Groom Creek Horse Camp

Equestrian campers will find Groom Creek Horse Camp seven miles south of Prescott, Arizona at an elevation of 6,398 feet. The ponderosa pine setting, nearby trails and limited equestrian camping opportunities make this a popular destination. Each campsite has a steel corral enclosure and an overhead tether line that accommodates two to four horses. Groom Creek is intended for equestrian users only — campers without horses will be turned away. Three trails are in close proximity. Horse Camp Loop Trail 383 (2 miles) is accessed from Loop C, across from the group site, or at the campground's entrance. Wolf Creek Loop Trail 384 (5 miles) is accessed from Horse Camp Loop Trail 383 and from Forest Service Road C101. Groom Creek Loop Trail 307 (9 miles) is accessed from the trailhead across from the entrance to Horse Camp. These trails are shared with other users including mountain bikers and hikers, and off-highway vehicle use occurs on designated roads and trails. Horse Camp has two reservable loops (Loops B and C) and one first-come, first-serve loop (Loop A). Each of the 30 campsites in Loops B and C has a picnic table, steel fire ring, 16'x16' steel corral and an overhead tether line. Of those 30, 27 campsite driveways are pull-through and three are back-in, all with packed gravel surfacing; the internal access roads are also packed gravel. Four vault toilets, five trash dumpsters and six water faucets service the campground, and nearly all water faucets are located at a vault toilet. Facilities are not accessible for persons with disabilities. Group sites are located in Loop B and Loop C. The Loop B group site has six picnic tables, five pedestal fire grills, one group fire ring and limited parking for a maximum of two vehicles; trailers cannot be accommodated. The Loop C group site has a steel ramada with six picnic tables, a ramada-covered cooking area with two triple cooking surface fire pedestal grills, a water faucet, one large and one small steel fire ring, an overhead tether line, a 16'x16' steel corral and limited parking for a maximum of two vehicles. Horse Camp occupies an area dominated by ponderosa pine mixed with alligator juniper, oak species and a variety of forbs and native grasses. Colorful wildflowers bloom in the spring and during the summer monsoon seasons, and visitors may see deer, mountain lion, bobcat, coyotes, fox, rabbits, lizards, snakes and birds. Prescott is a 15 minute drive away, with arts, crafts and music festivals scheduled throughout the summer, and Goldwater Lake, managed by the City of Prescott, is within minutes of Horse Camp.