Campground Overview:
Table Mesa Recreation Area comprises approximately 11,557 acres. The area becomes congested with recreationists because it is easily accessed via Interstate 17 from Phoenix. The area is mainly used by Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts, but is also used by campers, hikers, and shooters. There are numerous areas to set up camp in Table Mesa Recreation Area.
The Little Pan Staging Area provides a staging and rest area for the Table Mesa Recreation Area. The staging area features two OHV training areas. Primitive camping is available and includes two accessible vault toilets and information kiosks. The staging area is located 42 miles north of downtown Phoenix. From Phoenix, head north on I-17 to exit 236. Turn left on Table Mesa Road. Turn right after 500 feet to stay on Table Mesa Road. Follow the main road heading north for 2.5 miles, left on the first fork, right on the second fork.
Campground at a Glance
Level: |
Dispersed |
Season: |
Year-Round |
Nearby City: |
Phoenix Valley |
Fishing: |
None |
Campground Website: |
Table Mesa Recreation Area |
Campground Map: |
Click Here |
Reservations: |
First-come, first-served basis |
Location: |
Nearby Attractions and Activities:
Pictures courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arizona -Agua Fria National Monument.
The Agua Fria National Monument was created by proclamation of President Bill Clinton on January 11, 2000. The Monument contains 71,100 acres (111 square miles) and more than 450 archaeological sites, most of which are located along the perimeters of Black Mesa and Perry Mesa. Black Mesa is visible from the Sunset Point rest stop along I-17, and the best access is from the Bloody Basin Road exit, where you will find an unmanned information kiosk with maps and information. The Monument is currently managed by the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
The pueblos here were constructed using a technique known as “massed room block,” in which field-stone walls stabilized with mud mortar were roofed over with timbers, sticks, mud and straw. The roofs have long since disappeared, however, and time, weather, and modern-day looters have reduced most of the walls to piles of rubble. They are still quite impressive: some of the sites contain over one hundred rooms, and are surrounded by a multicolored carpet of broken pot sherds. Many of the ruins have clusters of petroglyphs nearby, some of which contain thousands of images. There is also evidence of extensive agriculture over large areas of both mesas, including cleared fields and terraces and berms for controlling rain runoff for crop irrigation. (Arizonaruins.com is a great resource)
Remains of several pueblo communities still exist, some that contained at least 100 rooms. One, Pueblo La Plata, is open to the public and accessible from the unpaved Bloody Basin Road off I-17 (Exit 259). An approximately 10-mile drive, much of which requires a high-clearance vehicle, leads to a narrow path and a hike of several hundred yards to Pueblo La Plata.
Nearby Campgrounds:
Campground full or want to see what’s around? Try one of these campgrounds located nearby
