Rose Canyon
Campground · Arizona · 32 bookable sites ·
Managed by the USDA Forest Service
Coronado National Forest (NF) · Open Access
- 32
- Bookable sites
- up to 120
- People per site
- 1
- Accessible site
- 7,254 ft
- Elevation
Overview
Rose Canyon Campground is just 17 miles northeast of Tucson, Arizona, off the Catalina Highway Scenic Drive near the summit of Mt. Lemmon. This area is popular for day use as well as overnight camping. With a high elevation, forested setting, two group picnic areas and opportunities for hiking, wildlife viewing and fishing, Rose Canyon offers a great summer respite from the city.Recreation
The lake is sheltered by trees and offers a pleasant setting for a walk in the woods, relaxing on the shore or spending an afternoon fishing for stocked trout. A one-mile trail around the lake is convenient for anglers and hikers. The trail is accessible from the lower parking area to a floating dock near a dam.The surrounding national forest boasts a variety of hiking and mountain biking trails, including several that traverse the 9,157-foot Mt. Lemmon.
Facilities
The campground offers spacious, single-family campsites, as well as two group day use areas with picnic shelters, which can be reserved for up to 120 guests.
The campground is equipped with picnic tables, campfire rings with grills and vault toilets.
Natural Features
The campground sits high on the slopes of the Santa Catalina Mountains, at an elevation of 7,000 feet. Because of its elevation, it can be much cooler than the lower-elevation campgrounds in the area. The campsites are spacious and spread out among stands of large ponderosa pines and clusters of Gambel oak. During the summer rainy season, Rose Creek meanders through the area to the six-acre Rose Canyon Lake at the lower end of the campground.The Coronado National Forest covers 1.78 million acres of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Elevations range from 3,000 to 10,720 feet in 12 widely scattered mountain ranges, or "sky islands," that rise dramatically from the desert floor, supporting biologically diverse plant communities.
Contact Info
For facility specific information, please call (520) 576-1325.Nearby Attractions
Catalina Highway, also known as General Hitchcock Highway and Sky Island Scenic Byway, is the only paved road that leads to the upper reaches of Mt. Lemmon and the Santa Catalina Range. It is one of the most scenic highways in the southwest and is a popular day trip.Other notable attractions include Saguaro National Park, Sabino Canyon and Colossal Cave.
The facts
- 32 bookable sites
- 77 sites in total, including non-bookable
- 3 sites for day use only
- 1 accessible site
- Up to 120 people per site
- Loops: Barnum, Black Bear Flats, Green Mt. Loop, Group, Lizard Rock, MANAGEMENT SITES 1, MANAGEMENT SITES 2, Red Tail, Rose Peak, Sycamore, Willow Canyon, Willow edge
Site types
- 45 Management
- 24 Tent Only Nonelectric
- 6 RV Nonelectric
- 1 Group Picnic Area
- 1 Group Standard Area Nonelectric
Amenities
- Campfires allowed
- Fire pits
- Picnic tables
- Grills
- Shade
- Pets allowed
Not recorded upstream: electric hookups, water hookups, sewer hookups.
77 campsites at Rose Canyon
| Site | Loop | Type | Entry | Surface | Max rig | People | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Barnum | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 002 | Barnum | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 003 | Barnum | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 004 | Barnum | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 005 | Barnum | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 069 | Black Bear Flats | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 070 | Black Bear Flats | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 071 | Black Bear Flats | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 072 | Black Bear Flats | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 073 | Black Bear Flats | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 011 | Green Mt. Loop | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 014 | Green Mt. Loop | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 015 | Green Mt. Loop | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 023 | Green Mt. Loop | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 024 | Green Mt. Loop | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 025 | Green Mt. Loop | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| Rose Canyon Amphitheater | Group | Group Standard Area Nonelectric | — | Gravel | — | 120 | 🐾 |
| 1 | Lizard Rock | Group Picnic Area | — | Gravel | — | 120 | ♿ 🐾 |
| 006 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 007 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 008 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 009 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 010 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 012 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 013 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 016 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 017 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 018 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 019 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 020 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 021 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 022 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 026 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 027 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 028 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 029 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 030 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 031 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 034 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 036 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 037 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 038 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 040 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 042 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 043 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 047 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 049 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 051 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 052 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 053 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 054 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 055 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 056 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 057 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 058 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 059 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 064 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 065 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 066 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 067 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| 068 | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | — | — | — | |
| XXX | MANAGEMENT SITES 1 | Management | — | Gravel | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| XXX | MANAGEMENT SITES 2 | Management | — | Gravel | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 048 | Red Tail | Rv Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 050 | Red Tail | Rv Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 060 | Rose Peak | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 061 | Rose Peak | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 062 | Rose Peak | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 063 | Rose Peak | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 032 | Sycamore | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 033 | Sycamore | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 035 | Sycamore | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 039 | Sycamore | Tent Only Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 041 | Willow Canyon | Rv Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 044 | Willow edge | Rv Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 045 | Willow edge | Rv Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
| 046 | Willow edge | Rv Nonelectric | — | Paved | — | 8 | 🐾 |
Getting there
From Tucson, Arizona, take Catalina Highway/Arizona Route 39 northeast. The campground is located between mile markers 17 and 18 on the Catalina Highway.
32.39500, -110.69111 · 32°23'42.0"N 110°41'28.0"W
Typical weather
Typically 80°F in Jun, down to 49°F in Dec.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 50 | 50 | 55 | 62 | 71 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 75 | 68 | 59 | 49 |
| Low °F | 34 | 33 | 37 | 43 | 51 | 60 | 64 | 62 | 59 | 49 | 40 | 33 |
| Precip in | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1991–2020 averages from the nearest NOAA station, 0.8 mi away — not measured at the facility itself, and elevation can make a real difference over that distance.
Map
Fees and stay limits
Group site fees are as follows: up to 50 persons $95; 51-90 persons $130; 91-120 persons $150 per day.
From Recreation.gov, which is not always current. The operator's own page is the authority on what you will be charged.
More photos
Member photos
Common questions about Rose Canyon
- Can you reserve a site at Rose Canyon?
- Yes, Rose Canyon is reservable through Recreation.gov.
- How many campsites does Rose Canyon have?
- 77 sites in total, of which 32 can be booked.
- Are pets allowed at Rose Canyon?
- Yes, pets are allowed at Rose Canyon.
- Are campfires allowed at Rose Canyon?
- Campfires are allowed at Rose Canyon. Check for a current fire restriction before you go.
Camping near Rose Canyon
- Sollers Cabin (AZ) 1.3 mi · Campground · we watch it
- Palisades Ranger Residence Cabin 1.7 mi · Campground · we watch it
- Showers Point Group Site 1.9 mi · Campground · we watch it
- Whitetail Campground 2.7 mi · Campground · we watch it
- Molino 4.2 mi · Campground · we watch it
- Sabino Canyon Recreation Area Cactus Ramada 2 9 mi · Campground · we watch it
- Sabino Canyon Recreation Area Cactus Ramada 1 9 mi · Campground · we watch it
- Rose Canyon Campground 0.8 mi · Campground
- General Hitchcock Campground 1.2 mi · Campground
- Palisades Visitor Center 1.7 mi · Facility
- Spencer Canyon Campground 3.2 mi · Campground
- Gordon Hirabayashi Campground 4.2 mi · Campground
Contact
- Phone 520-576-1477
- Book Recreation.gov
Recreation.gov last updated this record on 2026-03-11.
Facility information and photographs from Recreation.gov (RIDB). SpotOpened is not affiliated with Recreation.gov or any federal agency.
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