Rustys RV Ranch

This is a lovely private campground, right near the AZ/New Mexico border and the Coronado National Forest. It's very peaceful, and at night there is a 'no outside lights' policy to ensure the skies are dark for star gazing. If you like birding and hiking, there are some fantastic trails nearby and Rusty will talk you through them in detail. You can also drive over the mountains, via a dirt road, to the Chiricahua National Monument, an amazing place for hiking and well worth a visit. In terms of the site, spots are all pull-through, paired back to back, and with plenty of outdoor space to yourself. Our site was level and we had full hook-ups, which was good as there are no bathrooms, which is a bit odd and one of the reasons that we have rated this 4 rather than 5. If you always shower in your rig, then this won't be an issue for you. There is free wifi available, and although Rusty is very clear on check-in that this should not be used for streaming, in the evenings especially it can be very slow, and can also depend on how close you are to the router. We were right next to one router (you can see them) and we still could only get signal by having our laptop right by the window so it was in sight of the router. This was relevant for us as we had zero AT&T signal (there isn't any for about 20 miles), so we needed to use the wifi to book our onward camping. Again, if you don't need it, not a worry. Other than these couple of things, though, we thought this was a really excellent site. It's one of the friendliest places we have stayed, very well kept, the laundry room is great value at $1 a wash, and the location is both beautiful and full of wonderful places to visit. If you want a great lunch, either to eat there or as a pack-up for hiking, visit the general store in Portal. They are really friendly, do great Mexican, and also sell basic groceries.

If you have ever wanted to stay in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the desert then look no further. Absolute peace and quiet this place is a gem. We bring our scopes out here for stargazing every year. The owners are wonderful. There is wifi, full hookups, and nothing else!