Cave Spring
We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 9 of the next 9 nights; a database flag says not open read 16:08 UTC
- A night
- $30From, per site
- Sites
- 8364 on recreation.gov
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 13 notices
In the agency’s own words
Cave Springs sits in the scenic Oak Creek Canyon and is one of Coconino National Forest's most popular campgrounds. The campground is nestled in a forested canyon near the town of Sedona, Arizona, and its famous red rock cliffs. The scenery is unmatched, the stream is stocked with trout, and swimming, hiking and birding spots are nearby. Keep reading
Recreation
There are several hiking trails in the vicinity. Some lead up the canyon slopes to offer good views of the surrounding scenery. The creek is bordered with paths that lead along its picturesque course, offering great bird watching and fishing.
Facilities
Cave Spring is a large campground with 84 campsites, including one tent-only site. All sites have picnic tables, campfire rings and cooking grills. Token-operated showers, drinking water and vault restrooms are provided for convenience. The facility can host RVs, trailers and motor homes up to 36-ft.
Natural Features
The area is a heavily wooded, lush riparian zone. Campsites are located in a shady stand of ponderosa pines in the upper reaches of the canyon. Many of the campsites are located right on the banks of Oak Creek. The creek has crystal clear, cool water that is refreshing on hot summer days.
Nearby Attractions
The nearest town is Sedona, popular for its red rock vistas, resorts and shopping. One of Arizona's best swimming spots, Slide Rock State Park, is down the road. Campers can also explore the 1.8-million acre Coconino National Forest, which boasts a spectacular variety of scenery and outdoor activities. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (928) 203-0624.
What the agency tells you
Oak Creek is very crowded, especially on weekends; it is best to come on a weekday and arrive early
No radios or amplified devices allowed
No hookups
Everything else this campground posts · 10
No horses allowed in the campground
Motorbikes may only be used for entering or leaving campsite
Check out the forest's campground description for specific information to Fish Your National Forest
Don't Move Firewood: Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood near your destination and burning it on-site. For more information visit dontmovefirewood.org.
No portable showers or toilets allowed in campground
Showers are token operated only, they do not accept quarters.
Campsites must be occupied first night of reservation
Campsite cannot be unattended more than 24 hours
Swimming and fishing access
The camping stay limit in Red Rock District is limited to 7 days
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 83
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 30 ft
- Paved pads
- 10 of 83
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- VAULT TOILETS on 69 of 84 campsite records
- Showers
- Coin Showers
- “Token-operated showers, drinking water and vault restrooms are provided for convenience.”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- DRINKING WATER on 69 of 84 campsite records
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
Around the campground
- On the water
- Creek
- Birding
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Swimming
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 139th darkest of 262 in AZ
- Bortle 3
- Fall color · reported 2 days ago, 36 km away
- Patchy color
Full this Saturdayread 16:08 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
OpenBooked
Every one of the 63 sites on offer is taken this Friday and Saturday. 37 are free on Wed, Oct 21. read 16:08 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 13
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $30 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 16:08 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
84 records · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 64 mapped sitesAll 84 records
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 84 of the 84 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 83 of the 84 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.
| A | A01 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 43 ft | 319 ft | 184 ft | $30 |
| A | A02 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 81 ft | 338 ft | 95 ft | $30 |
| A | A03 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 93 ft | 337 ft | 35 ft | $30 |
| A | A04 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 126 ft | 314 ft | 141 ft | $30 |
| A | A05 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 121 ft | 285 ft | 105 ft | $30 |
| A | A06 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 121 ft | 276 ft | 100 ft | $30 |
| A | A07 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 56 ft | 271 ft | 208 ft | $30 |
| A | A08 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 60 ft | 260 ft | 301 ft | $30 |
| A | A09 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 115 ft | 240 ft | 414 ft | $30 |
| A | A10 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 91 ft | 211 ft | 530 ft | $30 |
| A | A11 | standard nonelectric | 91 ft | 121 ft | 582 ft | $30 | |
| A | A12 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 135 ft | 105 ft | 473 ft | $30 |
| A | A13 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 134 ft | 103 ft | 355 ft | $30 |
| A | A14 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 134 ft | 133 ft | 254 ft | $30 |
| A | A15 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 156 ft | 97 ft | 111 ft | $30 |
| A | A16 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 94 ft | 190 ft | 45 ft | $30 |
| A | A17 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 94 ft | 211 ft | 137 ft | $30 |
| A | A18 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 95 ft | 247 ft | 143 ft | $30 |
| A | A19 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 43 ft | 286 ft | 177 ft | $30 |
| A | A20 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 67 ft | 293 ft | 250 ft | $30 |
| A | A21 | standard nonelectric | 16 ft | 92 ft | 239 ft | 341 ft | $30 |
| B | B07 | type not stated | 30 ft | 580 ft | 209 ft | $30 | |
| C | C02 | type not stated | 30 ft | 747 ft | 185 ft | $30 | |
| C | C05 | type not stated | 30 ft | 670 ft | 298 ft | $30 | |
| D | D02 - Host site | host pad | 30 ft | 257 ft | 342 ft | $30 | |
| D | D03 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 56 ft | 326 ft | 181 ft | $30 |
| D | D04 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 60 ft | 319 ft | 274 ft | $30 |
| D | D05 | type not stated | 30 ft | 269 ft | 531 ft | $30 | |
| D | D06 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 75 ft | 489 ft | 260 ft | $30 |
| D | D07 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 49 ft | 300 ft | 620 ft | $30 |
| D | D08 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 49 ft | 333 ft | 653 ft | $30 |
| D | D09 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 63 ft | 418 ft | 765 ft | $30 |
| D | D10 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 65 ft | 454 ft | 848 ft | $30 |
| D | D11 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 49 ft | 534 ft | 856 ft | $30 |
| D | D12 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 49 ft | 513 ft | 814 ft | $30 |
| D | D13 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 51 ft | 473 ft | 744 ft | $30 |
| D | D14 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 51 ft | 452 ft | 694 ft | $30 |
| D | D15 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 59 ft | 436 ft | 635 ft | $30 |
| D | D16 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 59 ft | 424 ft | 577 ft | $30 |
| D | D17 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 62 ft | 422 ft | 515 ft | $30 |
| D | D18 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 65 ft | 425 ft | 451 ft | $30 |
| D | D19 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 62 ft | 435 ft | 376 ft | $30 |
| D | D20 | type not stated | 30 ft | 458 ft | 305 ft | $30 | |
| D | D21 | type not stated | 30 ft | 324 ft | 96 ft | $30 | |
| E | E01 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 75 ft | 518 ft | 317 ft | $30 |
| E | E02 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 62 ft | 483 ft | 425 ft | $30 |
| E | E03 | type not stated | 30 ft | 471 ft | 528 ft | $30 | |
| E | E04 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 54 ft | 498 ft | 666 ft | $30 |
| E | E05 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 56 ft | 529 ft | 739 ft | $30 |
| E | E06 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 58 ft | 572 ft | 811 ft | $30 |
| E | E07 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 65 ft | 704 ft | 712 ft | $30 |
| E | E08 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 65 ft | 750 ft | 678 ft | $30 |
| E | E09 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 86 ft | 764 ft | 598 ft | $30 |
| E | E10 | standard nonelectric | 107 ft | 758 ft | 493 ft | $30 | |
| E | E11 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 63 ft | 725 ft | 365 ft | $30 |
| E | E12 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 63 ft | 663 ft | 331 ft | $30 |
| E | E13 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 64 ft | 603 ft | 300 ft | $30 |
| F | F01 | standard nonelectric | 52 ft | 150 ft | 664 ft | $30 | |
| F | F02 | standard nonelectric | 52 ft | 122 ft | 715 ft | $30 | |
| F | F03 | standard nonelectric | 58 ft | 176 ft | 722 ft | $30 | |
| F | F04 | standard nonelectric | 47 ft | 100 ft | 875 ft | $30 | |
| F | F05 | standard nonelectric | 59 ft | 118 ft | 925 ft | $30 | |
| F | F06 | standard nonelectric | 47 ft | 147 ft | 866 ft | $30 | |
| F | F07 | standard nonelectric | 69 ft | 182 ft | 940 ft | $30 | |
| F | F08 | standard nonelectric | 69 ft | 145 ft | 1,008 ft | $30 | |
| F | F09 | standard nonelectric | 64 ft | 226 ft | 983 ft | $30 | |
| F | F10 | standard nonelectric | 90 ft | 243 ft | 1,065 ft | $30 | |
| F | F11 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 288 ft | 976 ft | $30 | |
| F | F12 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 332 ft | 961 ft | $30 | |
| F | F13 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 376 ft | 941 ft | $30 | |
| F | F14 | standard nonelectric | 54 ft | 424 ft | 905 ft | $30 | |
| F | F15 | standard nonelectric | 69 ft | 318 ft | 721 ft | $30 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | B01 | type not stated | 30 ft | 381 ft | 161 ft | $30 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | B02 | type not stated | 30 ft | 396 ft | 59 ft | $30 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | B03 | type not stated | 30 ft | 389 ft | 36 ft | $30 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | B04 | type not stated | 30 ft | 540 ft | 89 ft | $30 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | B05 | type not stated | 30 ft | 558 ft | 144 ft | $30 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | B06 | type not stated | 30 ft | 576 ft | 233 ft | $30 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | C01 | type not stated | 30 ft | 748 ft | 266 ft | $30 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | C03 | type not stated | 30 ft | 726 ft | 179 ft | $30 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | C04 | type not stated | 30 ft | 734 ft | 263 ft | $30 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | C06 | type not stated | 30 ft | 609 ft | 84 ft | $30 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | C07 | type not stated | 30 ft | 580 ft | under 10 ft | $30 | |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | C08 | type not stated | 30 ft | 566 ft | 88 ft | $30 |
The agency files 1 more record here that isn’t a site for the night. It names it a host pad. It’s in the table above, marked for what it is, and it isn’t counted as a site.
25 of 84 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Pine Flat Campground WestCoconino National Forest · 1.1 mi
Manzanita.Coconino National Forest · 3.8 mi
Manzanita CampgroundCoconino National Forest · 4.8 mi
Fernow CabinCoconino National Forest · 6.4 miChavez CrossingCoconino National Forest · 11 mi
Canyon VistaCoconino National Forest · 12 miFrom Phoenix, take I-17 to Highway 179 north toward Sedona. Turn north on Highway 89A and continue for 11 miles into Oak Creek Canyon.
From Flagstaff, take I-17 to Highway 89A south. Follow 89A for 18 miles to Oak Creek Canyon.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Oak Creek Canyon, AZ
Typical weather
Typical October night 53°F, day 71°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 34°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it · a letter you can send
Who answers for this land
Cave Spring is in Arizona’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Eli Crane (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 3
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The member who votes the moneyElijah CraneU.S. Representative · Arizona’s 2nd district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationMark KellyU.S. Senator · Arizona
- Your senator, on the same appropriationRuben GallegoU.S. Senator · Arizona
No contact form we could verify, so that link is their own site. Contact is inside it. Washington office: 202-224-4521.
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Cave Spring, Coconino National Forest, Arizona
Dear Elijah Crane, I’m a constituent in Arizona’s 2nd district. I tried to camp at Cave Spring, Coconino National Forest, Arizona, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 64 of the 83 campsites the agency files at Cave Spring, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 63 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cave Spring keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Cave Spring. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Cave Spring (Coconino National Forest, Arizona) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Cave Spring, Coconino National Forest, Arizona
Dear Mark Kelly, I’m a constituent in Arizona. I tried to camp at Cave Spring, Coconino National Forest, Arizona, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 64 of the 83 campsites the agency files at Cave Spring, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 63 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cave Spring keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Cave Spring. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Cave Spring (Coconino National Forest, Arizona) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Cave Spring, Coconino National Forest, Arizona
Dear Ruben Gallego, I’m a constituent in Arizona. I tried to camp at Cave Spring, Coconino National Forest, Arizona, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 64 of the 83 campsites the agency files at Cave Spring, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 63 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cave Spring keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Cave Spring. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Cave Spring (Coconino National Forest, Arizona) via campanac.com