Campground Overview:
The story of the park’s name begins with the Ireys family, who came to Arizona from Minnesota looking for a ranch to buy in the late 1940s. At one of the ranches they discovered a large dead horse lying by the road. After two days of viewing ranches, Dad Ireys asked the kids which ranch they liked the best. The kids said, “the one with the dead horse, dad!” The Ireys family chose the name Dead Horse Ranch and later, in 1973, when Arizona State Parks acquired the park, the Ireys made retaining the name a condition of sale.
Campsites:
There are more than 100 large RV sites available. For after-hours arrivals, vacant sites may be occupied on a night-by-night basis only. Most of the pull-through sites can accommodate 40-foot motor homes and truck and trailer rigs up to 65 feet and include potable water and 30/50-amp service. Generators are prohibited.
All campground loops include modern, ADA accessible restroom facilities providing hot water and showers and are free to registered campers. There is a stay limit of 14 nights in a 30-day period. The park is often sold out in the spring and fall. It’s a good idea to reserve early or check availability online or by phone a few days in advance.
Campground at a Glance
Level: |
Developed w/ Shower |
Season: |
Year-Round |
Nearby City: |
Prescott |
Fishing: |
Verde River/ Dead Horse Lagoon |
Campground Website: |
Dead Horse Ranch State Park |
Campground Map: |
Click Here |
Reservations: |
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Location: |
Nearby Attractions and Activities:
Nowhere else in Arizona will you experience the wide range of activities available in the Verde Valley. Pre-Columbian Sinaguan sites, officer’s quarters at the Fort Verde State Historic Park, a train excursion along the Verde River Canyon, a cowboy dinner show and a night at the casino can all be experienced in a single day.
Jerome, AZ sometimes nicknamed “The City in the Sky” was at one time the most talked about mining camp in America. Jerome became a National Historic Landmark in 1967. Today, Jerome is a popular destination with art galleries, coffee houses, restaurants, a state park, and a local museum devoted to mining history. Explore the Douglas Mansion at Jerome State Historic Park which explains the mining history of the area. The Gold King Mine displays early machinery of the mining era in Jerome.
Red Rock State Park is a 286 acre nature preserve and environmental education center with stunning scenery. Trails throughout the park wind through manzanita and juniper to reach the rich banks of Oak Creek. Green meadows are framed by native vegetation and hills of red rock. The creek meanders through the park, creating a diverse riparian habitat abounding with plants and wildlife. This riparian habitat provides the setting and the opportunity for the park to offer a focus on environmental education.
Oak Creek Canyon and Red Rock Country is one of the most popular tourists’ sites in the United States. Home to some of the most photographed natural formations, like Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock, and featured in numerous movies, Red Rock Country is bound to leave you amazed and in awe. Numerous buttes and mesas dot the area. Part of the Coconino National Forest, Red Rock Country offers incredibly divers scenery, ranging from ponderosa pine forests to red desert rock formation that gave it its name.
Sedona, AZ once nicknamed “Arizona’s Little Hollywood”, was very popular among filmmakers in the golden era of western movies. The town was frequented by John Wayne, Errol Flynn, Joan Crawford and even Elvis Presley. Today, Sedona is a vibrant city offering all urban amenities in the midst of scenic wilderness that surrounds it, and is home to several annual cultural events. There are several art galleries with unique art pieces, ranging from Native American art to modern ones. All these combine with mild climate to make Sedona a very popular tourist destination.
Slide Rock State Park, originally the Pendley Homestead, is a 43-acre historic apple farm located in Oak Creek Canyon. Frank L. Pendley, having arrived in the canyon in 1907, formally acquired the land under the Homestead Act in 1910. Due to his pioneering innovation, he succeeded where others failed by establishing a unique irrigation system still in use by the park today. This allowed Pendley to plant his first apple orchard in 1912, beginning the pattern of agricultural development that has dominated the site since that time. Pendley also grew garden produce and kept some livestock. Todays visitors can still enjoy the fruits of Pendley’s labor. Historic cabins are available for viewing, and the creek offers the park’s namesake slide for adventures seekers and those looking for a place to cool off.
Tuzigoot National Monument
Crowning a desert hilltop is an ancient pueblo. From a rooftop a child scans the desert landscape for the arrival of traders, who are due any day now. What riches will they bring? What stories will they tell? Will all of them return? From the top of the Tuzigoot Pueblo it is easy to imagine such an important moment. Tuzigoot is an ancient village or pueblo built by a culture known as the Sinagua. The pueblo consisted of 110 rooms including second and third story structures. The first buildings were built around A.D. 1000. The Sinagua were agriculturalists with trade connections that spanned hundreds of miles. The people left the area around 1400. The site is currently comprised of 42 acres.
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Gaze through the windows of the past into one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. This 20 room high-rise apartment, nestled into a towering limestone cliff, tells a 1,000 year-old story of ingenuity and survival in an unforgiving desert landscape. Marveling at this enduring legacy of the Sinagua culture reveals a people surprisingly similar to ourselves.
Nearby Campgrounds:
Campground full or want to see what’s around? Try one of these campgrounds located nearby
