay. The other main public campground nearby is at Catalina State Park and it was fully booked during our three-week stay in the Tucson area.
There is a small community five miles south of Tucson Mountain Park on Kinney Road that has a gas station, some stores, a laundromat, and a decent Mexican Restaurant (the community is noted as Tucson Estates on Google maps).
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Ron & Sarah would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice--- could be better!”
Reviewed 3/21/2016
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | A13 |
| RV Length: | 23' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Nice location west of Tucson. 30 minutes from most anything. Spots along A loop are either super close together or pretty good. Avoid the cluster from 1-10. If there was an equivalent experience WITH a shower, we'd choose that. Hand soap in the restrooms would also be nice. Why have electric hand dryers and paper towel dispense... more
Nice location west of Tucson. 30 minutes from most anything.
Spots along A loop are either super close together or pretty good. Avoid the cluster from 1-10.
If there was an equivalent experience WITH a shower, we'd choose that. Hand soap in the restrooms would also be nice. Why have electric hand dryers and paper towel dispensers and nice sinks/faucets but no soap?
Restrooms are far far far away from some sites, so study the map and make your request accordingly. There were loads of available spots on a Saturday when we arrived.
If planning a hike, get going 2 hours early so you can beat the heat! Our hike on the Brown Mountain loop was too hot even though we started at 8 am.
Verizon 1 bar LTE. March 19 and 20, 2016.
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Chris&David would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Lived up to Expectations!”
Reviewed 3/5/2016
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 4 |
Overall Rating
There are camp spots around the country that have a legendary feel to them with so many of our fellow RVers sharing about them. Gilbert Ray Campground is just one such park we had on our must visit list. Surrounded by saguaro cacti in a pristine desert environment, and only about a 20 minute drive into the heart of the big city. ... more
There are camp spots around the country that have a legendary feel to them with so many of our fellow RVers sharing about them.
Gilbert Ray Campground is just one such park we had on our must visit list. Surrounded by saguaro cacti in a pristine desert environment, and only about a 20 minute drive into the heart of the big city.
The campground didn’t disappoint and pretty much lived up to all of the expectations. There are some sweet sites, and there are some super tiny and packed in feeling sites. The front desk seems really skilled at assigning the ‘good sites’ first before packing folks into the smaller ones.
And they also seem to keep some big rig sites available for as long as possible. We were very pleased with the site we were assigned, and love the first come first serve no reservation system - very flexible for us non-planners.
We enjoyed biking around the park, and unfortunately didn't get a chance to hit many of the trails.
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Technomadia would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“A fantastic campground near Tucson!!!”
Reviewed 2/21/2016
| Nightly rate: | $20 |
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| Days stayed: | 7 |
| Site Number: | A38 |
Overall Rating
A jewel of a campground close to the Saguaro National Park (Tucson Mountain District, i.e., west side of Tucson) The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, wonderful desert hiking in Tucson's Mountain Park, Old Tucson, downtown Tucson, some of Arizona's best sunsets and so much more! All sites are private and have wonderful views. The outsid... more
A jewel of a campground close to the Saguaro National Park (Tucson Mountain District, i.e., west side of Tucson) The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, wonderful desert hiking in Tucson's Mountain Park, Old Tucson, downtown Tucson, some of Arizona's best sunsets and so much more! All sites are private and have wonderful views. The outside loop sites are best for views out the back of your camper. All sites have electric (only) but there are water spigots all over the place, you won't need to walk more than 50 feet to get to one. The dump station is easy to get to and can accommodate two RV's at the same time.
This is a very quiet campground (no generators!!!) At times, my Fantastic Fan was the noisiest thing in our campsite.
The campground is very well maintained and very clean.
Be aware that some sites are small but we were here during the peak season (mid-February) and there were plenty of larger sites available the entire week we were here, including on the weekend. This is a "first come/first served" facility so you cannot make reservations. Arrive during the week to be sure to have a site that meet your needs.
Excellent Verizon service. We were able to stream HD video from Netflix.
The only "ding" is this campground's seven day limit, we would have preferred a fourteen day limit!
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Bob Martel would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Page 14 of 16
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Amenities
Hookups
- 30 Amp
- Partial Hookups
Recreation
- picnic area
- recreation trail
Site Amenities
- big rig
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- dump station
- ADA Accessible
- recycle
- restrooms: flush
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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