Woods Canyon Lake Group
October 2026
About
Overview
Woods Canyon Lake Group Area is located in north central Arizona near the community of Forest Lakes. The camp is adjacent to popular Woods Canyon Lake and situated in thick pine forests, providing a great getaway for large groups of up to 100 people. It offers plenty of activities for anglers, boaters, hikers, families and photographers.
Recreation
Woods Canyon Lake is one of seven lakes in the Rim Lakes Recreation Area, and one of the most visited. Trout fishing (both lake and stream) is a favorite pastime. Woods Canyon Lake only allows electric boat motors. Two other lakes are within a short drive.
The Rim Lakes Vista Trail, less than a mile from the campground, and others in the area lead to spectacular views of the Mogollon Rim. An easy hiking trail meanders around the lake, and the paved roads in the recreation area make for great afternoon bike rides.
Families might also enjoy attending educational programs given by Forest Service rangers on the weekends.
Facilities
The group camping area is primitive but convenient to the lake. Vault toilets and drinking water are provided. The facility can comfortably accommodate 70 people, though the maximum is 100.
Natural Features
Woods Canyon Lake is surrounded by a dense forest of pine, fir, oak and aspen, and sits at an elevation of 7,000 feet. Hikers who venture onto nearby trails are afforded expansive views of the land beneath the Mogollon Rim. The Mogollon Rim, pronounced by locals as "muggy-own," is a 200-mile long cliff in northern Arizona that ranges between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation and serves as the geographical dividing line between the cool high country above and the hot, dry desert below.
Summer temperatures can be very pleasant because of the elevation. However, the rainy season often brings afternoon thunderstorms from late June through August. Visitors should come prepared for rain and cool nighttime temperatures.
Wildlife viewing includes birds, squirrels, deer and elk. Deer, skunks and bears are common campground visitors.
Nearby Attractions
The nearest full service community is Payson, Arizona, 35 miles west on Highway 260.
Visitors can explore endless vistas and take part in many outdoor activities in the surrounding Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, which encompasses 2 million acres of magnificent mountain country in east-central Arizona and New Mexico.
Contact Info
For facility specific information, please call (928) 535-0181.
Amenities
Is Woods Canyon Lake Group fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches Woods Canyon Lake Group in AZ for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification — and on Recreation.gov we can put the site straight into your cart, so it is held while you get to your phone.
Searching is free and needs no account — the calendar above is live right now. Watching Woods Canyon Lake Group for cancellations is the paid part.