Reef Townsite Campground

About

This high mountain campground, once the mining town of Reef, offers 16 campsites, as well as a reservable group site. That remote outpost got its name from the nearby Carr Reef, a tall band of quartzite-bearing cliffs that form the Huachuca Mountains' dramatic eastern front. Mining activity along the Reef began during the last few years of the nineteenth century and proceeded in fits and starts all the way into the 1950s. The property occupied by the mines and the town was returned to public ownership in 1970, and in 1988, the Forest Service constructed a campground on the townsite. A number of picnic tables and tent pads were placed within the visible outlines of old cabin foundations. Many relics of Reef's mining history, including the remains of the town's old water system and miscellaneous features, are still visible in and around the campground. Evidence of old mining digs and foundations for an ore mill provide points of interest along a three-quarter-mile interpretive trail which begins and ends at the northeastern end of the campground. Garbage bins available. Black bears in area.

Around this stay

Nearest surrounding services and recreation within ~25 mi — not on-site amenities.

• fuel station

  Canyon General

  2.6 mi

• propane

  AmeriGas Propane

  5.5 mi

• potable water

  Potable water

  0.9 mi

• trailhead

  Carr Peak Trailhead

  < 0.1 mi

• attraction

  Carr Canyon Waterfall

  0.5 mi

• recreation site

  Carr Canyon Picnic Site

  1.4 mi

No dump station found within ~25 mi. Plan dump access before you arrive.

Forest road access near this stay: TOWNSITE in Coronado National Forest. Motorhome access is listed as open on the nearest MVUM segment — verify current restrictions.

Contact & access

• AZ
• fs.usda.gov
• OPEN