Hannagans Meadow

[Harry Young]

Here is another of my older Arizona Spots, this is also an older C.C.C. "Civilian Conservation Corps" era campgrounds built in the Roosevelt era, the camp is assessable to larger trailers while still not inviting to the bus style R.V.s the camps are well kept and cheap, this is at an altitude of 9000 feet, large R.V.s stay out of this camp generally.

http://www.concours.org/666.html

When the Phoenix area is 115 degrees this spot is a wonderful 75F in the day and 50F at night. Its quiet, the drive to it is eye candy, the camp turn off is near the lodge so supplies are available. Bring a camera as deer frequent the meadow, this is a great spot late June to Sept. My furnace will not work at this altitude so the portable Cat is a must. Also in the monsoons July thru August it rains almost everyday a fine drizzle breaking up about noon and returning at 6 pm on and off.

The approach from Alpine Arizona is steep, using my little Nissan truck I pull the grades at about 40 m.p.h. and the turns are allot like the Jerome Arizona run to Mingus mountain camps. You do not want to go fast as the deer do cross the highway often so a lower speed is advisable.

The road in stays solid even in rains so in and out is good.
Cell phones will not work here...they will at the lodge.

The Aspen trees are the white barked trees, (look like Birtch) Arizona has been working to restore the Aspen forests, they grow well in areas that has been ravaged by fire at high altitudes, it is notable to understand these trees are all one organism, like mushrooms, the roots underground are all connected. These forests were the principle forests of ancient Arizona until the Ponderosa Pine and other trees took over. Often they are fenced to keep deer out, do not damage the fencing or damage these trees, if the colony gets sick they all die together.

[Raya]

Thanks so much for posting these! They're just the type of spot I like to find and it's great to "see" them. Especially whn I'm not currently traveling.

[Gina D.]

Looks a lot like Sequoia!

Very nice

[Greg A]

I have heard very good things about this campground. Especially, when one wants to escape the summer heat here and not have to go that far. It is on our list to do, thanks for the post Harry.

[Lizbeth]

Very pretty place!

[Harry Young]

Thank you for the kind reply's, its nice to share getting positive feedback, FBRV is a great place to share without the sniping with one another I have seen on other sites, a high caliber bunch of people on a high caliber website is a win win deal!

Usually I have kept quiet about my favorite spots less traveled because when they become popular they are never the same. My wish is Arizona would build more public camp grounds again, state government wishes the private sector would...The population has grown by leaps, some camps have been expanded but then on the other hand three were closed. I am against privatization because the operators of former public camps contracted out to them suck down the income passing the maintenance bills on to the public anyway, those 100% private camps that do build hit you for 35.00 a night here... Which is just saying you can enjoy public lands if you can pay the price...That's counter intuitive to the goals reached for in the creation of the public lands system when it began.

My plan is to post... Perhaps if the lessor older camps get a steady clientele a need can be proven in numbers of visitors which justifies their further existence, in the least a clientele will be present to possibly to howl in protest if a closure happens where now it would be just a whimper.

Another thought is to have a ratio of camp capacity to a population formula working to determine gross camping capacities per capita, building in the safeguards that camping capacity should not be counted as expensive mega camps of well groomed asphalt trails, but rather more smaller intimate camps well placed throughout Arizona.

I spent a year in Stockton California 2 years ago working, I found many urban great wonderful things in that stay I envied..."I love the B.A.R.T for instance." I did to my dismay find out that California has a waiting list for most of its popular camping spots, the people in Northern California love camping too, being crafty about getting places available prior to the surge of Southern Californians on 3 day holidays is a intresting show to watch.

In the pay camping areas run by private operators I was told my trailer was to old to even to qualify for a spot if available?

Having had no experience in these necessary strategies regarding California camping before this and being naive about it all anyway, I was caught off guard.

Its a lesson I took home to Arizona when my job there was done.

I did find a C.C.C. camp north of Reno out of San Fransisco that was perfect, with no crowds at all because large R.V.s could not get in because the spaces were not designed for it years ago.

I hope little by little to release more reports about Arizona, also some spots in the common Utah and Nevada shared boarder with Arizona.

I have seen others do reports about spots I like, I was thinking it repetitious to do my own, but I am rethinking that now, I realize that different spots hold different attributes to different people and spots change with time and weather and season.

We all learn.

Harry

[BOBSMITH]

This is my kind of campground! The reason we bought our Casita is because we wanted a trailer that could be easily used in out of the way National Forest sites like this one. Thanks for posting this!

[Mike Magee]

Wow, fabulous! I don't see this CG listed in my big CG directory so I would never have known it exists. Like Bob said, my kind of CG also.

I googled the place and found a page that said it had 8 campsites, maximum trailer length 16'. Hopefully I could still wiggle a 17' into a site sometime.

If you're ever in SW Colorado, I bet you would like Amphitheatre CG (USFS) overlooking Ouray. It's like camping on the side of a mountain (on a flat spot though) with a fine view of the valley floor below and the surrounding peaks. There's a fairly serious hike to a big waterfall, for those who like the exercise. And in the evening one can walk right to the edge of a sheer dropoff and gaze down at the town lights twinkling below, as well as up at the stars. 8400 feet elevation, so bring extra blankets!

[Harry Young]

I will be going to Colorado this summer to Colorado Springs to see an aging friend in her 80s, can you send a quick link? I usually come up thru Santa Fe New Mexico from Arizona. This summer I might pop down from Pocettello Idaho after a visit with me mum. There are two Hanagans Meadow camps, an upper one by the lodge (muddy) and a lower by the meadow itself...there are pull thrus there so your 17 will be right at home.

Harry

Wow, fabulous! I don't see this CG listed in my big CG directory so I would never have known it exists. Like Bob said, my kind of CG also.

I googled the place and found a page that said it had 8 campsites, maximum trailer length 16'. Hopefully I could still wiggle a 17' into a site sometime.

If you're ever in SW Colorado, I bet you would like Amphitheatre CG (USFS) overlooking Ouray. It's like camping on the side of a mountain (on a flat spot though) with a fine view of the valley floor below and the surrounding peaks. There's a fairly serious hike to a big waterfall, for those who like the exercise. And in the evening one can walk right to the edge of a sheer dropoff and gaze down at the town lights twinkling below, as well as up at the stars. 8400 feet elevation, so bring extra blankets!