Bureau of Land Management · Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area · AZ

Owl Creek 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
Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
3,440 ftElevation
446 ftWater · Gila River
1.3 miSW of Clifton, AZ
0%Tree cover
Bortle 4Night sky · 174th darkest of 262 in AZ

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there

In the agency’s own words

Located in the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area in Arizona, Owl Creek Campground has seven campsites, picnic tables, grills, ramadas, trash receptacles, and restroom facilities available to make your stay more enjoyable. There is no potable water available at the campground. Three of the campsites are pull-through sites, and four are pull-in sites, making the campground suitable for trailers and RVS. The campground is a stop on the Black Hills Back Country Byway , and it is also just a quarter mile from the Gila River Boat Put-In. Keep reading

A trail starts near the kiosk to provide a path down to the Old Safford Bridge Picnic Area or the Gila River Boat Put-In. Owl Creek Campground provides visitors with a beautiful view of the riparian area and Guthrie Peak, one of the highest points in Greenlee County. Visit recreation sites within or nearby the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area: Riverview Campground Dry Canyon Picnic Area Spring Canyon Picnic Area Lee Trail Picnic Area Serna Cabin Picnic Area & Historical Site Bonita Creek Watchable Wildlife Viewing Area Safford-Morenci Trail Flying W Group Day Use Area Canyon Overlook Picnic Area Gila River Boat Put-In Old Safford Bridge Picnic Area

Facilities

Drinking water
None, bring your own
“…to make your stay more enjoyable. There is no potable water available at the campground. Three of the campsites…”
Source: read from the agency description, shown above · Sep 12, 2026

Around the campground

On the water
River, Creek
Camping Area
Hiking
Hunting
Water access
Wildlife viewing
Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 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 agency’s record
Runs itBureau of Land Managementthe agency’s record
Every line of the receipt · 8

What you actually pay

The sign priceBureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management 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.
The fee for overnight use, with two vehicles per night, is currently $5.
The Senior and Access “America the Beautiful” passes provide a 50% discount on expanded amenity campsite fees.
A large color brochure with a map of the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area is available for free from the Safford Field Office .
Stay limitIn the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area, camping at developed sites — and primitive camping elsewhere — is limited to 14 consecutive days in a 28-day period.
The booking feerecreation.gov
Nothing. This campground takes no bookings, so there’s no reservation fee to pay.
What this campground addsits own record
Extra vehicle$2

“Per additional vehicle is $2.” · the Bureau of Land Management’s own fee record

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 · 5

rules read Sep 7, 2026 · record Aug 23, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the phone number

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

This Afternoon73°Mostly Sunny3% rain
Tonight50°Partly Cloudy then Slight Chance Rain Showers17% rain
Sunday77°Chance Rain Showers then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms30% rain
Sunday Night55°Chance Showers And Thunderstorms33% rain

NWS forecast for Clifton, AZ

Typical weather

Typical October night 55°F, day 83°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical December night 35°F. Bring the bag rated for it.

110°30°

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.

Measured at: CLIFTON, AZ (USC00021849), 6 miles away and 80 ft higher

The land, and who answers for it

who answers for it

Who answers for this land

Juan Ciscomani, official portrait

Owl Creek 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: Bureau of Land Management publishes no season and no closure for this campground, and it takes no bookings we can read. That’s a gap in the record and not a locked gate: the number below is the only way to be sure.
Cell signal: the BLM’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.