U.S. Forest Service · Coronado National Forest · AZ

Cochise Stronghold Campground

First come, first servedNo reservation, and none to be had: the sites go to whoever pulls in first.

This is how it should work.

Right now
OpenThe agency lists it open
Season
September 1 – May 31Open September 1 through May 31, across the new year
5,000 ftElevation
4,593 ftWater · Halfmoon Tank, a pond
13.4 miNE of Tombstone, AZ
17%Tree cover
Bortle 3Night sky · 109th darkest of 262 in AZ
Open September 1 through May 31, across the new yearToday

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there

In the agency’s own words

This campground is in a magnificent, rugged canyon that served the famous Chiricahua Apache leader, Cochise, as a refuge against his enemies. As you enter the East Stronghold Canyon, you pass in the shadow of rocks that quite likely served the Apache warrior as perches for his lookouts. The haunting shapes into which the forces of nature have carved those rocks helps make a visit to this charismatic place an unforgettable experience. Keep reading

Eleven individual and two group campsites at Cochise Stronghold are shaded by oaks and surrounded by a diverse community of vegetation that includes plants of both the Upper Sonoran and Chihuahuan Desert. To help you become better acquainted with this unusual environment, the Stronghold Nature Trail follows a 0.4-mile barrier-free loop that wanders among the yucca, cactus, and rocks. This short, easy stroll provides a self-guided introduction to several desert plants, as well as some of the principles of desert ecology. It also provides good views of the rocks that form the ramparts of the Stronghold. A wheelchair-accessible, 400-foot history trail in the campground tells of the area's colorful past. The Cochise Trail #279 , which also starts in the campground, climbs past dozens of fantastic rock formations to Stronghold Divide at 5,900 feet and continues on to West Stronghold Canyon and the Council Rocks historic area. Note: No potable water is available in the campground. Bring plenty with you. Black bears in area. Store and dispose of all food in bear-safe containers and trash bins or keep it locked in your vehicle. Download the Cochise Stronghold Recreation Guide in English. Solo en inglés ahora. La traducción estará disponible aquí pronto.

Source: USFS Enterprise Data Warehouse · Aug 24, 2026

Facilities

Drinking water
None, bring your own
“…the Council Rocks historic area. Note: No potable water is available in the campground. Bring plenty with…”
Source: read from the agency description, shown above · Sep 12, 2026

Nothing to book, just show up

One of 1,623 federal campgrounds where the site still goes to whoever pulls in first. Get there before noon on a summer weekend.

recreation.gov publishes no availability for a campground you can’t reserve, so there’s no thirty-night reading to draw here. The season bar above is what the agency does publish.

BookingNo reservationsNothing to book, and no release date to wait forthe record
Runs itU.S. Forest Servicethe agency’s record
Every line of the receipt · 10

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Forest Service
The U.S. Forest Service publishes no per-night rate for this campground that we can read, so there’s no sign price to print. That’s a gap in the record, not a free campground.
Campsites: Single site: $20.
With Golden Age/Access or Interagency Senior/Access pass $10.
Group site: $50 plus $10 per vehicle.
Payable with cash or check.
Day Use: Day use: $8 per vehicle Weekly: $10 per vehicle Buy a pass online , or purchase a pass on-site with cash or check.
Proof of payment, or a valid Coronado National Forest Annual Pass or Interagency (America the Beautiful) Pass, including the Annual, Senior, Access, or Military Pass, must be displayed on the driver's side of the vehicle dashboard.
Learn more about accepted passes.
The booking feerecreation.gov
Nothing. This campground takes no bookings, so there’s no reservation fee to pay.
What a stay costs
The agency publishes no nightly rate for this campground, so there’s no total to show.
How we know this receipt · 4
Source: USFS Enterprise Data Warehouse · Aug 24, 2026

record Aug 24, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Getting there

the map and the coordinate

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Today65°Patchy Blowing Dust1% rain
Tonight47°Patchy Blowing Dust2% rain
Saturday64°Mostly Sunny3% rain
Saturday Night46°Chance Rain Showers41% rain

NWS forecast for Sunsites, AZ

Typical weather

Typical October night 46°F, day 80°F.

Coldest night of the open season: typical January night 29°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

100°32°20°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or moreOutside the published season

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Junes are colder than the June line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: PEARCE - SUNSITES, AZ (USC00026353), 8 miles away and 650 ft lower

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it

What threatens this place

Roadless
Middle Dragoon Roadless10,543 acres · 1 mi · inventoried roadless area
Roadless
Upper Dragoon Roadless2,533 acres · 6 mi · inventoried roadless area
Roadless
Lower Dragoon Roadless1,165 acres · 7 mi · inventoried roadless area

You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.

Source: MTJP Threatened Lands map · Oct 3, 2026

Who answers for this land

Juan Ciscomani, official portrait

Cochise Stronghold Campground is in Arizona’s 6th congressional district. Its representative, Juan Ciscomani (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from
Right now: The agency lists it open right now.
Season: USFS Enterprise Data Warehouse · Aug 24, 2026
Cell signal: the Forest Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.
Nearest place of any size: Sunsites, AZ, 7.2 mi W (a census designated place). Straight line.