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

Soldier 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
OpenThe agency lists it open
Season
April 15 – November 14Open April 15 through November 14
9,340 ftElevation
178 ftWater · Soldier Creek
10.5 miSW of Thatcher, AZ
49%Tree cover
Bortle 3Night sky · 123rd darkest of 262 in AZ
Open April 15 through November 14Today

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there

In the agency’s own words

Campsites at Soldier Creek ( map ) are nestled in a forest grove where large granite boulders sculptured by the forces of nature help separate the sites and add to the area's scenic beauty. Just a short walk from camp, an abrupt drop-off provides good views of the lower slopes of the Pinaleños, of the Aravaipa Valley, and the Galiuro and Winchester mountains. Soldier Creek is especially popular with campers during mid-summer because it is one of the coolest areas on the mountain. You can access the upper trailhead of Grant Goudy Ridge #310 from the south end of campground near the host site. Note: Black bear area. Store and dispose of all food in bear-proof containers and trash bins, or keep it locked in your vehicle.

Source: USFS Enterprise Data Warehouse · Aug 24, 2026

Around the campground

On the water
Creek
Source: Stated in the agency description

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 · 6

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.
Single site: $20.
With Golden Age/Access or Interagency Senior/Access pass $10.
Payable with cash or check.
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

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Getting there

the map and the coordinate

The weather

the next four days

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Overnight37°Partly Cloudy
Saturday46°Mostly Sunny5% rain
Saturday Night40°Chance Rain Showers37% rain
Sunday51°Chance Rain Showers41% rain

NWS forecast for Thatcher, AZ

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it

What threatens this place

Roadless
Pinaleno130,920 acres · 4 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 16, 2026

Who answers for this land

Juan Ciscomani, official portrait

Soldier 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