Dad with his arms up on the bare shore of the lake with dinner on the fire in front
April 2025

Lake Camping in Tonto

A weekend in April 2025 camped on the shore of Theodore Roosevelt Lake in Arizona's Tonto country.

Where We Stopped
Theodore Roosevelt Lake in Tonto National Forest, Gila County
Where We Stayed
Our own tent right on the shore
How We Traveled
The SUV out to the bare shoreline, then a raft on the water
What It Costs
Tonto Daily Pass $8, plus a sticker for any motorized watercraft, Tonto National Forest

Published prices checked November 2026, not what we paid.

Mom taking a selfie while dad stands in the shallows with an inflatable raft
Getting the Raft In
The moon reflected on a dark lake under broken clouds
The Moon on the Lake
Moonlit clouds above the black shoreline of a lake
Clouds Around the Moon
Morning sun over the lake with an SUV parked on the bare shore
Morning at Camp
A cone shaped tent and cooler on sandy ground
Our Tent on the Shore
Bare branches rising at the edge of the lake
Bare Trees at the Waterline
On the Map

Where This Trip Was

Tonto National Forest, AZ

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