Agency-listedUSFSFree
Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · AZ · 34.40557, -111.00754
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 7,744 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Bear Canyon Lake and Camping AreaNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area · Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests · AZ
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery6 mi
- WWater6 mi
- DDump6 mi
- ShShower12 mi
- @Mail13 mi
- FFuel14 mi
- HHardware20 mi
- +Urgent care21 mi
- EVEV fast charger21 mi
- RxPharmacy21 mi
- MMechanic24 mi
- AAir-up24 mi
- LLaundry44 mi
- OOutfitter53 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
7,744 ft
State
AZ
Coordinates
34.40557, -111.00754
Cost
Free · dispersed public land, no fee in any source
Nearby & resupply — around Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area · Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests · AZ (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBear Canyon Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townMountain Meadows · ~5.2 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~6.3 mi
- FuelFuel · ~14.2 mi
- Propane / LPGPinnacle Propane · ~24.5 mi
- Dump station~6.5 mi
- GroceriesWoods Canyon Store · ~6.1 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~21.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicCamp Geronimo health lodge · ~20.8 mi
- HardwareHarbor Freight Tools · ~21.0 mi
EV charging — from Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area · Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests · AZ — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger21.0 mi straight-line SW — APS - Payson (Payson, AZ) · Electrify America · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 5 within 50 · 116 within 100 · 160 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)21.2 mi — Payson, AZ - Tesla Supercharger, Payson
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO47.3 mi — Walmart 1328 (Winslow, AZ), Winslow
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)46.1 mi — LA POSADA HOTEL LA POSADA, Winslow, AZ · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 238674 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area · Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests · AZ — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBear Canyon Lake Campground · at this camp · USFS
- RestroomMallard Trailhead · ~0.2 mi E · USFS
- RestroomMerganser Trailhead · ~0.4 mi SE · USFS
- RestroomTwo-O-Eight Trailhead · ~1.2 mi S · USFS
Open Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area elsewhere
Other camps near Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Forest Road 84 Camping Area~2.2 mi
- Promontory Pit Road~2.2 mi
- Promontory Pit Road Campground~2.3 mi
- Forest Road 9354 Camping Area~2.7 mi
The unit that manages Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area are set by Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area
Source
OpenStreetMap contributors
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
auto: drive (road/trail right there)
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Bear Canyon Lake and Camping Area
When the high country opens →Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →Leave no trace →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →