Tonto National Forest · Arizona
Overview With an elevation of 5640 ft, Christopher Creek Campground's crisp, fresh air and vibrant views are a joy to behold. The campground is tucked along the banks of the spring-fed Christopher Creek, which passes just below the Mogollon Rim. This campground is typically open April-November.
Sites at Christopher Creek are reserved through Recreation.gov. Sites here can be reserved in advance through the official system, and they are claimed fast — cancellations then trickle back all season, unannounced, at any hour of the day or night.
| Total sites | 44 |
|---|---|
| Site types | Standard, Group |
| Location | Payson, AZ |
| Book through | Recreation.gov |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov |
Because sites are booked months ahead, a steady share of reservations get cancelled as trips fall through. Each cancellation instantly returns that site and those nights to the official calendar — first-come, first-served, no waitlist, no announcement. Refreshing the booking page yourself, every few minutes for weeks, works in theory. In practice, the people who get these sites are the ones who hear about the opening first.
ItOpened scans the Recreation.gov calendar for Christopher Creek around the clock. When a site matching your dates and your vehicle opens, you get a text with a direct link to it. You book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell — your fee pays for monitoring, and openings are first-come, so speed is the whole game.
| Cholla Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
|---|---|
| Windy Hill Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Houston Mesa | Cancellation alerts available |
| Burnt Corral Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Tortilla Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Ponderosa (Az) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Schoolhouse Campground (AZ) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Sharp Creek | Cancellation alerts available |
| TIMBER CAMP RECREATION AREA and GROUP CAMPGROUNDS | Cancellation alerts available |
| Lower Tonto Creek | Cancellation alerts available |
| Upper Tonto Creek | Cancellation alerts available |
| Grapevine Group Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Frazier Horse Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| C C C (AZ) Tonto NF | Cancellation alerts available |
| Horseshoe (AZ) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Mesquite (AZ) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Riverside Campground (AZ) | Cancellation alerts available |
| Larry Forbis Overnight Group Site | Cancellation alerts available |
| Cave Creek Group Site | Cancellation alerts available |
| Frazier Group Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Kellner Group Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
| Reynolds Creek Group Campground | Cancellation alerts available |
Page data refreshed 2026-10-29. Site facts come from the official directory listing for Christopher Creek; cancellation statistics come from our own scanning logs.