Campers get one free night at a park

 Maricopa County parks are giving campers a chance to save money and time this fall. Six of the metro-fringing Sonoran Desert parks are offering a buy-one, get-one-free deal on camping through early November.

Campers can pay for one night at a tent or RV campsite and get their second night free. The deal includes free activities offered at the parks, such as ranger-led hikes, full moon walks and family programs. At $10 to $20 per campsite, it’s a pretty cheap getaway.

It’s also nearby. Usery Mountain Regional Park is just northeast of Mesa, and McDowell Mountain Regional Park is four miles from Fountain Hills.

The other parks are within 45 minutes of downtown Phoenix. All offer hiking or biking trails and scenic views in wide-open country not far from civilization.

Campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis; reservations are not accepted. If you arrive after the park entry station has closed, you must use the self-pay station and write “Buy one, get one free” on the front of the self-pay envelope. If you don’t, you’ll be charged for your second night.

The parks offer a range of campsites. Developed ones feature electrical and water hookups, dump stations, picnic tables, fire rings, grills and restrooms with flushing toilets and showers. Semideveloped sites lack the hookups and dump stations. Primitive sites have no amenities and are available only along the shoreline at Lake Pleasant.

The offer is good for one free night per family per week. No rain checks will be issued. It is not valid for group campground reservations.

The promotion ends Nov. 12.

For information, contact each park directly.

Where to camp

The following Maricopa County parks offer buy-one, get-one-free camping through Nov. 12. Developed campsites are $20 per night; semideveloped sites are $15 per night; and primitive sites, available only at Lake Pleasant, are $10 per night. Park entry fees, usually about $6 per car, are waived for campers.

Find detailed information about all the parks at www.maricopa.gov/parks.

CAVE CREEK REGIONAL PARK, 37019 N. Lava Lane; (623) 465-0431

There are 38 individual developed campsites at this park, which is located north of Phoenix but is said to conjure the illusion of being miles away from civilization.

MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN REGIONAL PARK, 16300 McDowell Mountain Park Drive; (480) 471-0173

Bring your tent or RV to one of the 76 developed campsites in this park. It’s nestled in the lower Verde River basin near Fountain Hills.

USERY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL PARK, 3939 N. Usery Pass Road, north of Mesa; (480) 984-0032

There are 74 developed campsites suitable for a tent or an RV at this East Valley park nestled at the end of the Goldfield Mountains and adjacent to Tonto National Forest.

ESTRELLA MOUNTAIN REGIONAL PARK, 14805 W. Vineyard Ave., Goodyear; (623) 932-3811

There are just seven developed campsites in this southwest Valley park, but it does offer something unique to the desert; located near where the Gila and Agua Fria Rivers meet, the park boasts a large wetland area and the only grassy picnic spot in the county park system.

LAKE PLEASANT REGIONAL PARK, 41835 N. Castle Hot Springs Road, Morristown; (928) 501-1710 or (602) 372-7460

The park offers 148 developed campsites and primitive camping along the shoreline of one of Arizona’s most popular water recreation areas.

WHITE TANK MOUNTAIN REGIONAL PARK, 13025 N. White Tank Mountain Road, Waddell; (623) 935-2505

40 semideveloped campsites dot this nearly 30,000-acre park.