Jones Water Campground, Tonto Natl. Forest, USFS

Jones Water Campground is a no-charge location. When searching for this site I found another’s review stated this was a very poor location. I disagree that it is poor. The campground’s roads are not the best and the sites are not fancy – but it is FREE.

Located off of AZ Highway 60 about 18 miles north of Globe, Jones Water is in a draw that has a sickly stream running through the middle. At one point some effort was put into the place as there are concrete picnic tables, some stone walls and fire rings. The pit toilets are newer buildings. The sites are not near level, though I’ve paid at locations that have worse, and it is just off the road so you can hear vehicles.

You can see and hear AZ Highway 60 – note the guardrail.

The campground’s main road goes along the stream to a fairly large turnaround where there is a pit toilet and information board.

The main campground road leading to the turnaround.

Pit toilet at the turnaround.

Driving past ‘the turnaround area’ there are a couple of sites up and around the bend (if you have a trailer I don’t recommend continuing). The sites are not all that level for a truck camper, but adequate for tents. In this spur there is a second pit toilet.

When entering the campground there is a spur road to the left that crosses the stream. Not a road to take a low-clearance vehicle. There are sites along this spur but NO good turnaround – my Tundra was almost to big and there are are couple of places the camper’s roof just cleared low trees.

The spur heading cross the dry stream.

Rutted spur road – not recommended for low clearance vehicles.

This is the spur I camped on as the site I choose was just big enough to fit the truck and just level enough – after getting out the  Lynx Levelers. I liked this location as it is surrounded by trees that block the view of the campground’s main road.

Can you see the camper through the brush?

This site didn’t require to many levelers.

There are a couple of locations that are not at all ‘private’ that a larger camper (not much larger than my Tundra) will fit: one is just as you come into the campground proper (500 or so feet after turning off the Highway 60); the second is up by the large turnaround.

The large campsite by the campground entrance.

I did walk around the camp and found evidence, I believe, that Jones Water was once much fancier and well maintained.  A few of the campsites at first glance seem not to have a place to put a tent, or a level parking spot. These spaces did in fact have very nice tent pads that are now overgrown.  I also found evidence in the stream of water pipes and near where I camped a torn apart drinking fountain made of stones and concrete – in the past did Jones have water?

Overall I liked Jones Water and if one wants a overnight location where ‘the price is right’ it will satisfy – as long as your rig isn’t to big!