Hilltop Campground (AZ)
- Right now
- Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
- A night
- $18–$36Across the site types the agency prices
- Sites
- 3726 on recreation.gov
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 13 notices
In the agency’s own words
Hilltop Campground is located in the Prescott Basin at 5,712 feet in elevation and just over three miles south of Hwy 69 and east of Walker Road. Campers will appreciate the mild weather and the cool ponderosa pine forest. The facility's attractive and convenient location allows opportunities for pursuing a variety of recreation activities that will satisfy anyone's interests. Activities include boating, fishing, hiking, mountain biking and bird watching. Connector and loop trails allows access to most of the Prescott Basin and most trails allow for multiple modes of travel. Keep reading
The Tri-City Community comprising Prescott, Chino Valley and Prescott Valley has events and attractions throughout the year, all within a few minutes' drive.To make reservations click on the availability button to the right to book this site or call 1 (877) 444-6777. For general campground questions contact the Bradshaw Ranger District at 1 (928) 443-8000.
Recreation
Hilltop Campground is available during the summer season and is enjoyed by people of all age groups and of diverse backgrounds. Campsites are designed for RV, trailer or tent camping. Many popular outdoor activities abound. Visitors may enjoy fishing, bird-watching, boating, backpacking, hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, mountain biking, picnicking, camping and just plain relaxing.
Facilities
Hilltop Campground has 34 single and three double occupancy campsites, with 23 single and three double campsites available for advanced reservations. Campsites generally allow a camp unit (RV, or tow vehicle and trailer). A limited quantity will allow for an extra vehicle. Each campsite has a picnic table, steel fire ring and an established tent pad. Universally accessible campsites are available. There are five pull-through, 16 back-in and 16 parallel parking asphalt-surfaced driveways in the campground. Services include five vault restrooms, five trash dumpsters and six water faucets. There are no RV hook-ups or dump station. SEE PHOTOS FOR A SITE MAP.
Natural Features
Similar to several recreation facilities in the Lynx Lake Recreation Area, Hilltop Campground is located in ponderosa pine, oak, manzanita and a variety of shrubs and grasses. The facility is near Lynx Lake, Thumb Butte, Granite Basin Recreation Area, Granite Mountain Wilderness Area and Granite Basin Lake. Access to these areas can either be made by several interlocking hiking trails or by driving a short distance.
Nearby Attractions
North of Hilltop Campground, within walking distance is Lynx Lake. This lake at 55 acres is an immensely popular attraction on the Prescott National Forest. It offers a variety of recreation opportunities for all age groups. Activities include fishing, boating and hiking among many. West of Hilltop Campground, across the Prescott Basin about 11 miles distant, is the Thumb Butte Recreation Area. Thumb Butte's 6,515 foot prominence is quite visible in the Prescott Basin. The Butte is very popular for its scenic vistas, jogging and hiking. Rock climbing is allowed, but only between July 16 and January 31. Climbing is prohibited during the peregrine falcon nesting period. Birdwatching is popular. Mountain bikes have access to trails from the parking area. To the Northwest, within 13 miles, is the Granite Basin Recreation Area. This recreation area has several day-use areas, Yavapai Campground and Granite Basin Lake (5 acres). The lake is known for channel catfish, large-mouth bass and sunfish. Rising prominently north of Granite Basin Lake is Granite Mountain at 6,874 feet. The Granite Mountain Wilderness Area is comprised of the mountain's rugged topography and mixed vegetation suite. Also to the northwest at fifteen miles, is Alto Pit Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Campground and Day-Use Area. OHV riders of all skill levels can ride the several miles of trails that meander through the area's challenging terrain and vegetative cover. The City of Prescott offers several day-use recreation facilities within ten miles of Hilltop Campground. To the northwest are Watson (70 acres) and Willow Lakes and to the southwest Goldwater Lake (15 acres). Each have unique qualities and recreation opportunities including boating, fishing, birdwatching and hiking.
What the agency tells you
Maximum stay limit is 14 days within 30 consecutive days in Prescott National Forest including stays at dispersed sites.
There is no RV sanitary dump station.
As you plan your trip, compare the campsite driveway length to your equipment length. Consider equipment length as the linear distance from the front bumper of either an RV or tow vehicle to the rear axle of the RV or towed trailer.
Everything else this campground posts · 10
Single campsites are designed for up to 5 people and 1 camp unit is an RV, and/or tow vehicle and trailer; double sites up to 10 people and 2 camp units.
No overflow parking exists. Park vehicles on an established campsite driveway.
Place a tent only on an established tent pad. Not all campsites accommodate slide outs.
At least one person must occupy a campsite during the first night after camping equipment is set up. Camping equipment may not be left unattended for more than 24 hours.
All guests without a reservation (first-come, first-served) or a second vehicle ($5.00 fee a day single site and $5.00 3rd and 4th vehicles for double sites) must pay with exact change using the self-pay kiosk as soon as campsite is selected.
Pet(s) are welcome, but must be physically restricted on a 6' leash or less.
Fires are permitted only in Forest Service approved steel fire rings.
Fireworks, including sparklers, are prohibited at all times on National Forest Lands.
Fire restrictions may be imposed due to dry conditions, at which time smoking, wood and charcoal fires may be prohibited.
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
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 37
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 40 ft
- Paved pads
- All
- Accessible sites
- 5
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…in the campground. Services include five vault restrooms, five trash dumpsters and six water faucets. There…”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…restrooms, five trash dumpsters and six water faucets. There are no RV hook-ups or dump station. SEE…”
- Dump station
- Yes
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake
- Biking
- Boating
- Climbing
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Night sky · 225th darkest of 262 in AZ
- Bortle 4
- Fall color · reported 2 days ago, 8.6 km away
- Patchy color
No reading yet, book on recreation.gov
recreation.gov lists 26 of the 37 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.
No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.
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 · 14
What you actually pay
“All guests without a reservation (first-come, first-served) or a second vehicle ($5.00 fee a day single site and $5.00 3rd and 4th vehicles for double sites) must pay with exact change using the self-pay kiosk as soon…” · the U.S. Forest Service’s own agency notice
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $18–$36 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 · 6
rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
37 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 26 mapped sitesAll 37 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 26 of the 37 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.
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 01 | type not stated | 40 ft | 2,342 ft | |||
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 02 | type not stated | 40 ft | 2,303 ft | |||
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 03 | type not stated | 40 ft | 2,179 ft | |||
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 04 | type not stated | 38 ft | 2,148 ft | |||
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 05 | type not stated | 28 ft | 2,039 ft | |||
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 06 | type not stated | 26 ft | 2,004 ft | |||
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 07 | type not stated | 40 ft | 1,945 ft | |||
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 08 | type not stated | 40 ft | 1,886 ft | |||
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 09 | type not stated | 40 ft | yes | 1,895 ft | ||
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 10 | type not stated | 40 ft | yes | 2,113 ft | ||
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 11 | type not stated | 25 ft | 2,168 ft | |||
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 12 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 207 ft | 1,576 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 13 | standard nonelectric | 37 ft | 140 ft | 1,296 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 14 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 91 ft | 1,166 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 15 | standard nonelectric | 29 ft | yes | 80 ft | 1,075 ft | $18–$36 |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 16 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | 80 ft | 1,139 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 17 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 100 ft | 1,219 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 18 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | 100 ft | 1,267 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 19 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | 125 ft | 1,377 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 20 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 102 ft | 1,189 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 21 | standard nonelectric | 26 ft | 102 ft | 1,101 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 22 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 106 ft | 998 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 23 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 93 ft | 908 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 24 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 62 ft | 816 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 25 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 64 ft | 652 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 26 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 64 ft | 689 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 27 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 74 ft | 641 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 28 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 74 ft | 652 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 29 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | yes | 99 ft | 744 ft | $18–$36 |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 30 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 62 ft | 823 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 31 | standard nonelectric | 39 ft | yes | 86 ft | 800 ft | $18–$36 |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 32 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 55 ft | 756 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 33 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 55 ft | 790 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 34 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 131 ft | 1,019 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 35 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | 32 ft | 1,084 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 36 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 31 ft | 1,077 ft | $18–$36 | |
| HILLTOP CAMPGROUND | 37 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 31 ft | 1,084 ft | $18–$36 |
25 of 37 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Eagle Ridge Group CampgroundPrescott National Forest · 0.3 mi
Lynx CampgroundPrescott National Forest · 0.8 mi
Groom Creek SchoolhousePrescott National Forest · 4.0 mi
Groom Creek Horse CampPrescott National Forest · 4.5 mi
White Spar CampgroundPrescott National Forest · 5.4 mi
Upper Wolf Creek GroupPrescott National Forest · 5.4 miFrom Phoenix, Arizona: Traveling Northbound on I-17 take Exit 262 onto Hwy 69 North to Prescott and cointnue on Hwy 69 for 30 miles to S Walker Rd. Turn left and proceed South on S. Walker Rd. (by Costco, Petsmart, and AM/PM gas station). Drive about 3.8 miles and then turn East (left) into Hill Top Campground.
Alternate route from Flagstaff, Arizona: Traveling Southbound on I-17 take Exit 278 onto Westbound Highway 169 and continue for 15 Miles until reaching the junction of Hwy 69, turn right onto Northbound Hwy 69 and continue for 12 miles to S. Walker Rd. Turn left and proceed South on S. Walker Road (by Costco, Petsmart, and AM/PM gas station). Drive about 3.8 miles and then turn East (left) into Hill Top Campground.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Prescott, AZ
Typical weather
Typical October night 40°F, day 73°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 24°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 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
Who answers for this land
Hilltop Campground (AZ) 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 →