Catalina State Park, Tucson AZ

Catalina State Park is a beautiful location for hiking and enjoying the desert. The facilities are all in really good shape.

If you are looking got a place to hike with the family in Oro valley Arizona. This is your place. Safe and family friendly.

Review of campground (site B-11) :
Wow.
Gorgeous backdrop (Mt Lemmon) and our own saguaro - at least we claimed it as our own)
Spacious spots length-wise, and the sites are moderately spaced apart. Very little shade (what do you expect in Arizona?) Very nice bathhouse - clean, hot showers.
The location reminded us of coming out of Great Smoky Mtns NP into Gatlinburg: one moment you are in the wilderness and BOOM - here comes "civilization". It's handy to have a Walmart etc.etc.right across the street, but.
Despite being so close to the road, we heard no road noise.
On our 24 day trip (Atlanta to Arizona) this was our favorite campground.
Paved sites; little to no shade
Tip: Of course see Saguaro National Park, east and west. And drive up to Mt Lemmon (but bring a jacket. Tucson was in the 90s and we ate a picnic near the summit, where it was 64).

Cute little park with nice well maintained trails for any beginner. The one intermediate trail is closed for the year (Romero Pools). It’s doesn’t take much to hike all the trails. It is quiet and pretty. Do you research though, because the lady at the desk will not help you. She didn’t know anything about any of the parks and said I should look it up on line. Fair enough, I was just hoping someone working there would have basic information. It’s tough coming out of a pandemic and just being told that the park employees know nothing about the park. Visit, do not waste money on the state park pass unless you plan to visit other parks. You’ll see everything there in a day, but would be nice to go if you live close by. Also, dog friendly. But, people do not clean up after their dogs there.

Did not care for their campground. Packed in like a can of sardines. Needs dedicated tent only campground site so you don't have to listen to the camper next to you run all night. Paths to bath house and rest rooms could use some lights. Bath houses very poorly lit.upgrade with LED lighting. Thought the $30 per night plus the $5 registration fee was too much for what this park had to offer. Hiking trails were okay but could have used more signage showing howmiles, names of vegetation, etc.

Scenery: Stunning. Campsite: Stunning. Bathrooms: Stunning. Bike/hike/horse trails: Stunning. Proximity to town: Easy. Five stars. Just prefer for a cooler climate than Tucson proper as we learned the cold air moves down off the mountain at night making a 15-degree sleeping bad necessary in early March.

2nd time staying here. The camp hosts are helpful and friendly and keep the park in pristine condition.
The campsite itself is nestled at the foot of the Catalina's, and the scenery is beautiful. Great sunsets.
Wish we had time to stay more than one night, but hopefully we'll be back.

This place blows. After paying admission, I see signs "campground full. " Love thy neighbor- they are practically on your campsite anyway

The ringtail campground is an oversized parking lot with parking spots around the sides that are called “campsites. ” You are right on top of your neighbors with absolutely nothing between you, just a fire ring and a metal picnic table directly behind your parking spot. And the camp host was incredibly rude.

Very well maintained park with lots of trails. As of 2/14/2021 a vast area is burnt down though. The park has a junior ranger program available for 6-12 yr olds.

Extensive trails allow for a nice wintertime hike. Scenic although Romero Canyon was closed during my visit due to the fire. Make sure to visit Romero Ruins to see a historic Hohokam village.

Really cool place to walk. We saw a roadrunner. Bathrooms are available and decently clean. Not too crowded. Please be considerate and leash your dog and clean up its poop.

A must see! There are so many trails of all lengths and difficulties. We did the Nature Trail, which had informational signs along the route. The views are awesome. I could spend a lot of time here exploring. FYI - it costs $7 to purchase a vehicle pass for the day but it is 100% worth it.

We camped here over a weekend in a 30' travel trailer at the B loop in a back-in spot, which was plenty long for the trailer and truck. They're all angled, so backing in was simple. Check-in was a breeze and the folks at the ranger stations are all very friendly and eager to answer questions. The spots in B loop are spaced far apart with trees between for added privacy. They are water/electric only, but there are dump stations at the front of the park and loops. The bathrooms are super clean and there is a cool "Give a book, Get a book" library by the vending machine. I wish more campgrounds did this! The B loop was full, but quiet, and everybody there was quick to wave hello. The site is surrounded by mountains which makes for some amazing sunrises/sunsets. There are a lot of hiking trails nearby, and horses as well. All in all, we were impressed and will definitely be back.

We hiked the 2 mile loop and it was amazing! The scenery was so relaxing. Don’t forget sunblock though because there’s not much shade.

We camped at the Catalina state park campgrounds for 2 nights (campground B) in November and we loved it! The campsites are very well maintained with some good shade in some sites. The rest room are very well maintained and we are thankful to the staff for maintaining them clean. Beautiful views around and many trails to explore.

On a motorhome road trip from California and after traveling through the California desert, this place was a welcome change! Situated at the base of beautiful cliffs we had outstanding October weather. The spaces between campsites were generous making our dogs happy too.