Campground · Saguaro National Park
A wilderness camp reached after a serious climb into the pines.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Saguaro Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Saguaro National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Saguaro audio tour“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Manning Camp is a designated wilderness campground in Saguaro’s Rincon Mountains, reachable only on foot. Six campsites sit among ponderosa pines at about 7,900 feet. Plan this as a strenuous overnight backpack, not a quick detour; reservations and a backcountry permit are required. The approach depends on your trailhead, and published mileage and elevation-gain figures don’t line up, so confirm your chosen route before committing.
The pine forest is a striking change from cactus country below. Visitors repeatedly describe the camp as quiet and worth the climb. There are vault toilets and food-storage lockers, but no camp store, so carry your food in. Nights are typically below 40°F into late spring, and weather here can be very different from Tucson’s valley.
Former Tucson mayor Levi Manning built the cabin here in 1905 as his family’s summer home. It now supports park administration and research, so treat it as a historic feature rather than public indoor shelter. A spring is nearby, but check current water reports before relying on it. Carry at least a gallon of water per person per day and treat surface water; the cabin tap isn’t for public use.
Wildlife
19 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
56 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
266 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
113 sightingsCollared PeccaryMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
53 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
127 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Saguaro. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateSpud Rock Loop from Manning Camp2.5 mi · 2 hr · At the trailheadA compact high-country loop to a signed rock overlook.
ChallengingFire Loop Trail4.9 mi · 4 hr · 0.1 mi awayA pine forest circuit with a windy view back to Tucson
ModerateDevil's Bathtub Trail3.4 mi · 3 hr · 0.1 mi awayA remote 3.4-mile camp-based out-and-back to a small waterfall.
ModerateNorth Slope Trail2.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayA remote high-country link between Italian Spring and Cowhead Saddle.
ChallengingCowhead Saddle Trail4 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.7 mi awayFour miles of steep climbing into Saguaro's cool pine backcountry.
ChallengingHeartbreak Ridge Trail5.7 mi · 5.5 hr · 4.4 mi awayA remote ridge climb from Happy Valley Saddle to Fire Loop.
ChallengingRincon Creek Trail14.8 mi · 12.5 hr · 4.4 mi awayA remote 14.8-mile backtrack, plus a 3.9-mile approach each way.
ChallengingTurkey Creek Trail #349.2 mi · 6.5 hr · 4.7 mi awayA rugged climb from desert grassland into Rincon high country.
Sight · At the trailheadManning CabinThe cabin’s 1905 piano arrived by an 11-mile wagon road.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayMica MountainA high, wooded summit reached by a serious backcountry hike.
Campground · 1.3 mi awaySpud Rock Spring CampgroundA five-mile hike leads to a camp in the Rincon pines.
Campground · 2.8 mi awayGrass Shack CampgroundAn oak-shaded creek camp after a long climb into the Rincons.
Campground · 3.4 mi awayDouglas Spring CampgroundThe lowest wilderness camp still means a 6.5-mile uphill hike.
Campground · 4.3 mi awayHappy Valley Saddle CampgroundA long climb leads to a small, three-site wilderness camp.
Sight · 4.6 mi awayTanque Verde PeakA rugged summit above Tucson rewards a very long ridge hike.Parkwolf’s Saguaro ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
