Calabasas

$55.00/night

303 Old Tucson Road
Nogales, AZ 85621

Overview

Calabasas Group Campground is a place for groups of up to 250 people to enjoy scenery and privacy in a remote, natural setting. Weddings, family reunions and other social gatherings are especially popular during winter due to pleasant seasonal temperatures, yet it is open year-round.

Calabasas is situated in Coronado National Forest in southern Arizona, home to a variety of ecosystems and recreation opportunities. It is located a short distance off Ruby Road near Peña Blanca Lake, 67 miles south of Tucson and 14 miles northwest of Nogales, Arizona.

Recreation

A major attraction at Calabasas Group Site is nearby Peña Blanca Lake. The 45-acre, man-made lake provides birding, boating and fishing opportunities year-round. Anglers can try for rainbow trout, bass, sunfish, crappie and catfish.

Groups also enjoy picnicking in the camping area, hiking or mountain biking on area trails or visiting historic sites.

Facilities

The camping area can be reserved by one group at a time. Facilities at Calabasas include 14 tables, 12 campfire rings with grills, three pedestal barbecue grills, benches, a parking area and toilets. The site is spread out, so there is enough space to set up additional tables and facilities.

There is no drinking water available; visitors must bring their own.

Natural Features

Campsites within the group area are spread out among a stand of oak trees within a shallow, grassy valley. A few well-worn pathways lead to low hilltops in the area where visitors will find good views of the surrounding valleys and mountains. Calabasas sits at an elevation of 4,000 feet.

The Coronado National Forest covers 1.78 million acres of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Elevations range from 3,000 to 10,720 feet in 12 widely scattered mountain ranges or "sky islands" that rise dramatically from the desert floor, supporting plant communities as biologically diverse as those encountered on a trip from Mexico to Canada.

Nearby Attractions

Visitors can take an educational day trip to Tumacácori National Historical Park, which protects three Spanish colonial mission ruins, and Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, which preserves the ruins of the oldest Spanish Presidio site in Arizona. The border town, Nogales, is also close by.

Tumacácori National Historical Park

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

Pets allowed: all 1 sites
Group sites: all 1 sites
Longest RV: 22 ft
Largest party: 250 people

Directions

From Tucson, Arizona, take I-19 south for about 56 miles. Exit onto AZ 289 (Exit 12). Turn right (west) onto AZ Highway 289 (Ruby Road) and continue to the Pe Blanca Recreational Area. From Nogales, Arizona, take I-19 north for about 4.4 miles. Exit onto AZ 289 (Exit 12). Turn left (west) onto AZ Highway 289 (Ruby Road) and continue to the Pena Blanca Recreational Area.

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 1 PM.

Reviews

11 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

Santos S

Loop:Calabasas

Site:

Reviewed 10 days ago

This time it was cleaner and well maintained, we had the trash container there which was very helpful because last year we had to take our trash. The only issue we had was that people kept coming in even if the gate was closed. Had to tell them that it was reserved and needed to leave.

Gerald L

Loop:Calabasas

Site:

Reviewed 16 days ago

This is a great spot. The forest service did a fantastic job making sure the site was clean, landscaped, and the restrooms were immaculate. The site is big and lots of room for your camp party. It was easy to find and the lake is only 5 minutes away. There is no cell service but that’s fine for us! Only part I didn’t like was the traffic. We started our stay Thursday night and were woken up at 7am Friday by the massive road grader driving through camp. Later that day the forest service stopped by to check in. Shortly after that, ICE showed up and started asking people about a vehicle they were pursuing. On Saturday night we had visitors at midnight that just drove in and sat in our camp for 30 minutes, didn’t get out of their cars. Lots of shooting in the area after sun goes down. It was nice to have the border patrol presence and I know we’re close to the border but these events were real and need to be taken into consideration before you bring your family. I was grateful we had a large group when we had the midnight visitors. I would have been more disciplined about keeping the entrance gate closed if I know there would have been this many random people. This is not a reflection on the forest service, just the inherent nature of this camp.

James H

Loop:Calabasas

Site:

Reviewed 7 months ago

Calabasas is a good large group site. It has nice flat areas for a good amount of tents and it’s got good tree coverage in a lot of space. Good fire pits and tables around. The only downside is there is no water at all there so you need to bring your own.

Margaret N

Loop:Calabasas

Site:

Reviewed 8 months ago

Our group had a wonderful weekend. The fire pits and grill had been cleaned and were in great shape. The weeds had been chopped down making it easy to move around. The restroom was in good shape. We have reserved it again in October. Great place for the money. Great job to the forest service who did the work.

Ira C

Loop:Calabasas

Site:

Reviewed a year ago

We annually have a small RV group outing at this site and enjoy it very much. If you like getting away from the rat race this is a great place to spent some time.

Christina S

Loop:Calabasas

Site:

Reviewed 2 years ago

Nice quiet spot with large trees and some shady areas. Large group area well maintained. Close to Pena Blanca Lake. Have stayed here twice and plan on coming back

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Reserve

Popularity: Very quiet

Busiest in November, when about 6% of guest capacity is reserved. Based on 4 years of reservations.