Cattlerest RV Park

Our AC wasn’t working and we needed to contact a mobile repairman in the area. We wanted to camp away from the freeway and not on top of the railroad tracks. For Willcox AZ this park fits the bill. You can just hear the low rumble of the freeway and trains nearby but no horns. It’s not fancy but the transient sites are easy pull throughs and there’s the bar/saloon handy if that’s your thing. We have water and 50 amp electric, no sewer. Wi-fi is pretty surprisingly good. Bathrooms are clean and functional.

The office is in the saloon. The lady that checked us in was very friendly and was able to identify a good mobile repairman. Cattlerest RV is not a destination resort but is an easy stop along I-10.

Small park about half long term but sites are neat. Sites and roads are small red rock/dirt. Sites are long but close (some closer than others) with just a small strip of grass between sites. Our site was pretty level. We fit with our 45 MH and tow. There is some train rumbling off in the distance. Very little road noise just a bit from I-10BL. There is a neat saloon on-site with pool tables, dance floor and full bar. There is outdoor seating too. Verizon was 4g 4 bars and Directv worked fine. Their WII FI worked great. If you are headed west on I-10 take exit 336 and it’s only 2 miles to the park. Our GPS wanted us to exit earlier and take us through town. We would definitely stay here again.

After several days of dry camping we needed a full hookup site to replenish our water and dump our tanks. Cattlerest fit the bill nicely. The price was a bit cheaper than the other options in town, and overall the park seemed cleaner (at least from a distance) than other options. There is an onsite saloon which adds to the old west atmosphere. Upon arriving at our site, owner Les came over to introduce himself and thank us for staying, which was a nice touch. The site was a nice pull-through site, I believe all of the sites were pull-through. All of the hookups functioned flawlessly. The only downside is that the bar was a bit loud with karoke on Saturday night, but we just turned on the white noise and it wasn't a big deal. Verizon 4G coverage was good enough to stream youtube.

Willcox seems to be in the middle of nowhere but hidden just to the south is Chiricahua national monument, which should be on everyone's to-do list. The scenery of Chiricahua is amazing and it offers tons of hiking.

We stopped because they offer Passport America Discount for one night. This small park (14 sites) is on the grounds of a busy saloon, the office is at the bar. They offer a wide range of entertainment several nights a week. On Wed night they had a major shuffleboard tournament (indoor on a long wooden table) which was accompanied by friendly banter and not a little beer. Thursday night people came in from all around the area for line and two step dancing, accompanied by a fair amount of beer. Walking back to the rig was definitely a good idea. We had to leave on Friday and missed the live music on Saturday night.

The noise is from I 10 on one side and The southern main freight line to the other, neither disturbed us. I rated the location 5 not that there is much to do nearby, but within an hours drive there is enough hiking and site seeing to keep one busy for a week. Bisbee, Tombstone, Benson are all nearby, in western terms.

OK campground for a couple of nights, Bar has no food to speak of, frozen pizza, burritos and wings. First night had line dancing at the bar and could hear music in the camper. Second night was very quiet.

Speaking as a solo traveler this is a great place to get away and remove yourself from the hustle and bustle. I stayed when it was owned by the previous owners and only had a couple days left there with new owner but seems to be running same as usual.

Pros:
-Quiet and Peaceful
-Great Birdwatching
-Unmatchable sunrises being surrounded by a ring of distant mountains.
-Clean and Maintained, maintenance worker lives on site
-Bathhouse with 2 Hot water shower and 2 toliets, one of both per room. Open during daytime

Cons:
-If you have a medical condition for which your medicine is medical marijuana. Make sure you pick up your medicine before coming as the closest dispensary is in Tucson.

-Closest Walmart is in Benson. There is a safeway but isnt as normally stocked as the usual store

-Very Small town with not alot to do, not necessarily a con but might be for those not expecting it

Overall-
Safe
Affordable
Peaceful

Old school campground dirt & rock so a tad dusty. Nice folk. I stayed in a spot with 50 Amp, water and sewer. I m discovering that one probably should not travel through the Desert during the Midsummer. It’s hot :-)

Very quiet so far and the grounds are pretty quiet so good stopover.

We didn't have a reservation but we're able to secure a water and electric site for $50. The site was a long pull thru. We had plenty of room between our neighbor. The RV Park is a gravel lot behind a saloon. It's a mix of full timers and those passing thru the area. They had a bath house that we did not use nor the water. The electric (50/30/20) was easy to connect. There was a dump station near the restrooms. All said, the RV Park met our needs but seemed expensive for limited amenities.

We did check out the Saloon before dinner. Upon arrival the two pool tables and shuffleboard were in use. There was a Nine Ball Pool tournament starting at 6pm. We watched locals arriving with their sticks. They feature a full bar, draft beer and have a Celebrity Shelf of liquors featuring various flavors of Blue Chair Bay Rums by Kenney Chesney, Redneck Riviera whiskey by John Rich and Casa Salvaje Tequila by Tanya Tucker. Tanya's early childhood was spent primarily in Willcox, Arizona. The Saloon offers very limited food options.

This is a Harvest Host/Bar/RV park. $50 for an electric site for a non Harvest Host member. (We saw some Harvest Members fry camping in the front area.). In the back are gravel RV sites. Ours was a pull through. Dump is so easy and convenient. Bathhouse is single unisex units with toilet, shower, sink, shower curtain, hooks and chair. Very spacious and clean. Bar has a local atmosphere with line dancing lessons the night we stayed. Bar has some food. Local restaurants are a mile away. TMobile has 1-2 bars 5G. Wifi is ok. This is our third stay here over the last few years. We will be back.

It's too bad I don't drink, because having an onsite bar sure would've been the thing if I was! It's a popular spot with locals; they were holding a pool tournament and had karaoke when I was here. Despite that it's quiet and feels safe. Absolutely no qualms about staying here as a solo traveler.

Two unisex bathroom/shower rooms are spacious and spotless.

Being just a little bit out of town means I can sit in my chair and look out over fields to the mountains beyond instead of walls or buildings. A little bit of highway noise, but not bad at all. A great basecamp for area explorations!