Coon Bluff Campground - Getting Ready for 2023 Kayaking Season
Details
## • What we'll do
You're invited to attend the 1st camping trip of 2023. We will be camping at the Coon Bluff Campground on the Lower Salt River in Mesa, Arizona. The campground this very close to Phoenix and a great place to go kayaking and take pictures of the wild herd of horses that frequents this location.
We usually camp near the parking lot and the bathrooms. Enter these GPS coordinates: 33.547102, -111.646331 into any smartphone so Google Maps can provide you with exact driving directions from your location.
When you arrive. Look for a guy wearing a hunters orange baseball cap. That will be me, Robert, the group organizer. Just look for the biggest group of people camping there and that will be us.
Every year, we pause our kayaking trips when it gets too cold to camp in the mountains. We get a lot of members that join during the winter months so they don't really have a chance to come out and meet us.
So we do some campouts that are close to town so that newbies can come out and meet our core members before our longer trips that will be held in the mountains along the Mogollon Rim, Flagstaff, and the White Mountains when temps rise above 110 degrees in the valley.
At a minimum, please try to bring two bundles of wood, a camping chair to sit around the campfire, an ice chest full of food and water, beer, soft drinks. To cook and eat, bring cookware, utensils, dishes/silverware, etc. And for a place to sleep, bring a tent, warm sleeping bag, hammock or an RV. This place has plenty of room for RVs to park.
Even more important checklist items are two bundles of firewood and a Tonto Parking Pass, which can be purchased at most QuickTrips in Mesa, which are on the way. Lots of wood makes a great campfire and no parking tickets will make this a perfect trip for beginning and experienced campers.
## Possible Activities to Enjoy:
· Nestled against a steep hill along the Salt River this stand of mesquite creates a lush, shaded environment that is a wildlife and bird watchers dream come true, even wild horses may thunder thru.
· Popular River Access Point for kayaking, tubing and fishing. In Feb the water is usually very low, which is why the horses are there. Because they like to eat the river grass.
· Kayaks can be rented if we have 10 paying customers that need to rent one. Anyone interested contact me and I’ll manage the details. Most of us have our own kayaks. If you have a kayak or SUP, bring it. But the water will be freezing cold.
· Rolls OHV, to the north of Saguaro Lake is nearby, if you want to bring your ATVs, jeeps or rock crawlers.
· There are also horses for rent near the dam nearby if you'd like to take a horse ride through the desert during this very nice time of year.
## Some Important Campground Rules
Dogs, kids, and alcohol are allowed, But neither dogs nor children nor adults should bite or make trouble. If anyone becomes loud and obnoxious after drinking they will be gagged, duck taped to a tree and not invited to further trips. hehehe. This is a rare problem in our group, but we want the policy to be clear for anyone that doesn't like duck tape.
## • What to bring
Everything you need to be basically self-sufficient. Even though we are so close to town this weekend. At a minimum, please bring two bundles of firewood, an ice chest full of food and water/drinks, cookware, cooking utensils, dishes/silverware; a tent, warm sleeping bag, hammock or an RV, this place has plenty of room to park small RVs and pop up campers.
## • Important to know
You need a minimum of a Tonto Daily Pass for $8/day or Tonto Discovery Pass, which can be purchased at most QuickTrips in Mesa. There are no self-pay kiosks at this campground. Fines are stiff for those who don’t comply.
Here is the USFS link for info on where to buy the Tonto Forest day passes.