Cholla Campground
- Cholla Campground
Campground Overview:
Cholla Campground is the largest all-solar powered campground in the United States. The Forest Service constructed it in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation. Cholla Recreation Site is located on Theodore Roosevelt Lake, central Arizona’s largest lake. The lake was created in 1911 with the completion of the Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River. At the time, Roosevelt Dam was the world’s tallest masonry dam at about 280 feet high and Roosevelt Lake was the largest man made lake in the world.
Campsites:
Cholla Campground is a large, well maintained campground that includes 206 campsites (tent-only, single and double) with shade ramadas, fire rings with grills, picnic tables, and water hydrants. Toilets, showers, and even playgrounds are located throughout the camp loops. Cholla RV dump station, located across from Christmas Loop, is open Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm. This campground can serve as a great base camp to explore the surrounding area and has everything a family needs for an amazing trip.
Campground at a Glance
Level: |
Developed w/ Shower |
Season: |
Year-Round |
Nearby City: |
Globe |
Fishing: |
Roosevelt Lake |
Campground Website: |
Cholla Campground |
Campground Map: |
Click Here / Roosevelt Lake Recreation Area Map |
Reservations: |
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Location: |
Nearby Attractions and Activities:
Pictures courtesy of the Tonto National Forest -Cholla Campground.
Theodore Roosevelt Lake was formed by the construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River in 1911, making it the oldest artificial reservoir in Arizona. Although not as popular as other lakes located near Phoenix, the reservoir and surrounding area is now a major center for fishing, boating, camping, hiking, and general vacationing.
The recreation area is apart of the Tonto National Forest- Tonto Basin Ranger District and encompasses over 500,000 acres and includes numerous recreational opportunities located along the shores of Roosevelt Lake. Bermuda Flat Shoreline Area contains miles of sandy shoreline accessible to most vehicles including RVs, and is one of the main locations for primitive camping. Cholla Campground is the largest official site, with paved roads and full hookups, and it benefits from a scenic setting on a low mesa, projecting out into the lake. Vineyard Canyon, a day use area, has picnic facilities and short trails to the lakeshore, here lined by stony slopes rather than sandy beaches. A pull-out just west of Theodore Roosevelt Dam is the start point for the Vineyard Trail, the only maintained hiking path along the lake, climbing the cactus-covered hills for fine views over the Salt River Valley and the Apache Trail.
East of the dam are various facilities including the Roosevelt Lake Visitors Center, day use areas, and Roosevelt Lake Marina. The visitor center is worth a stop; exhibits display many interesting artifacts from the early 1900’s. Across the street, the Cemetery Trail takes visitors to the Roosevelt Cemetery, the final resting place of some of the local settlers and also workers who built the Theodore Roosevelt Dam. Further southeast, the highway moves away from the shoreline though the side roads lead to more lakeside recreation areas: Windy Hill, Grapevine Point, and Schoolhouse Campground.
Tonto National Monument protects two well-preserved prehistoric cliff dwellings and diverse artifacts. Located within the Tonto Basin of the Upper Sonoran Desert, this National Park Service site provides opportunities to experience a thriving culture deeply rooted in its natural setting, while encouraging our own connections to our environment. For nearly 10 millennia, the Tonto Basin has provided, and continues to provide, a home to many diverse people. Archaeological evidence suggests that Ancient peoples traveled extensively throughout this and aurrounding areas. Several American Indian tribes such as White Mountain, Chiricauhua, and Tonto Apaches, Yavapais, Pima-Maricopas and more call this area home today. Many of these tribes feel strong spiritual ties to the cliff dwellings, deeming them to be an ancestral home.
Nearby Campgrounds:
Campground full or want to see what’s around? Try one of these campgrounds located nearby
