Elks Group Campground
- Right now
- OpenInside the published season, our reading; a database flag says not open
- Sites
- 1All of them booked ahead
- Season
- – October 27Closes October 27. No opening date published.
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 15 notices
In the agency’s own words
The Elks Group Campground sits among a mix of ponderosa pines and juniper at an elevation of 6,500 feet offering a cool respite from the summer heat of the valley below. This campground facility was designed and constructed by the Winslow Elks Lodge and generously donated to the Mogollon Rim Ranger District. The campground is designed to meet the needs of large groups and can accommodate 300 people, offering picnic tables, grills, and fire pits. There are vault toilets. For every 25 people after the first 50, the group will need to provide additional port-a-pots. Keep reading
Recreation
Many visitors spend time relaxing and exploring the area. The nearby C.C. Cragin Reservoir and Knoll Lake offers opportunities for water based recreation, while the Arizona National Scenic Trail, General Crook National Recreation Trail, and historic Cabin Loop Trail System offers opportunities for hikers, bicyclist, and equestrian users. There are also several Fire Lookout Towers in the area.
Facilities
The group campground is in a primitive setting on 6 acres. The site has a swing set, horseshoe pit, poles for a volleyball net, flag pole, pavillion, grills, picnic tables, a large fire ring, a 500 gallon water buffalo, trash collection and vault toilets. It is important to know that for every 25 people after the first 50, the group will need to provide additional port-a-pots. The site can accomodate up to 100 people and 50 vehicles.
Natural Features
The campground is in a transition zone where ponderosa pines fade into stands of pinyon and juniper trees. The nearby Mogollon Rim is one of the most striking geologic features in the state. This steep escarpment, measured in thousands of feet, stretches from New Mexico diagonally across two thirds of Arizona and offers sweeping views of the landscape.
Nearby Attractions
The community of Happy Jack, Arizona offers two convenience stores, two restaurants, and a gas station.
What the agency tells you
THIS FACILITY HAS A LOCKED GATE AND REQUIRES A COMBINATION TO ACCESS - COMBO # WILL BE IN THE CONFIRMATION EMAIL SENT TO YOU BY RECREATION.GOV.
Check-in time is 2 p.m.; check-out time is 12 p.m.
Trash service is provided; No utility hookups or dump station
Everything else this campground posts · 12
You may be required to supply supplemental toilets, depending on group size
Horses are not allowed at the campground
No amplified music or public address systems allowed
Off-road vehicles may only be driven to enter and leave the campground
Campground roads and parking spurs are gravel
RV's, Trailers. and 5th Wheels maximum length up to 45-ft are permitted
Fires allowed only in provided metal fire rings, when our Forest is not under any restrictions. Know Before you go. Check our main Forest Page to see if we are in Restrictions before coming out. Stage 1 Fire restrictions: Fires allowed in developed fire ring only Stage 2 Fire restrictions: NO fires allowed, No charcoal BBQs, Propane ONLY https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/coconino/fire/prevention/restrictions Click here for more information on Coconino National Forest Fire Restrictions
Pets must be on a leash or confined at all times and never left unattended
Coconino National Forest Click here for more information on Coconino National Forest
Don't Move Firewood Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood near your destination and burning it on-site
Drinking water is provided
We have a horseshoe pit & a Volleyball Court available to use during your stay (Bring your own horseshoes & Volleyball)
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 1 · 1 group
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- 1
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- VAULT TOILETS on 1 of 1 campsite records
- Drinking water
- Yes
- DRINKING WATER on 1 of 1 campsite records
Around the campground
- On the water
- Reservoir, Lake
- Canoeing
- Climbing
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Kayaking
- Mountain biking
- Stargazing
- Wildlife viewing
Something open on 3 of the next 8 bookable nightsread 15:31 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
OpenBookedNot reservable
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
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 · 11
What you actually pay
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 · 4
recreation.gov availability, read 15:31 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
1 sites
All 1 sites
| 1 | Elks Group Campground | group standard nonelectric | yes |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Moqui Group CampgroundCoconino National Forest · 9.5 miBlue Ridge CampgroundCoconino National Forest · 9.8 mi
Rock Crossing Campground (AZ)Coconino National Forest · 12 miClints Well CampgroundCoconino National Forest · 16 mi
Long Valley Group CampgroundCoconino National Forest · 18 mi
Knoll Lake CampgroundCoconino National Forest · 20 miFrom Flagstaff, Arizona, drive 55 miles south on FH 3 (Lake Mary Road) to AZ 87 at Clints Well. Turn left onto AZ 87. Drive approximately 20 miles to milepost 309.9. Turn left on FR 9717H and drive about one quarter mile to the campground.
From Winslow, Arizona, drive 32 miles south on AZ 87 for approximately 32 miles. Turn right on FR 9717H and drive about one quarter mile to the campground.
Do not use APPLE MAPS they will take you to our District Office. GOOGLE Maps will take you to the CORRECT location - Elks Picnic Group Campground
GPS Coordinates; 34°42'32.3"N 111°06'09.4"W
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Blue Ridge, AZ
Typical weather
Typical October night 31°F, day 66°F.
Coldest night of the open season: typical October night 31°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
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 Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Elks Group Campground 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 →