Campground Overview:
Roper Lake State Park is a state park in Arizona, surrounding the 32-acre Roper Lake. The park is located off U.S. Route 191, 5 miles south of Safford, at the Gila River and Valley. Roper Lake State Park includes a boat ramp, a natural stone hot tub, a beach for swimming, a picnic area, a campground, and cabins. The lake is stocked with bass and trout, and boats are limited to small electric motors. Hiking trails are available, and the park is a place for birdwatching. This scenic park in southeast Arizona is in a beautiful location surrounded by the sky island Pinaleño Mountains range, including Mount Graham.
In another part of the park is Dankworth Pond, located about 3 miles south. This 15-acre pond also offers fishing, a picnic area, and hiking trails. The other unit, Dankworth Pond, has a 15-acre surface lake located about 3 miles south of the main Park. It was operated as a private catfish fishing lake before acquisition by State Parks in 1975.
Campsites:
Hacienda Campground: 20 sites with water and electric (20/30 amp). Each site includes fire rings and picnic tables. Hacienda campground has a bathroom with hot showers near the entrance of the campground. Most sites will accommodate a vehicle length of up to 45 feet and are a mix of pull-through and back-in sites.
Cottonwood Campground: 25 sites with water and electric hookup sites (20/30/50 amp). Each site includes fire rings, picnic tables, and a small shade Ramada. Cottonwood campground has a bathroom with hot showers. Most sites will accommodate a vehicle length of up to 45 feet and are back-in only.
Gila Campground: The Gila campground offers eight cabins, five non-electric sites, and a 14 site group camp area. All non-electric sites include fire rings and picnic tables. Water is available at most sites.
Campground at a Glance
Level: |
Developed w/ Shower |
Season: |
Year-Round |
Nearby City: |
Safford |
Fishing: |
Roper lake |
Campground Website: |
Roper Lake State Park |
Campground Map: |
Click Here |
Reservations: |
|
Location: |
Nearby Attractions and Activities:
Mount Graham and the Pinaleño Mountains
Locals refer to the entire mountain range southwest of Safford as Mt. Graham. The actual name “Pinaleño Mountains” comes from an Indian word meaning “many deer”, or “deer mountain.” Mount Graham is the the summit of the Pinaleño Mountains at an elevation of 10,720 feet. The mountain range was named in 1846, during the war with Mexico. The Army of the West, led by General Stephen Watts Kearney, came down the Gila River on his way to California. Lt. William Emory, a topographer and scientist for the group, referred to the mountain in his journal and on the map of his trip as Mount Graham, named for his friend and fellow Army officer James Duncan Graham.
The Pinaleño Mountains are the single-most diverse mountain range in North America, and hosts 11 endemic species that are found nowhere else on Earth. Visitors can travel the Swift Trail (Highway 366) through eight distinct zones in just a dozen miles, including Sonoran desert, Sonoran grassland, chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodland, Madrean evergreen oak woodland, Ponderosa pine forest, mixed conifer forest, and finally spruce-fir forest at the highest elevations.
Mount Graham provides today’s visitors a wealth of activity, from sight seeing to more strenuous activities such as hiking, rock climbing, and cross country skiing. There is something for all at this popular retreat. Trout fishing at Riggs Flat Lake is a popular summer pastime, and several of the year-round creeks offer the challenge of stream fishing. Some of the popular trails include: Arcadia Trail #328, Ash Creek Trail #307, Taylor Canyon Trail #306, and the Grant Hill Loop Trail #322
Black Hills Back Country Byway is a unpaved, 21-mile drive that begins at its southern point, off of U.S. Route 191, approximately 20 miles east of Safford. You’ll turn left onto the Black Hills Back Country Byway, a gravel road that’s maintained by Graham and Greenlee counties. Although a four-wheel-drive vehicle isn’t necessary — unless you plan to explore one of the numerous side roads along the way — a high-clearance vehicle is recommended.
Prison laborers built the byway between 1914 and 1920, during which a few managed to escape. Most, however, behaved. Just as the hillsides are great for a Wild West game of hide-and-seek, they’re also foreboding. If you venture outside the car for a closer look, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for rattlesnakes and other desert critters.
The remnants of the labor camp, where the prisoners rested each evening, are a quick walk from the roadside between Mileposts 16 and 17. The old structures are nothing special — just block and rebar — but they do speak to the ruggedness of the terrain. Life in the Black Hills at the beginning of the 20th century couldn’t have been easy. Mining was big here during Arizona’s boom days, when cotton and copper were king in this neck of the woods, and it still is today — the Freeport-McMoRan open-pit copper mine in Morenci is a fitting reminder of that.
The road winds back to U.S. 191 after traversing the Old Safford Bridge, which crosses the Gila River. The bridge, constructed in 1918, doesn’t look a day over 32 — partly because it was restored several years ago. Just below the bridge is a popular place to launch rafts and kayaks to float the 23 miles of river in the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area. Past the bridge, the Bureau of Land Management’s Owl Creek Campground provides views of the river and riparian area below.
Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area, encompasses over 23,000-acres and four perennial waterways which are the lifeline to an extensive riparian ecosystem abounding with a diverse plant and animal community. This region is a very special riparian ecosystem abounding with plant and animal diversity. Impressive Gila Conglomerate cliffs tower more than 1,000 feet above the Gila River, and bighorn sheep are commonly spotted. Canoeing, kayaking, and rafting enthusiasts take advantage of the spring run-off to enjoy an easy to moderately difficult floating adventure down the Gila.
Many people also float the river in inflatable kayaks during the low water of the summer. Lower water also affords hikers the opportunity to safely enjoy the scenic canyon. Numerous prehistoric and historical structures can be viewed. A network of primitive roads provides hours of backcountry adventure for four-wheel-drive and mountain bike trekkers. The Bonita Creek Watchable Wildlife Viewing Area provides a bird’s-eye view of the riparian canyon below, with over 100 species of birds recorded here. A homestead cabin, rock art and cliff dwellings, show evidence of the occupation of this important perennial stream by earlier inhabitants.
Nearby Campgrounds:
Campground full or want to see what’s around? Try one of these campgrounds located nearby
