Are you looking for your next unforgettable camping experience? If the answer is yes, you might want to look into the mesmerizing Verde Valley RV & Camping Resort.
As the name implies, you can either camp there or come with your RV – and make your experience just the way you like it.
Without any further ado, here’s everything you should know about the camping experience in Verde Valley.
Camping in Camp Verde
The Verde Valley RV & Camping Resort is in Verde Valley, Arizona. The valley equals “Mark’amvaha” in the Yavapai language. It has a surface of about 714 square miles (1,849.3 sq km), and the River Verde crosses it.
Visitors or foreigners will find the Verde Valley north of Phoenix’s metropolitan area, at a distance of about 100 miles (160.9 km).
All About Verde Valley RV & Camping Resort
Driving from Camp Verde on Route 260 will take you to E. Thousand Trails Road, Cottonwood, between Route 260 and the Verde River. You’ll find the RV & Camping Resort in one of the spots where the road and the river almost meet – you can’t miss it if you explore the Thousand Trails of Verde Valley.
At your destination, you will find a total of 11 RV resorts and camping areas that are open all year round. The resort sits on a 121.4-hectare (300-acre) surface, and its surroundings feature the best of Arizona – high desert landscape, the Red Rocks, the Mingus Mountains, the Hackberry Mountains, and the Alcantara Vineyards.
If you’re the type to love exploring and discovering your stay’s surroundings, the Verde Valley RV & Camping Resort will not disappoint!
It is, after all, one of the top luxury RV resorts in Arizona.
The resort hosts the usual permanent residents who are reportedly always extremely welcoming of guests and those who will be visiting the area for a couple of days or even months.
There are plenty of amenities within the resort that you can enjoy with your family, friends, or with other visitors of the resort.
How is the resort organized?
The resort comprises 12 sections (a total of 166 RV sites), according to the type of space they provide, as follows:
- A river view back-in section located right next to the Verde River.
- A wooded premium back-in section.
- A wooded premium pull-thru section, located a bit farther away from the river bank.
- A wooded deluxe back-in section, with slots scattered throughout the resort – from the entry all the way close to the river.
- A mountain view premium back-in section located on the west side of the resort.
- A deluxe pull-thru crossing the middle section of the resort.
- A deluxe back-in section that has the most slots available and is scattered throughout the resort.
- A standard pull-thru section, with a total of seven slots.
- A standard back-in section, with slots scattered throughout the resort.
- A 1-bedroom cottage section, with a total of five slots located next to the river.
- A 2-bedroom cottage section, with eight slots – four to the west and four in the middle.
In short, you won’t be missing anything at this resort! The cottages are pretty close to overflow parking designated spaces. At the same time, the inner roads of the resort are not complicated and provide an easy way out for any RV section.
Besides the sections mentioned above, the Verde Valley RV & Camping Resort also features a clubhouse, pool, spa, bathhouse, playground, fire pit, dog park, mini-golf course, pickleball courts, and a recreation building about which we’ll talk more shortly.
What Is There to Do at the Resort?
The Verde Valley RV & Camping resort provides you with heaps of fun and exciting experiences, to say the least. You’ll find below what you can do specifically within the resort’s grounds.
This section discusses all the local attractions and activities that you can partake in while visiting the amazing Verde Valley!
Explore the Wilderness on the Verde Canyon Railroad
The Verde Canyon Railroad lets you board an actual train and discover the wilderness of Arizona. It’s a 20-mile (51.8 km) run (the longest-running nature show in the area) that introduces people to the terrain and landscape of the site, but especially to the free-roaming wildlife.
You need to drive through Cottonwood-Verde village and get to Clarkdale to be able to get aboard the Verde Canyon Railroad. Luckily for explorers, route 89A from Clarkdale leads right across Woodchute Mountain, so you can get a close glimpse of its surroundings as well.
Prepare for Adventure Tours on the Verde River
In the desert town of Sedona, you can prepare for an adventure on the Verde River. All you have to do is rent a “ducky” and set sail on the only “wild & scenic river in Arizona.” The adventure tours will introduce you to wildlife, lakeside forests, and incredible canyons.
You can book and start the Adventure Tours from Cottonwood-Verde village. As small as it is, the village features several hiking trails.
Meet Ferocious Wildlife in the “Out of Africa” Park
Even though you’re in an Arizona RV park, you can still enjoy the exhilarating experience of an African Safari. The “Out of Africa” Wildlife Park is home to tigers, lions, giraffes, and even zebras – you can see all of them during the “authentic African Safari” available.
If the safari is not your cup of tea, the park often prepares unrehearsed shows, such as Predator Feed and Tiger Splash.
The “Out of Africa” Wildlife Park is opposite Cottonwood-Verde village, towards Camp Verde. It’s only a 15-minute ride from the Verde Ranch RV & Camping Resort. If that’s too far, you can stay at Verde Ranch RV Resort when you plan to explore this park.
Explore the Red Rocks State Park
Outside Sedona, you can find the Red Rocks State Park. It is a red sandstone canyon filled with lush vegetation most of the time.
You can access the park only during the day, as the administration tries to limit public access – the park’s goal is to preserve the riparian habitat it hosts.
The Resort’s Amenities
In terms of amenities, there are too many to fit in a single category. As such, you have campground amenities, RV site amenities, cottage amenities, and amenities available property-wide.
Campground Amenities
Within Camp Verde campgrounds, visitors can enjoy free WiFi and cable TV, first and foremost. Then, exploring the rest of the resort will introduce you to a store, a recreational center, a clubhouse, several private bath suites with showers and private saunas, two launderettes, and a fitness center.
All these are fully equipped and always ready (and maintained) for the resort’s visitors.
RV Site Amenities
The RV-designated area comprises 166 RV sites, each equipped with 20, 30, and 50 Amp services. Just as within the campground, you can enjoy free WiFi and cable TV here. Large RVs have special sites built for them (big rig friendly), while the back-in and pull-thru sites are up to 150 inches (381 cm) long.
You don’t have to worry about your RV’s characteristics, such as size and weight – this resort can fit any model.
Cottage Amenities
Each of the resort’s cottages features a fully equipped kitchen, a lovely dining area, and a living room with TVs, as well as a large deck with all the required accessories (chairs, an umbrella, and a table).
There are 25 handcrafted cottages available. Even though they have simple decorations, they are charming!
Property Amenities
The property-wide amenities are those mentioned above in the resort sections and organization – pickleball courts, billiards, a clubhouse, river access, a basketball court, arts & crafts, a lounge area, and so on. All of these are open to all guests and visitors.
The interesting bit about all these amenities is that there are daily planned activities focused on the social aspect of each leisure area within the resort – social pickleball, social hour, social billiards, and so on.
Other Useful Info
If the details above made you say yes to a weekend getaway in the Verde River RV Resort, here are some other things you should know before heading there:
- There’s very little to no cell reception there – guests reported having cell reception only in certain areas, so we recommend advised to rely on the free WiFi available throughout the resort for calls and whatnot.
- The resort does not assign sites. Instead, you’ll drive your RV around, and when you find an ideal spot, you simply park and unpack. This can be a tedious if you have specific preferences or the resort is crowded.
- River access might not be what you expect – due to the popularity of this resort and its location, the river bank it sits on might be too crowded for you to enjoy the river. In this case, we recommend you to explore the surroundings, especially the upper and lower river portions.
- RV and campsites could use more shade – according to some visitors, there’s not enough shade in some sites, an aspect that’s definitely important, given the heat of Arizona.
- The resort’s permanent residents are always willing to help – even if this is your first RV trip and you have a difficult time setting things up, you can count on the permanent residents at the Verde Valley RV & Camping Resort.
- Prepare for strict and low-speed limits – inside the resort, the maximum speed is 5 mph (8 km/h). Uphill and downhill from the resort, on the E. Thousand Trail Road, the limit is 10 mph (16 km/h), and the resort’s security strictly enforces it.
- There are more hiking trails than advertised – if you love hiking, Verde Valley is the ideal spot.
- There’s no cramping within the resort – unlike other resorts, Camp Verde RV Resort doesn’t cramp visitors; there’s more than enough space for everybody, and the administration designed each site to keep things that way.
If the information above is not enough, the online reviews for this resort should do the trick. Tripadvisor rates Verde Valley RV & Camping Resort with 4.5 stars out of 5 – ideal, right?! According to many visitors, it is one of the best spots for camping in Camp Verde! It is definitely worth a visit!
Recap
The Verde Valley RV & Camping Resort is a hotspot in the desert of Arizona. Camp Verde RV Park is probably one of the best camping experiences in this part of the US – 166 RV sites, tent sites, and a property filled to the brim with amenities and activities!
Besides the plethora of amenities and activities mentioned above, the resort itself is quite close to Cottonwood but even closer to other interesting places to visit.
You can visit the Horseback Wine Country, the Alcantara Vineyards and Winery, or the Bignotti Picnic Site if you fancy a picnic on the river’s shore.
Moreover, if you’ve packed your pole with you, you can find the Black Canyon Fishing Site up the river. You can stop here for a “good catch” while your friends or family can explore the “The View” trail.