10 SUMMER ’24 rab your tents, sleeping bags, flashlights – and don’t forget s’mores supplies. It’s time for a camping trip! Arizona has plenty of sites perfect for setting up – some even offer a cool respite for swimming, fishing and boating. Below are a few favorites for visitors near and far. ALAMO LAKE STATE PARK Elevation: 1,300 feet July temps: 101° high, 70° low azstateparks.com Alamo Lake State Park is settled in the Bill Williams River Valley, about 38 miles north of Wenden. Campsites offer full hookups, dump stations, fire pits and picnic tables. Restrooms are available throughout – and four air-conditioned cabins if tents are not your thing. Alamo is considered the best for fishing largemouth bass. The area attracts a variety of wildlife year- round, including waterfowl, foxes, coyotes and wild burros. The night sky is unobstructed – with the nearest city lights 40 miles away – so make sure to add stargazing to your list. Alamo allows swimming, but there is no designated beach, so exercise caution when going for a cannonball. FOOL HOLLOW LAKE RECREATION AREA Elevation: 6,300 feet July temps: 87° high, 59° low azstateparks.com In 1885, Thomas Jefferson Adair settled in the Show Low area, determined to farm the land. The locals thought only a fool would attempt to farm here, and the name stuck. This camping area includes the world’s largest continuous belt of ponderosa pine forest. Each campground site is situated near Fool Hollow Lake, surrounded by pine trees at an elevation of 6,300 feet. Fool Hollow offers a Summer Children’s Program on Saturdays in July and August, where kids can learn about bears, trees, rats, bats and more. Families can enjoy fishing, swimming, boating, and nature walks. Spots start at $33 per night. KAIBAB LAKE CAMPGROUND Elevation: 6,800 feet July temps: 90° high, 50° low fs.usda.gov Kaibab National Forest is nestled on the Colorado Plateau and sits at an elevation of 6,800 feet. Campsites are aplenty, with individual, double, and group sites for tent and RV campers. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit. Restrooms, trash bins, a picnic area, and water faucets are available. Swimming is a no-no at Kaibab Lake, but a popular spot for fishing and boating. There are also hiking trails and overlooks – and the Grand Canyon is only an hour away. Reservations start at $36. PATAGONIA LAKE STATE PARK Elevation: 3,750 feet July temps: 94° high, 64° low azstateparks.com In the hills of southeastern Arizona is Patagonia Lake State Park. Established in 1975, campers will find an abundance of wildlife, including whitetail deer and great blue herons. The park offers a campground, beach, picnic area, tables and grills, a creek trail, boat ramps and a marina. Patagonia has 105 regular and two non-electric campsites available, each including a picnic table, fire pit, and parking for two vehicles. A few sites also have a ramada. Sites start at $25. LYNX LAKE Elevation: 5,500 feet July temps: 88° high, 59° low fs.usda.gov Just 100 miles north of Phoenix lies Lynx Lake – one of the most well- known campgrounds in Arizona. Lynx Lake is part of the Prescott National Forest, situated smack in the middle of ponderosa pine trees. There are 35 single and four double campsites, each with a picnic table, fire ring and grill. Toilets, drinking water and garbage service are available. Lynx Lake offers boating, sailing and fishing. Trout is the main catch, but other fish you’ll see are catfish, crappies, and largemouth bass. And good news – swimming is allowed at the North Shore Picnic and South Shore boat ramp sites. PINE GROVE CAMPGROUND Elevation: 6,900 feet July temps: 79° high, 52° low fs.usda.gov Located in the Coconino National Forest, Pine Grove Campground offers fishing (trout, bass or channel catfish) or boating on multiple lakes: Upper and Lower Lake Mary, Ashurst Lake, Marshall Lake or Kinnikinick Lake. There are hiking and biking trails nearby, where campers may catch sight of waterfowl, bald eagles, elk and deer. Camping spots start at $26 per night. WAHWEAP MARINA Elevation: 3,500 feet July temps: 90° high, 62° low lakepowell.com On the southwest end of Lake Powell is Wahweap RV Park, near the Glen Canyon Recreation Area. It’s open year-round, and pets are welcome. Wahweap offers full-hookup, tent-only, and dry campsites and will accommodate 25–45-foot-long RVs. Houseboat camping is also available. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, fire pits, grills, picnic tables, laundry, showers, potable water, and a dump station. Rates vary from $40-$100 a night. Lakeside Lakeside Camping Camping G

11 SUMMER ’24 Dear journal, French Woods Festival Camp has been amazing so far! Today, I tried the flying trapeze for the first time. The first jump was really scary, but once I was in the air, it felt like I was actually flying. After that, my cabin mates and I went paddle boarding in the lake. For dinner, we had my favorite, spaghetti pizza (like deep dish pizza, but with spaghetti inside). My favorite part was after dinner when my friends and I all sang together at karaoke night. I can’t wait to keep trying new things in circus this week! Love, Avery Dear Diary, Today was Saturday, my favorite day at camp. The campers can sleep in on Saturdays if they want, but most kids like me wake up at 8 for donut hole breakfast. After breakfast, I relaxed in my cabin and then we had services at around 10. Later in the day, we had options for fun activities to do. I chose swimming with my friends for the first one, and in between the two activities we had my favorite – ice cream “Sundaes on Saturdays.” I did open gym for my second activity, and then we had a rest hour and shower hour before dinner. Dinner is always cookout on Saturday, so I had a burger and then we had an all-camp evening program. It was a fun day, but I am glad to go to sleep. Love, Seth Dear Mom and Dad, I am having such a great time at camp! This morning, we had French toast for breakfast then drove down to the lake to kayak. We went swimming and cliff jumping, and I had a great time. We got back this afternoon and had lunch, then went to our afternoon activities. I had dance first and then headed to the pool to swim with my friends. Our dinner that night was a camp favorite, spaghetti, plus brownies for dessert. Later that night we played all camp hide-and-seek and had a blast. I’m getting ready to sleep back in the cabin now! I can’t wait to let you know what we do tomorrow! Love, Nicole Dear journal, Three years later, and camp is still amazing! I work in the circus now, teaching kids how to do trapeze, juggling, and even fire spinning. I live in a cabin with teens who remind me a lot of myself at that age, and I love getting to help them grow and gain confidence. My favorite part is witnessing them achieve goals they never believed possible, and astonishingly, most manage it in only three weeks. I can’t wait to help them try new things at camp this summer! Love, Avery Avery Mathis attended French Woods Festival, a performing arts camp in Hancock, New York, when she was 15. She returned the next year, and two years later, came back as a camp counselor. Editor’s Note: Part of the overnight camp experience is writing letters to mom and dad and regaling them with all the adventures campers have during their time away. We asked our readers if they still have their old camp letters, and indeed, some still did! Seth and Nicole Langbaum have attended Camp Daisy and Harry Stein in Prescott for six years. F F rom rom