Rose Canyon Lake

Get new kind and happy camp hosts! We drove 2 1/2 hours. To be yelled at called stupid and have a 5 gl bucket water thrown on our fire which hit a member of group who is not physically well! We checked before we left home and fires were fine. He did it to other campers as well. I come from a fire fighting family! Well aware of the danger. The host at the entrance who took our money was his wife she yelled at us all . Including the other 6 campers who were there to complain, said we were all stupid and that she quit. Mind you not one person was being rude or yelling. I deal with people daily. I would never treat any one so harshly. I feel that we were assaulted!

Starting off, I'm going to recognize 'Monica E' as an incredible resource for nearly everything as a great breakdown on the intricate details of Rose Canyon Lake, so I won't capitulate on the details she provides; look up her review! There is one error I'll note with her review which is minor but important; you ARE able to reserve locations at Rose Canyon Lake. It's on numerous websites and even by calling, you can. No worries though, small detail but again, her review is amazingly full of all details that I found across three different websites and she put together for you!On a more simpler context I'll say this about Rose Canyon Lake, It's super tiny, very hilly (which I prefer!) and unfortunately the campsites are not 'near' the water. However with 70 some sites, you'll often hear someone near you because the trees deaden so much surrounding noise, you'll hear your neighbor; warning! In fact, our neighbors had to be reported on our visit in May because they were just obnoxious and atrocious with incredibly foul language - throughout the day and well past the quiet hours. Let's be honest, you come to the forest for some peace and quiet. Had we known there was a Ranger on duty throughout the night, we could've communicated that but we learned this the next day. RCL is small, beautiful with surrounding hiking and about 30 degrees cooler than Tucson. Win. Never saw the little 'Lake Store' open during our May visit but no worries nonetheless. Cell phone signal is absent in all the campsites unless you climb the hills around the lake. For at least the four phones with my group, that was the norm. You can use a canoe, ONLY if you pay extra for this. Not sure what good that is but the extra pay keeps you and other out of the water I suppose? There are also a generous amount of restroom spots throughout and some are unisex ones, most, with water spigots. You never have to go to far for a potty break so that made my daughters feel more comfortable.The wildlife surrounding is filled with humorous crows and tons and I mean TONS of squirrels of different species. The pine smell and the beautiful temps in May are a win...One final note, they make it much safer here by implanting 'bear proof' trash and campsite specific lock boxes to store all your food safely out of reach of Bears at night. This no doubt dramatically reduces interfaces thus, making it safer for continuous use as a campsite. The campsite Rangers where attentive and polite and overall, we highly recommend this location albeit secluded, no cell service and a bit on top of your neighbors. No real negatives per se except that the lake is REALLY tiny but is a reprieve nonetheless! It's a nice break from the heat of Tucson and the fresh pine smell is a win!

This stop is a MUST. Beautiful lake and views. If you get there early you might get lucky and get your own picnic area with table and grill and plenty of space for kids to run around safely.

Beautiful sites, beautiful landscapes and many of the campsites are very private! Not crowded during the week, I am sure it is on the weekend. Lake is beautiful and has some trails. This location has zero cell service but is close enough to Summerhaven where you can get service and pick up supplies and a pizza!! We love this place!

Needs some crowd control or more lakes, but beautiful when not crowded. Has beautiful Brown trout and Rainbows. Even a nice area for handicap to fish.

What do you need to know about this camping and lake experience? A few things. LAKESIDE: The lake is small. Seriously, it would take you about 20 minutes to walk around the whole thing. Along the way you are bound to accidentally slip into a grubby, muddy part of the bank. Who speaks from experience?! The lake keeps busy, insanely busy, with people out fishing. No boating or swimming are allowed here. It will likely be hard to find a space on the lake where you won't be able to hear your neighbor talking. But from what I've seen on multiple visits, people tend to be quite cordial and respectful of the space of others. Also up the way from the lake is a glorious ramada that is available for rent to parties of up to 120 people. Otherwise, it's first come first served and is generally full of families. CAMPING: Goodness, I wish there were lakeside sites for camping. All of the campsites are located up the way from the lake. The walk down to the lake can be nice, though. You have the option of walking the windy road or finding an off-the-road trail.Of all the campsites on the mountain, Rose Canyon is at the lowest elevation -- somewhere around 7,000 feet. So it is a bit warmer, on average, than Spencer and Peppersauce. It is also busier and less remote. So, if you are looking for a quiet date with nature, this is not the spot. Rose Canyon Campround has nearly 70 campsites, which cannot be reserved in advance. And it gets busy and keeps busy. Granted, people are not stacked on top of one another. But during your stay you are bound to see and hear your neighbors: -Revving up the generator-Opening their pickup truck doors so they can have a Shania Twain singalong-Sending their rowdy kids off to play and burn off energy-Late night partyingOne of our neighbors even busted out with a chainsaw. A chainsaw, folks! At something like 2 in the afternoon. For what reason would you need a massive chainsaw in the middle of a campsite already cleared and when the rangers offer bundles of firewood for sale -- I have not a clue. I diverted my eyes. And there were some hardcore revelers up late. At one point, I couldn't tell if it was a boisterous group of people, or a pack of coyotes on the move. And the other important details? If you are planning a weekend getaway, come early -- preferably on Friday. If you can't make it up Friday, arrive early on Saturday. Generally, people who arrive for an overnight stay will leave before noon, so you will want to be able to snag one of those spots before the post lunch rush. The cost is $20 per night and no more than eight people are allowed at each of the numbered sites. Second vehicle per site is $9 and you can have no more than two vehicles per site, though they do not always offer two parking spots per spot. Also I hear there is a senior fee offered at $10, too. If you want to come up just to check out the lake and the sights, that will be $9. Strange thing -- that's for six people in a vehicle. If you have more than six people, the fee is $1 for each additional person. And if you bike up, it's $1. Curious. There are a few group sites as well, which go for $34 a night for a maximum of 18 people and five cars. And pets are allowed! But they must be on a leash at all times. They are serious about this. The sheriff patrols the area ever so often and you will be cited if you are not following the rules. Quiet hours are typical: 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Check out is at 3 p.m. The campsite has potable water and vault toilets. Also, each site has a fire ring, grills and tables. The sweet thing about Rose Canyon is that rangers drive around on the regular. I think I saw someone about every half hour to 45 minutes. They also try and keep the sites tidy. Max stay is 14 days. And there is an emergency host on site. Actually, I think there may be more hosts than one. Also, you are required to spend your first night at your reserved campsite and be on site at least once every 24 hour period.

Place was nice, rangers were helpful and friendly. Just beware, #60 is a nice spot but very far from the parking, also it is a steep hike up to get to the flat areas for a tent or 2, plus the table, bear box, etc.There are lots of restrooms and they are quite OK, as long as fellow campers follow instructions to keep the lids closed.Although we had loud neighbors, we thought #60 was private and at a reasonable distance from the nearby camps. Depending on how you set your tent you may hear the neighbors but you do not have to see them.The rangers advised us that if you get breakfast right in front of the ski lift (Iron Door I think it is called) your breakfast bill includes free tickets for the ski lift.That was a nice find since we were about to start cooking breakfast when they stopped by to check on us.Overall we liked this place very much. Most likely we will be back.

Well done little fishing lake. One side of lake is paved, the other side has a more rustic path. Plenty of shoreline for so many people enjoying fishing. You can climb up the surrounding ridgeline for good views or explore along the creek bed. Fishing only. No boating, canoes, kayaks, deimming.

Such a beautiful lake that is easy accessible from Tucson. They are cash only so bring some money with you to purchase a "day pass". You can fish and also camp in this nice little area.

Big pond or tiny lake, it is beautiful up there. Ponderosa trees surrounding the pond, supplied with fish. Temperature is much cooler at that altitude. It was very pleasant. Parking is a little ways from the water so a cart would help if you are picnicking and fishing.