Rim Lakes Recreation Area

I have been to the Rim Lakes area twice this season already and look forward to yet another visit.
This section of Arizona, which is between Payson and Heber, is absolutely stunning!
The Mogollon Rim («muggy-​own») is the big attraction. Depending on your location, you will find that the rim extends thousands of feet. You can also find some sheer cliffs here, decorated with dense pines. Lovely.
And it is full of campgrounds, lakes and streams along the 260. It is ideal for camping, hiking and trail walking. I have stayed at Sinkhole already, and have also checked out Christopher Creek and Tonto, among others.
I am especially fond of the elevation — 7,000+. That means you get very cool temperatures, and you also get pretty much around the clock access to ponderosa and pine trees.
I hear that Woods Canyon Lake is the most popular lake in the Rim. That appears entirely true. The lake, and the are surrounded it, are hugely populated. Total party town.
But you can find other, easily accessible campgrounds in the nearby area that are well equipped for those of us who like a more rustic and certainly a more quiet space.
And a couple of tips:
When driving toward the Rim just outside of Payson, be very attentive to speed posting. There are speed cameras along the highway just outside of the town.
Be sure to check out the Rim Lake Vista Trail. The views are stunning!
Bear Canyon Lake is less populated than Woods Canyon, but expect a little hike down to the bank.

The husband, dog, and I spent the weekend at the Aspen Campground along Forest Road 105, the last left turn before Woods Canyon Lake. It was a beautiful area filled with paved and well maintained trails. We arrived at the campground at night and didn’t realized how beautiful the drive or hike along Rim Road was until the next day. The trail is about 1.5 mile from the lake to the Rim, and there is a trail along the rim that we walked for awhile with benches and good stopping points to stop and appreciate the breathtaking view.
There are many other campgrounds in the area that all seemed very popular, as well as a couple group areas full of scout troops having fun. Despite it being the first weekend of October, most campgrounds were full and we found ourselves lucky to find one with open lots. Great wildlife in the area, saw some elk walk right by our campsite in the daytime and heard more at night. Have also heard great things about the fishing and saw many renting boats or fishing along the shore. The lake store is open during the day and has pretty much everything you could want for fishing, snacks, and some camping needs.
As for the Aspen campground, we definitely appreciated the size and layout of our space. We arrived after dark and were grateful that the self check-​in was very straight forward, really just a list of open lots, pick one on a map and leave the payment envelope in the fee tube. This is where we really should have planned ahead (our bad). They only take cash or checks, and it was $ 18 a night. They were also sold out of wood, and the entire campground is pretty much swept clean of anything more than tiny twigs. This led to a late night trip to a Heber Circle K with little to no cell reception, an adventure in and of itself. Plan ahead and save yourself the city kid embarrassment that was mine that night. Couldn’t have asked for nicer camp hosts and friendly «neighbors», made some friends (as did our dog) during walks and everyone kept to themselves for the most part at night. On a side note, clean vault bathrooms. Doesn’t seem like much but can make a huge difference if you get a lot near one.
We have found our new go to camping spot. We look forward to spending more time there during warmer weather next summer.

This is an awesome recreation area located right on the Mogollon Rim. I mean right there, we had no idea how close until we woke up the next morning and walked a half mile to overlook a 400 to 600 foot drop, with an great trail along the rim leading straight to Woods Canyon Lake (the most accessible of the rim lakes). We stayed in one of the tent camping sites. It was really awesome because a whole bunch of people stayed in the sites that allowed Recreational Vehicles and had amenities. We were looking for less amenities and still got bathrooms (latrine style, nice and clean though!) Water (non-​potable but good for cleaning and fire control) and two excellent camp hosts named Mike and Bonnie who had firewood for $ 3 a bundle which was much drier and nicer than the wood from the store at Woods Canyon Lake ($ 2 a bundle but it was wet and less split). The site we were in had ample room for tent camping with pads to put the tents on and metal ring fire pits with nice metal picnic tables.
It was early September and we heard numerous Elk Bugling all night, might have had a coyote or javelina in the campsite, and saw trees rubbed from bears. A lot of fun and a nice weekend!