The address listed as of April 2023 is for their headquarters. This address will not take you to Tonto National Park.
Tonto National Park is located about 1 hr - 1hr and 45 min from the Phoenix area. The difference in time is due to the size of the park. At 2.9 million acres, Tonto National Forest is the largest national forest in Arizona. Tonto is the 6th largest of the USDA National Forests.
About 20 minutes into the forest, we lost cell phone reception. If using Google Maps to get to your destination, I recommend downloading the offline map(s.) Water levels were low enough in the creek crossings that cars were able to get to the site we stayed at without any issues.
We camped over a weekend at the Cave Creek Group Campground. This campground must be rented, and is only rented as a group camp site. There is a central area with cover picnic tables/ramadas, grills, and group fire pits. Some of the campsites have their own fire pits as well. There is no water at this campground. Vault toilets. One toilet for men and one for women. While toilet paper is provided, it was not enough for the weekend. Someone in our group had a satellite phone. They were able to ask someone who was coming up late Saturday to bring more. The way the group camp site is situated, make for a secluded area.
The scenery on the drive in and out was lovely. Driving in from the Phoenix area, it was nice to have a change in scenery. The landscape around the Cave Creek Campground has a less desert feel. The campground is surrendered with trees. Beprepared to take it slow. The road to the Cave Creek Group Campground is winding and, at times, narrow. There was a hill that was almost a yellowish orange from wildflowers. (It photographed with more green.) Coming around the corner and being met with the sight of that hill was a breathtaking moment. As for animals, we saw some random birds, lizards and cows. read more