Twin Peaks Campground, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Ajo, Arizona

Late winter to mid spring is the best time of year to visit Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument because of the blooming desert species. Our visit was in late November and we found the first come, first served Twin Peaks Campground to be pretty empty, which was excellent! From January through March sites in the campground are accessible by reservation, amd encouraged. This is the only developed campground within the monument. Days and nights here are peaceful, quiet, and full of solitude. There are several hikes from the campground that lead to former mines where you can see abandoned machinery, shafts, and buildings. There are also two graded, unpaved scenic loops that wind through different mountain ranges within the park. New to our visit in 2019, the campground offers hiker shuttles each
morning. These shuttles transport hikers one way to some of the park's mines and sights to allow hikers to hikes back to camp. This added hiker shuttle amenity allows greater accessibility to park sites. The desert and campground are spotted with Saguaro and the infamous Organ Pipe Cactus, only located in this park in the US, but prevalent in Mexico. Speaking of Mexico, this campground is only five miles from Arizona's southern border to Mexico, so border patrol and park rangers are busy within the park boundaries and surrounding area to keep residents secure. We had no issues during our stays in 2016 and 2019. Campground interior roads are a crushed, packed gravel, but pads are level cement and long! Big rig friendly, sites can accommodate up to 45 foot rigs, and each site is marked with its length restrictions. All RV sites are pull thru and have a picnic table and spacious, gravel patio area landscaped with desert fauna. With over 200 sites here, about an eighth of them are designated as tent only sites. There are also a handful of "no generator" sites, so choose carefully if generator use is a must for you.  In sites where generator use is allowed, hours of use are limited to two hours in the morning and another two in the evening. Restrooms, showers and a campground take one, leave one library are also available. There are also nightly ranger programs at the campground amphitheater. The visitor's center, a mile and a half away from camp amd accessible by road or hiking path, is a must see with exhibits, park film, gift shop, and rangers armed with maps and information on the park.

Best Sites: All
Poor Sites: None
Hookups: None
Potable Water: Yes
Dump Within Facility: Yes