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Back in September, I went on a quick 1-night solo camping trip with the family dog, Pumpkin, to see how she would do. This way, if she barked all night and I needed to take her home, it wouldn’t involve waking up everyone and tearing down in the middle of the night.
It worked out just fine, though – she was well-behaved and unsure of what we were doing there.
I stayed at Black Canyon Rim Campground, which is south of the 260, east of Forest Lakes. The campground is next to Rim Road/FR300, but this is the less popular side of it (the more popular being the portion that is north of the 260 that goes through the Woods Canyon area).
Black Canyon Lake is also along FR300, and I checked it out in the morning.
Reservable or first come, first served: I reserved online; I do not recall if there were any FCFS sites, but it seemed like most if not all were reserved.
Established or dispersed: Established
Tent pad: gravel
Bear lockers: I didn’t see any near my campsite
Electric: no
Back-in or pull through: back-in
Other amenities: Restrooms; picnic table; fire pit; potable water from a tank; adjacent to Rim Road/FR300; close to Black Canyon Lake.
Dumpsters on site: Yes
Site rating:4.0/5.0
Dates: Sept 20-21 (Fri-Sat)
Nights: 1
Gear:
- Core Equipment Easy-up Ground Tent – I cannot recommend this tent enough
- Kelty 30 sleeping bag
- Coleman cot
- ust 30-day 1000 Lumen LED Lantern
- Ryobi pivoting rechargeable right-angle flashlight
- Collapsible crates
- Collapsible dog bowls
- Kurgo Core dog sweater
- Butane 1-burner camp stove
- Ecoflow power station
- Electric kettle
- Mt Comfort Organic Coffee (pre-ground)
- Aeropress
- Jetboil pan
- Costco camping chairs
- Original Penguin duffel bag
- Thule packing cubes
Weather: Mid 50s overnight; Mid-70s to lower 80s highs
Food: Culver’s for early dinner on the way in; breakfast tacos the next morning
Solo: Yes
Overall experience rating: 4.5/5.0
The good – what I liked about camping at Aspen Campground near Payson/Heber
There was a lot to like about this area and campground. The camp host was extremely nice and helpful, and the bathrooms were the cleanest pit toilets I’ve probably ever seen. The picnic table was a nice metal one in great condition, and the weather was just cool enough.
But my favorite part was the short drive down FR300 to Black Canyon Lake. The lake itself was beautiful; if I’d had time to kayak, I would have done so. There were only a few people on the lake, who were doing just that. The grounds surrounding it were nicely kept. There were tons of dispersed camping spots along the road; and there were wild horses everywhere!
The bad
For my campsite specifically, I unknowingly chose the first spot upon entering the campground, so I was right across from the camp host. This meant that all the traffic coming into the camp passed by my site, but people going to the host to get water, firewood, or to ask questions also were driving by after dark. This campsite was also right next to the dumpster.
However, it seemed like the rest of the camp sites would have been decent.
There was also a LOT of noise coming from FR300 overnight with lots of folks four-wheeling and dirt biking until all hours (and the campground backs up to the road).
Lastly, I got there around 4pm, so by the time I got unloaded and set up, it was nearly dark. And I had to check out the next morning, so I didn’t really get to enjoy the camp experience. But, I did achieve the goal of seeing how our dog would react to all the strange sounds that go with camping.
Would I camp here again?
Maybe. There are a lot of places – established and dispersed – for camping in the Payson area, so I might want to try some others first.
That said, I’d be willing to return to Black Canyon Rim Campground and stay at a different site. If you can get over the noise from the Forest Road, it’s a great campground – and Black Canyon Lake is nowhere near as crowded as Woods Canyon Lake, especially now that Woods Canyon Lake Road is paved (FR300 to Black Canyon Lake is still dirt, or it was in the fall).
For more details
For more details and for booking, go to the Black Canyon Rim Campground’s page on the US Forest Service website.
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