Agency-listedUSFSUnpriced · confirm
Houston Mesa Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · AZ · 34.26938, -111.31888
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 as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. 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 Houston Mesa Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 5,046 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Houston Mesa CampgroundNIFC · 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 Houston Mesa Campground · Tonto National Forest · AZ
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater0 mi
- DDump0 mi
- ShShower0 mi
- GGrocery0 mi
- FFuel0 mi
- HHardware0 mi
- EVEV fast charger2 mi
- RxPharmacy2 mi
- +Urgent care3 mi
- @Mail3 mi
- MMechanic32 mi
- LLaundry37 mi
- AAir-up38 mi
- OOutfitter48 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 0 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 — Houston Mesa Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
5,046 ft
State
AZ
Coordinates
34.26938, -111.31888
Cost
Unpriced — no source gives a price; assume it may cost something and confirm before you go
Nearby & resupply — around Houston Mesa Campground · Tonto National Forest · AZ (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureRacetrack Tank (water) · nearby
- Nearest townMesa Del Caballo · ~1.8 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~0.1 mi
- FuelMaverik · ~1.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~0.1 mi
- GroceriesHouston Mesa General Store & Fuelwoods · ~1.6 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~2.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicBanner Payson Medical Center · ~2.7 mi
- HardwareHarbor Freight Tools · ~1.9 mi
EV charging — from Houston Mesa Campground · Tonto National Forest · AZ — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger1.9 mi straight-line S — Payson, AZ - Tesla Supercharger (at a shopping center) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 9 within 50 · 133 within 100 · 169 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS2.0 mi — APS - Payson (Payson, AZ), Payson
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO55.2 mi — Walmart 5329 (Anthem, AZ), Anthem
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)36.8 mi — MOSCATO STATION2, Camp Verde, 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 117722 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Houston Mesa Campground · Tonto National Forest · AZ — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomHouston Mesa Horse · at this camp · USFS
- Flush restroomHouston Mesa Campground · at this camp · USFS
- Flush restroomHouston Mesa Group · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletFlowing Springs · ~3.0 mi NW · USFS
Open Houston Mesa Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Houston Mesa Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Flowing Springs Dispersed~3.0 mi
- Sharp Creek Group~10.1 mi
- Kehl Springs Campground~11.5 mi
- Ponderosa Campground~11.8 mi · fee
The unit that manages Houston Mesa Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Houston Mesa Campground are set by Tonto National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Houston Mesa Campground
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 Houston Mesa Campground
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 — Houston Mesa Campground
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Off-grid communication →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 →