Brittlebush flowers light up Roosevelt Lake
April, 2014 – We had spent the winter months in Phoenix, Arizona, enjoying beautiful hikes and gorgeous waterways, and observing pretty birds and wild horses.
But the desert was heating up with the arrival of Spring, and so were we!
So we headed just a little further east to Roosevelt Lake where the temps are always just a few degrees cooler.
The yellow brittlebush flowers that had already run their course in Phoenix were just coming into bloom out by the lake, making for colorful images.
Developed campground sites have lake and mountain views.
Roosevelt Lake was developed as a playground for Phoenix area residents, and it boasts several terrific waterview and waterfront campgrounds.
Yet, for whatever reason — perhaps because of the long distance by highway from Phoenix (although it is a short distance as the bald eagle flies) — there is such a surplus of campsites that whole loops and campgrounds around the lake have been closed due to insufficient visitors.
Boondocking on the shores of Roosevelt Lake
What a contrast to the Maricopa County Regional Parks system where RV snowbirds have to reserve their campsites months in advance or risk not getting a site for more than two or three nights in a row!
The difference, of course, is the availability of electric and water hookups.
The Regional Parks charge $25 per night for pretty sites with hookups while the Tonto National Forest Service charges $6 ($3 with the Senior Pass) for beautiful dry camping sites.
Well, that’s a no-brainer for us, since we’re not totally sure where our shore power cord is hiding. How did that happen? Solar power on an RV is a wonderful thing that quickly pays for itself, and we can’t recommend that upgrade highly enough…
RVs on the beach bask in mountain views on the waterfront
A hedgehog cactus blooms
For those that want to camp on the beach instead of on the paved campground loops (where there are hot showers!), there are loads of spots to set up camp right along the water’s edge for the same fee.
The last time we were at Roosevelt Lake a few years ago, there seemed to be a lot less boondocking along the water.
Now, the water level is so low that we saw tons of people enjoying waterfront property!
A Gila woodpecker pauses his pecking
Across the highway, visitors can explore two sets of intriguing ancient Indian cliff dwellings at the Tonto National Monument.
The hike to the Upper Dwellings has great views of Roosevelt Lake
We had been to the Lower cliff dwellings years ago, so on this visit we took a “Photo Tour” of the Upper cliff dwellings.
Lower Cliff Dwellings – An interesting spot to call home!
This $3 tour was geared towards folks who wanted to take lots of pics.
Gary teaches us a little about both photography and the Indian ruins.
The tour was led by Gary and Susan Rait, retired professional photographers and NFS volunteers who happily shared their experience and wisdom with our little group of five photography buffs.
Upper Cliff Dwellings
at Tonto National Monument
Rooms with a view!
The hike up to the ruins went through a short riparian area and then the trail opened up to spectacular views of the lake far below as we approached the cliff dwellings.
We all get shots of this ancient room
How on earth did the ancient Salado people manage to live in these aerie perches?
The Sonoran Desert in springtime…
Running up and down these steep cliffs to get between their homes and their farmlands sure must have made them strong and fit!
The mountain biking was challenging…
Back at the campground we enjoyed watching and listening to the wildlife around us.
Red cardinals flitted between the bushes and a Gila woodpecker drilled away on a palo verde tree.
At night we heard the hoo-hoo of an owl just outside our window.
We searched the area for good mountain biking trails, and explored lots of very hilly dirt roads.
Biking on the boat ramp!
The terrain was difficult, so when I turned a corner and came across Mark looking quite victorious on top of a rock, I had to get a quick pic.
We rode around the campground loops too, and played for a bit on the boat launches.
The water was so low that only one of several boat launches was open. The others didn’t quite make it down to the water any more!!
This was a perfect area to cool off for a bit, and take some scenic drives in the area too…
Some resources to help plan a trip here:
– Roosevelt Lake National Forest Service Website
– Tonto National Monument
– Water levels at the Phoenix-area lakes
More blog posts from Arizona’s Salt River area:
- A Majestic Scenic Drive in Arizona – The Bush Highway
- Arizona’s Stunning Apache Trail Scenic Drive
- Camping World Video Shoot — RVing is for Everyone!
- Dolly Steamboat – Gliding Through the Arizona Desert on Canyon Lake
- Exploring the Lower Salt River and Apache Trail in Arizona!
- Fall Colors and Wildlife on the Sonoran Desert Rivers in Arizona
- Hunting Spring Wildflowers in Arizona
- Phoenix on the Wing – Waterbirds of Arizona!
- Rainbows and Wild Horses in the Arizona Desert!
- Saguaro Lake – On the Waterfront in Phoenix
- Where to See WILDFLOWERS (especially POPPIES) in Arizona 2023!
- Wild Horses of the Salt River in Phoenix
Other special campgrounds we’ve enjoyed:
- Boondocking at Big Bend National Park – Cheap & Scenic RV Camping
- Catalina State Park & Roosevelt Lake: RV Camping in AZ
- City of Rocks State Park, NM – RV Camping in the Hoodoos!
- Dead Horse Ranch State Park + Tuzigoot and Clarkdale
- Goblin Valley, UT – Where the Ghosts Are
- Lake Pleasant & Canyon Lake – Waterfront Camping in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert
- Lost Dutchman State Park Campground – Arizona Gold in the Superstitions
- Lost Dutchman State Park: GORGEOUS scenery & RV campground!
- Lynx Lake, Arizona – Great RV Camping Near Prescott!
- Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, New Mexico – A Dog’s Eye View!
- RV Camping with the Rock Art Petroglyphs in Gila Bend, AZ
- Sand Hollow State Park, Utah – An Oasis in the Desert!
- Valley of Fire, NV – A Cauldron Cooled
- Windy Hill Campground + Tonto National Monument
- Wupatki Nat’l Monument – Ancient Indian Ruins & Great Camping in AZ!
- Zion NP, Kodachrome Basin & Snow Canyon, UT – Great Red Rocks!
New to this site? Visit our Home page to read more about our full-time traveling lifestyle and find out where we keep all the good stuff. If you like what you see, we'd love for you to subscribe to receive our latest posts!