Box Bar Recreation Area, Tonto National Forest

Mixed use site with camping options and day use amenities. Road is unpaved but it's short and no car should have any issues with it. Great place to cool of in the Verde River. Make sure to buy your Tonto pass ahead of time as it is required here. There's a kiosk about 4 miles up the road where you can purchase. Plenty of parking!

We go there often. The river is not accessible by vehicle anymore which is a pain but also necessary because people are so lazy and destructive. You have to walk to the river which is fine unless you have a lot of stuff. You can camp in the parking lot with your rig or pack all your stuff in to tent camp nearer the river. We usually just go for the day. Really pretty area, always have to pick up trash that is left behind; people are nasty. You can swim, kayak, canoe and fish there as well as hike and just relax.

This is a great hidden gem close to the Phoenix area, but away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I would suggest getting here early. We got here on a Friday around 3pm and found a great camping spot. We should've claimed a spot closer to the water, because we had to jockey for a spot the first day. We decided to hike the trail north and (after about 1 mile) we found some cool rapids. We sit and watched people tube and kayak down. Played in the water some. The next morning we ate our breakfast by the water to secure our spot by the rope swing. Several times people tried to walk right up on us with no regards to privacy. I suggest bringing a big dog along. It worked for us 😊. There are very clean Port-o-Johns and 3 dumpsters. So there's no reason whatsoever to leave your trash behind. We picked up quite a bit of trash while we were there. Pretty sad people can't enjoy something without destroying it. Still a really great place though.

It's very pretty out here. Everything is fenced so you can walk in but not drive in. Very peaceful when we went.

Day use and 14 day dry camping. You do need permits, check the Tonto National Forest website. Weekends are a Zoo and not all the visitors are polite but it's survivable. There are several trash dumpsters but some visitors choose to leave their trash on the ground, along with cigarette butts. There's a restroom next to the dumpsters and several porta potties. Short walk to the Verde River. I haven't seen the wild horses yet.

Went to this location to check it out for hiking and camping and a picnic. It was beautiful down by the River. There was some very loud music coming from a campsite that was irritating. It is hit or miss on the music issue. There are many areas by the river so you can find your own serenity. It would be a great place to meditate or fish or do photography or cool down on a warm summer day.

I love camping 🏕 there. I am a bird watcher, seeing many species of birds. The sunset is stunning. I enjoy talking and meeting travelers from all over the US. Please don't leave any trails behind. Clean up and take the trash with you to keep nature beautiful. I picked up trash that people dumped it there. There is a dumpster just 1/2 block away.