Campground · Saguaro National Park
A five-mile hike leads to a camp in the Rincon 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
Spud Rock Spring Campground is a three-site, hike-in wilderness campground in the Rincon Mountains, on Saguaro's east side. Pine and aspen cover and east-facing views make this a very different overnight from the park's lower desert stops. It's one of the park's six designated backcountry campgrounds, and the most isolated of them. Go for a quiet forest camp if you're ready for a real backpacking approach; you can't drive to the sites. Reservations and permits are required.
Plan on about five miles on foot from Turkey Creek Trailhead. Official listings give five and 5.3 miles, so treat the distance as approximate. The trailhead road is rough and calls for a lifted 4WD vehicle; after rain it can turn muddy and treacherous. Add that drive to the hike when deciding whether this camp fits your trip.
The three sites sit among pines and aspens, with exceptional views to the east. Site 3 is described as the smallest and most secluded, with a four-person limit and a stone fire ring. It has no bear box of its own, but its listing says campers can use boxes at the other sites; check the capacity for whichever site you reserve. Campers report a shared pit toilet at the campground.
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
ChallengingFire Loop Trail4.9 mi · 4 hr · 1.3 mi awayA pine forest circuit with a windy view back to Tucson
ModerateDevil's Bathtub Trail3.4 mi · 3 hr · 1.3 mi awayA remote 3.4-mile camp-based out-and-back to a small waterfall.
ModerateSpud Rock Loop from Manning Camp2.5 mi · 2 hr · 1.4 mi awayA compact high-country loop to a signed rock overlook.
ModerateNorth Slope Trail2.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.7 mi awayA remote high-country link between Italian Spring and Cowhead Saddle.
ChallengingTurkey Creek Trail #349.2 mi · 6.5 hr · 3.5 mi awayA rugged climb from desert grassland into Rincon high country.
ChallengingHeartbreak Ridge Trail5.7 mi · 5.5 hr · 3.8 mi awayA remote ridge climb from Happy Valley Saddle to Fire Loop.
ChallengingRincon Creek Trail14.8 mi · 12.5 hr · 3.8 mi awayA remote 14.8-mile backtrack, plus a 3.9-mile approach each way.
ChallengingCowhead Saddle Trail4 mi · 4.5 hr · 4 mi awayFour miles of steep climbing into Saguaro's cool pine backcountry.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayMica MountainA high, wooded summit reached by a serious backcountry hike.
Campground · 1.3 mi awayManning CampA wilderness camp reached after a serious climb into the pines.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayManning CabinThe cabin’s 1905 piano arrived by an 11-mile wagon road.
Campground · 3.6 mi awayHappy Valley Saddle CampgroundA long climb leads to a small, three-site wilderness camp.
Campground · 3.8 mi awayGrass Shack CampgroundAn oak-shaded creek camp after a long climb into the Rincons.
Campground · 4.7 mi awayDouglas Spring CampgroundThe lowest wilderness camp still means a 6.5-mile uphill hike.Parkwolf’s Saguaro ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
