UPPER HOSPITAL FLAT GROUP SITE

Coronado National Forest · Arizona · Recreation.gov

UPPER HOSPITAL FLAT GROUP SITE cancellation alerts

UPPER HOSPITAL FLAT GROUP SITE is usually sold out. Get a free email when a cancellation opens: pick your dates and we check Recreation.gov every 30 minutes.

1 sites

Watch UPPER HOSPITAL FLAT GROUP SITE for free Book on Recreation.gov · Google Maps

About

Upper Hospital Flat is a great place for groups to escape the summer heat of surrounding deserts and retreat to a scenic meadow in the Pinaleño Mountains of southeastern Arizona. The area is known for camping, scenic driving, picnicking, birding, wildlife viewing, hiking, mountain biking and history.

In the 1880s, the campground served as the site for a field hospital for ailing soldiers from nearby Fort Grant, hence its name. The restorative powers of this cool, high-elevation location also attracted officers and their families seeking a summer refuge from desert heat. Today, Hospital Flat serves as popular getaway for outdoor enthusiasts and campers. The campground lies along the Swift Trail Scenic Drive, which takes visitors from the Sonoran Desert at 2,900 feet to alpine meadows and forest on the 9,000+ foot ridges of the Pinaleño Range. Because of its diverse habitat, the area is well-known for birding and wildlife watching.

Nearby Hospital Flat Campground includes a 0.75-mile nature trail that gives interpretive information about the meadow and its plant and animal inhabitants.

The Swift Trail also provides access to a number of hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking trails, along with several other campgrounds that invite you for an afternoon picnic. A trip up to Rigg’s Lake, stocked with trout by Arizona Game & Fish, or to the Columbine Visitors Center could make a worth-while day trip as well. Upper Hospital Flat can accommodate a group of up to 50 people. Several first-come, first-served individual sites are located nearby in the Hospital Flat Campground (must pay separately). The group site is equipped with a picnic table, parking area and campfire ring with a grill. Dead-and-down firewood may be collected in and around the campsite.

Note: There are no toilets on site. One portable/self-contained toilet is required for every 15 people.

The road leading into the group site is mainly suitable for higher-clearance vehicles. The campground sits along Big Creek in a mixed conifer forest, adjacent to a meadow that comes to life with wildflower blooms in late summer. The 9,000-ft. elevation offers pleasant summer temperatures.

Availability at UPPER HOSPITAL FLAT GROUP SITE

CampFinder checks Recreation.gov every 30 minutes, around the clock, and emails you when a booked-up night opens back up. That catches most cancellations, which sit open for hours; at the few campgrounds that refill in seconds it can miss the race. Set up a free availability alert for UPPER HOSPITAL FLAT GROUP SITE.