Get new kind and happy camp hosts! We drove 2 1/2 hours. To be yelled at called stupid and have a 5 gl bucket water thrown on our fire which hit a member of group who is not physically well! We checked before we left home and fires were fine. He did it to other campers as well. I come from a fire fighting family! Well aware of the danger. The host at the entrance who took our money was his wife she yelled at us all . Including the other 6 campers who were there to complain, said we were all stupid and that she quit. Mind you not one person was being rude or yelling. I deal with people daily. I would never treat any one so harshly. I feel that we were assaulted! read more

Rose Canyon Lake - The person who got drenched by the host ! And the fire pit which is on concrete! - Fishing Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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Starting off, I'm going to recognize 'Monica E' as an incredible resource for nearly everything as a great breakdown on the intricate details of Rose Canyon Lake, so I won't capitulate on the details she provides; look up her review! There is one error I'll note with her review which is minor but important; you ARE able to reserve locations at Rose Canyon Lake. It's on numerous websites and even by calling, you can. No worries though, small detail but again, her review is amazingly full of all details that I found across three different websites and she put together for you! On a more simpler context I'll say this about Rose Canyon Lake, It's super tiny, very hilly (which I prefer!) and unfortunately the campsites are not 'near' the water. However with 70 some sites, you'll often hear someone near you because the trees deaden so much surrounding noise, you'll hear your neighbor; warning! In fact, our neighbors had to be reported on our visit in May because they were just obnoxious and atrocious with incredibly foul language - throughout the day and well past the quiet hours. Let's be honest, you come to the forest for some peace and quiet. Had we known there was a Ranger on duty throughout the night, we could've communicated that but we learned this the next day. RCL is small, beautiful with surrounding hiking and about 30 degrees cooler than Tucson. Win. Never saw the little 'Lake Store' open during our May visit but no worries nonetheless. Cell phone signal is absent in all the campsites unless you climb the hills around the lake. For at least the four phones with my group, that was the norm. You can use a canoe, ONLY if you pay extra for this. Not sure what good that is but the extra pay keeps you and other out of the water I suppose? There are also a generous amount of restroom spots throughout and some are unisex ones, most, with water spigots. You never have to go to far for a potty break so that made my daughters feel more comfortable. The wildlife surrounding is filled with humorous crows and tons and I mean TONS of squirrels of different species. The pine smell and the beautiful temps in May are a win... One final note, they make it much safer here by implanting 'bear proof' trash and campsite specific lock boxes to store all your food safely out of reach of Bears at night. This no doubt dramatically reduces interfaces thus, making it safer for continuous use as a campsite. The campsite Rangers where attentive and polite and overall, we highly recommend this location albeit secluded, no cell service and a bit on top of your neighbors. No real negatives per se except that the lake is REALLY tiny but is a reprieve nonetheless! It's a nice break from the heat of Tucson and the fresh pine smell is a win! read more

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Beautiful sites, beautiful landscapes and many of the campsites are very private! Not crowded during the week, I am sure it is on the weekend. Lake is beautiful and has some trails. This location has zero cell service but is close enough to Summerhaven where you can get service and pick up supplies and a pizza!! We love this place! read more

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What do you need to know about this camping and lake experience? A few things. LAKESIDE: The lake is small. Seriously, it would take you about 20 minutes to walk around the whole thing. Along the way you are bound to accidentally slip into a grubby, muddy part of the bank. Who speaks from experience?! The lake keeps busy, insanely busy, with people out fishing. No boating or swimming are allowed here. It will likely be hard to find a space on the lake where you won't be able to hear your neighbor talking. But from what I've seen on multiple visits, people tend to be quite cordial and respectful of the space of others. Also up the way from the lake is a glorious ramada that is available for rent to parties of up to 120 people. Otherwise, it's first come first served and is generally full of families. CAMPING: Goodness, I wish there were lakeside sites for camping. All of the campsites are located up the way from the lake. The walk down to the lake can be nice, though. You have the option of walking the windy road or finding an off-the-road trail. Of all the campsites on the mountain, Rose Canyon is at the lowest elevation -- somewhere around 7,000 feet. So it is a bit warmer, on average, than Spencer and Peppersauce. It is also busier and less remote. So, if you are looking for a quiet date with nature, this is not the spot. Rose Canyon Campround has nearly 70 campsites, which cannot be reserved in advance. And it gets busy and keeps busy. Granted, people are not stacked on top of one another. But during your stay you are bound to see and hear your neighbors: -Revving up the generator -Opening their pickup truck doors so they can have a Shania Twain singalong -Sending their rowdy kids off to play and burn off energy -Late night partying One of our neighbors even busted out with a chainsaw. A chainsaw, folks! At something like 2 in the afternoon. For what reason would you need a massive chainsaw in the middle of a campsite already cleared and when the rangers offer bundles of firewood for sale -- I have not a clue. I diverted my eyes. And there were some hardcore revelers up late. At one point, I couldn't tell if it was a boisterous group of people, or a pack of coyotes on the move. And the other important details? If you are planning a weekend getaway, come early -- preferably on Friday. If you can't make it up Friday, arrive early on Saturday. Generally, people who arrive for an overnight stay will leave before noon, so you will want to be able to snag one of those spots before the post lunch rush. The cost is $20 per night and no more than eight people are allowed at each of the numbered sites. Second vehicle per site is $9 and you can have no more than two vehicles per site, though they do not always offer two parking spots per spot. Also I hear there is a senior fee offered at $10, too. If you want to come up just to check out the lake and the sights, that will be $9. Strange thing -- that's for six people in a vehicle. If you have more than six people, the fee is $1 for each additional person. And if you bike up, it's $1. Curious. There are a few group sites as well, which go for $34 a night for a maximum of 18 people and five cars. And pets are allowed! But they must be on a leash at all times. They are serious about this. The sheriff patrols the area ever so often and you will be cited if you are not following the rules. Quiet hours are typical: 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Check out is at 3 p.m. The campsite has potable water and vault toilets. Also, each site has a fire ring, grills and tables. The sweet thing about Rose Canyon is that rangers drive around on the regular. I think I saw someone about every half hour to 45 minutes. They also try and keep the sites tidy. Max stay is 14 days. And there is an emergency host on site. Actually, I think there may be more hosts than one. Also, you are required to spend your first night at your reserved campsite and be on site at least once every 24 hour period. read more

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This stop is a MUST. Beautiful lake and views. If you get there early you might get lucky and get your own picnic area with table and grill and plenty of space for kids to run around safely. read more

Big pond or tiny lake, it is beautiful up there. Ponderosa trees surrounding the pond, supplied with fish. Temperature is much cooler at that altitude. It was very pleasant. Parking is a little ways from the water so a cart would help if you are picnicking and fishing. read more

Needs some crowd control or more lakes, but beautiful when not crowded. Has beautiful Brown trout and Rainbows. Even a nice area for handicap to fish. read more

Place was nice, rangers were helpful and friendly. Just beware, #60 is a nice spot but very far from the parking, also it is a steep hike up to get to the flat areas for a tent or 2, plus the table, bear box, etc. There are lots of restrooms and they are quite OK, as long as fellow campers follow instructions to keep the lids closed. Although we had loud neighbors, we thought #60 was private and at a reasonable distance from the nearby camps. Depending on how you set your tent you may hear the neighbors but you do not have to see them. The rangers advised us that if you get breakfast right in front of the ski lift (Iron Door I think it is called) your breakfast bill includes free tickets for the ski lift. That was a nice find since we were about to start cooking breakfast when they stopped by to check on us. Overall we liked this place very much. Most likely we will be back. read more

Well done little fishing lake. One side of lake is paved, the other side has a more rustic path. Plenty of shoreline for so many people enjoying fishing. You can climb up the surrounding ridgeline for good views or explore along the creek bed. Fishing only. No boating, canoes, kayaks, deimming. read more

Rose Canyon Lake - Fishing Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

First, Mt. Lemmon is the place to be during the Tucson summer as it is about 30 degrees cooler. I wore a sweatshirt in August! yay! Rose Canyon is probably the best campground for car camping where you can make reservations in advance (for most sites). With a total of 73 sites, it is also one of the larger campgrounds on Mt. Lemmon. We camped at site 70, which we pre-reserved. It costs $20/night plus a $9 online reservation fee. A second car is $9/day. Site 70 was the closest site to the lake, and while not completely private, it was one of the more private in black bear flats. I liked black bear flats as you were in the middle of trees for shade, in comparison to some other sites which got direct sun. Each site has fire pit, charcoal stove and bear box to keep your coolers. While this campground has toilets, they are the pit/vault toilets (no flusher). I also wish they had shower facilities. Dogs are allowed on a leash. The lake was also nice; nice to see water in AZ! However, note that you can't swim or boat in the lake, only fishing is allowed. While some maps show that there is a 1 mile hike around the lake, this is not accurate as you are unable to cross the dam at the half way point. One half is a paved trail, and the other is a more traditional rugged hiking trail. Overall, a solid option for camping, or just a day on the lake. read more

Other reviewers have covered the nitty gritty basics for the campsites, costs, amenities, etc... I feel that I can give you an honest opinion of Rose Canyon Lake in regards to angling/fishing. I've been fishing this lake for years, by myself, and with my children quite often. This is mainly a FISHING lake folks! Keep that in mind when you're planning your trip. Don't get me wrong, you can totally hang out, even do some bird watching (this is actually a excellent area for catching a glimpse of hard to find birds), but it is an "intensively managed" lake. That means that the Department of AZ Game and Fish stocks the lake on a regular basis when it's open to the public. The fish are both sub-catchable's (not eating size) and plate size (8 inches plus). Keep in mind that we're in the desert, if you like fishing, this is the only lake in the Tucson area that you can fish during June, July, and August when the community fishing program lakes are not being stocked. Guess what? That means that it's going to be really busy with people planning vacations and day trips to go fishing at Rose Canyon during the summer months. I consider this the peak time for Rose Canyon. This is why I go during the week. I just take a day off & go with my kids in the morning or evening. The fishing is best in the morning or evening. Sure you can catch fish during the day, but you're going to have to work for it. The lake holds tons of fish, BUT it gets hammered every single day when it's open to the public (it's open for fishing year round, but they close the road in the winter, you have to hike down, BUT it's actually the best time to catch fish). All together this means that the fish are super skittish and you're not going to get a lot of action doing lazy fishing. Meaning don't expect to catch dinner on power bait, salmon eggs, cheese chunks, or whatever other baits people use. Do people catch trout on these baits at Rose Canyon? I'm sure it works sometimes, but I have found subtle finesse techniques work the best, since it's such a pressured lake. If you want action go with subtle presentations. Go with natural baits if you're going to be using bait. You will have better success. Remember it gets fished every single day starting in September. Every single day. These fish see it all, you got to step up your game! OK, so for all the people that don't fish. There is so many hooks and other fishing gear in the lake, hence the no wading rule, or no getting in the water rule. If you really, really, want that experience, just go to Sabino Canyon. It's not a lake, but it's water you can actually play in, and it's in the vicinity (kind of). If you're into kayaking, this is also not your lake. Like Molly said, it's medium size lake, I can chuck a 1/8 oz spoon lure over halfway across the lake on a good cast. I would hit a kayaker or canoe'er easily, hence the no watercraft rule. Remember, this is a FISHING lake, and that's the main function it serves in terms of recreation. After that it would be bird watching and then hiking. Remember we're in Tucson, in the Sonoran Desert, where these type of angling opportunities are rare. All the serious anglers like me are going to come to Rose Canyon for a mini-vacation or a day trip. It's going to be loud in the campsites, there are going to be dogs, there are going to be families, but everyone is always nice. It's just loud and almost always packed on the weekends. Even during the week, there are usually a good amount of folks camping & fishing. read more

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Such a beautiful lake that is easy accessible from Tucson. They are cash only so bring some money with you to purchase a "day pass". You can fish and also camp in this nice little area. read more

Rose canyon is a great picnic/camp ground. We've enjoyed both and it's only a ~30 minute drive up the mountain. If you are Going up for the day you can enjoy the lake and cool weather (it's about 20 degrees cooler than Tucson). It's about $9 for day use, but it does have bathrooms and they have made some nice improvements to the lake area and group picnic area. If you are going for camping expect it to be busy on the weekends. You may have loud people next to you if you don't select right or get there early enough. Lights are supposed out at 11, I believe, and most camp hosts are very good at enforcement. The camp hosts are usually very friendly and seem to genuinely want you to have an enjoyable time. You will have a grill, picnic table, fire ring, bear box, and a flat spot to setup your tent. Bathrooms are what you'd expect (stinky hole in the ground). There is drinking water within walking distance. $18 per night (one car and ~8 people). There is a small concession stand that is surprisingly well stocked considering the size. You can also continue, up the mountain to Summerhaven to the general store, restaurants, shops, or if you need cell service. Tip: be sure to check for fire restrictions if you expect to toast marshmallows by the fire. read more

The rangers at rose canyon campground are the nicest, most attentive people I have ever met. They truly make camping an amazing experience. From keeping the roads safe, to keeping our fires going, to making sure we have enough of what we need to have a safe fun experience! Shane and Vicky are the bees knees. Chris also helped us set up our tent! They're very welcoming and just amazing people. Best campsite on mount lemmon, looking forward to coming back! read more

This lake is for fishing only- it says you can canoe for an extra fee, but don't know about my inflatable kayak, if it is allowed? It would be a little bit of a haul to get it down to the water anyway, plus it's a very small lake. The best part about camping here, is the price- $22. read more

Hey Y'all! If you're in Tucson and need some water, you should possibly consider Rose Canyon Lake. No swimming for pets/people, but it's a beautiful lake surrounded by a walking/hiking trail. Camping spots look very inviting, and good when you want to get out of the summer heat. Day pass is $10 & there was a warden there upon checking in. Really nice people all over the lake, and had a great time with the pup, just wish we could've gone swimming :( read more

My experience - This gem on our public lands has been stolen by privileged private concessioneers that are greedy and overbearing. First off why do I pay all these taxes if I have to pay $10 JUST to fish in this pond? It should be free like it used to be. I pay huge taxes, I bought fishing license and I payed for a mountain access pass. Bend over! Driving to the campground/lake parking you are "confronted" by an intimidating guard shack reminiscent of a military checkpoint. I moved up a little past the booth so I could read their fee schedule and the uniformed guard lady nearly jumped out of the booth telling me to halt...arm sticking out and all. I said I just wanted to fish and not use the facilities and she says "Ten bucks" I said "really?...why? Isn't this National forest - our public lands?". She says, "Ten bucks! $20 to camp. " No thank you...I'm no fool Oh, if you want to hike down from the Catalina Hwy a mile or two down to the lake, they have the bawls to charge you a freekin dollar! 2Two people - two dollars. This is ridiculous and pure greed. Unfortunately most people doesn't even think twice about forking over their hard earned dollars to anyone who wants to cash in on our public lands. Sorry, I have kids and cant afford to be pick-pocketed every time i turn around on Mt Lemmon. Land of the FEE and home of the brave. I guess it keeps the riffraff like my family off the mountain right? read more

This place is OK, not great, but OK. The lake is small, but for us desert-dwellers it'll suffice. Please note that you cannot swim in the lake and you can only canoe with a special permit. We also couldn't picnic during the day. Pretty much the only thing you can do here is fish and camp. We went to just hang out. I knew there was a fee but was really shocked to hear that it's $9 for the day! We only went for a couple of hours and felt the fee was much too high. It was very busy. The kids and adults were loud, and their awesome dogs were barking. I'm not sure how anyone was able to catch any fish with so much noise. There are bathrooms here that you'll be able to smell from several feet away, but I suppose it's better to have the bathrooms than not. Some of the people here were cordial, pleasant and well-behaved, while others were not. The camp hosts do drive around checking on everything and could probably help you if needed. Overall, it's a nice place to camp and fish. The campsites looked nice although we did not camp here. This place can be pleasant if you can get far enough away from all the people, which is really hard to do. I personally loved the dragonflies everywhere-- they were beautiful! Tip: if you do want to go, go during the week when it'll be less crowded and therefore more enjoyable. read more

Rose Canyon Lake is a medium size campground and small fishing lake about half way up Mt. Lemmon. The camping sites are decent size and shaded. Get there early on the weekends if you want a spot. As for the lake, it is supposed to be stocked with rainbow trout. I say "supposed" because the Man and I spent a day fishing and caught nothing. However, I saw a few children reeling in tiny fish, so they are there. Still, I think this is more of a family activity not a place where you are going to catch your dinner. There is a nice walking path along the perimeter. Look, this is no Lake Erie, it is tiny. But for us water-deprived desert dwellers it makes a nice little weekend getaway. And a sunset stroll around the lake is just the thing for outdoorsy lovers. read more

We had a wonderful time here. Really clean bathroom near our camp site. You can tell the camp is very well taken care of. We were able to still have a nice fire and cook dinner even during a burn ban because of how the area was set up and maintained. Only gripe is we were able to both see and hear our neighbors. read more

It is a beautiful lake and decent camp site. But the employees are terrible. I have never had such a horrible experience with my family and friends before. They are rude and racist. We were treated horribly. My friends and family (Asian Indians) visited this lake today. It started raining and so we needed some covered place. We were misinformed about the ramada that actually needed reservation (we didn't have it). We took cover there as we were told that it was ok. So the whole thing ended up with us being literally kicked out by a very stupid and racist employee. First of all, we were misinformed. Then we were insulted. I would never suggest this place to anyone of color. read more

I had to take a couple of days to cool off and clear my head before I wrote out this review. I'm a quite offended by the way my family was treated here. The camp out for us was actually going rather well until morning arrived and bright and early we hear the park ranger a few yards away talking rather obnoxiously loud. We were at site 47. I could hear him reporting what we were up to. "Yeah in a blue top? They're cooking all sorts of stuff up" I started to feel rather uncomfortable. Like he was watching us a bit too close. So I decided, putting up a tarp would be helpful for wind resistance, for some privacy from the road and the park ranger who lives right there in an rv. Around 8am, an elderly woman with her husband in the truck came to us to gather our fee. (We had showed up a few nights before because we had barely found this place on a night cruise, and we're baffled by the beauty so we went home and decided to return prepared with cash & equipment). We were kind and paid our proper fee. We were handed a slip with that days date and no time. So automatically you'd assume you have til dark to leave unless told otherwise. We were told to place that slip on a clip on our site number. About 9am I hear him say "yeah, what are they doing? Just hanging out there all day?" Being our first time, we hadn't gotten the time to explore much so we didn't stray from our site. And yes we are hanging out, outside enjoying nature and the birds. That's usually what campers do... About 3pm we are approached by a worker stating that we aren't allowed to hang stuff of the tree's. Previously I could see there was a wire tied on that very tree. Though, out of respect, I didn't hesitate to agree to take it down. We are just then told check out time was at one so we needed to pay or leave. She says the time was on the slip I gave you. Which it wasn't. I still have the slip. So we began to pack up our things when my 2 year old pukes all over himself. (The worker was present when I stated our loud that my son had just puked everywhere.) We then proceeded to pack up, clean and mother my son. He got sick a total of 3 times while in his car seat almost ready to head out. Of course any mother is going to put her child first, clean him up and make him comfortable again. I admit it did take us a bit to finally be completely ready to leave. As my son was finally in a better position to leave we sat for a second about 3 maybe 2 minutes for a quick breather before a long drive home (an hour and 30 minute drive) when we were approached by the elderly couple who took our fee early morning. He was a very snarky man who felt the need to block us in the parking spot with his car. And approach us at our car window trying rather hard to be intimidating. He then said its time to pay up. We had everything packed away obvious we were about to head out. And he begins to throw assumptions at us. That we lied to his wife and have stayed the night previously. Which is not true. So I got offended and said "I apologize, I admit we took longer than usual, my son was sick and we will be on our way sir. This was our first time here and we were not clear of the rules" he then returned with "if your son was sick for six hours why wouldn't you come tell somebody?" (it was 5pm then, which doesn't make sense since we were told to leave around 3). Now why on earth would I need to tell the park monitor that my son was ill. Are you going to clean his puke off of everything? I think not. The woman then proceeded to say that we needed to be adults about things. I may be young mam, but I am not naive. I then said "you know what I have never been harassed like this before so no worries on us ever returning. Especially the way we've been treated." He then chuckles to himself and says "is that a promise?" so I said "oh it's more than a promise, it's a swear that I will never recommend anyone coming to this camp site." We then left very upset and followed out by the elderly couple in their vehicle. They watched us throw out our trash and tried to follow us all the way out. He claimed there would be an officer waiting for us because he had our plates but unfortunately no officer approached us. I would have loved to get an officers opinion on the situation. We then we're rescued by a cozy stay at a red roof hotel! Even not being the nicest hotel, the service I received there was much more welcoming and and inviting. It truly did make up for such a difficult encounter. Rose canyon, is a beautiful place run by very rude and uncomfortable people to be around. I'll try back in a couple of years maybe ( ; read more