TRAVEL: Pampered camping

Does the call of the wild exert a powerful pull, which is immediately overridden by an overwhelming desire for comfort?

Three of Arizona’s state parks now provide an experience somewhere between a sleeping bag on the ground and a 40-foot RV.

Dead Horse Ranch, Lyman Lake and Roper Lake state parks, with Alamo Lake set for the future, now offer “pampered camping.”

No need to pitch a tent or haul an RV. Small cars can carry enough equipment for this toned-down kind of roughing it.

The amenities in these rustic little overnight shelters vary by park, but all provide a roof overhead and privacy. They are available year-round (yurts available March 15-Nov. 15) and may be reserved with a MasterCard or Visa as much as a year in advance by calling the park.

Dead Horse Ranch State Park

Cottonwood

(928) 634-5283

Cabins $50/night.

An easy one-and-a-half-hour drive north of the Valley, Dead Horse Ranch is undoubtedly one of the prettiest Arizona state parks.

Located along the Verde River, it offers stocked fishing lagoons, trails for hiking, biking and equestrian use (horse corrals available overnight with advance arrangements). Birding is excellent.

Restroom facilities have hot showers and ramadas provide covered picnicking spots. Tent sites have tables and grills, but for an indulgent outdoor experience, reserve one of the eight new little cabins.

Tucked away from other campgrounds in the park, cabins have a big ramada in back, with barbecues and electricity to plug in a Crock Pot or deep fryer.

Cabins themselves have bunk beds and a double bed, small chest of drawers and a table and chairs, making them more than adequate for a family of four. Electricity powers an overhead light and ceiling fan, with plugs for additional appliances. Cooking in cabins is not allowed, but there are individual barbecues and tables near each cabin.

Roper Lake State Park

Safford

(928) 428-6760

Cabins $35/night

This pretty park, about 165 miles from Ahwatukee Foothills at the foot of Mount Graham, surrounds 30-acre Roper Lake. Its glassy surface stays mirror-like because boats are limited to small electric motors.

Besides watching grebes diving on the lake, spindly-legged killdeer and roadrunners, campers have access to a hot tub fed by natural hot springs.

Anglers head for the stocked lake and fishing jetty, while walkers and hikers can explore five miles of trails. Picnic areas (some at water’s edge) have tables, grills and ramadas. Campgrounds have showers, restrooms and hook-ups.

For a bit of coddling, reserve one of four lakeside cabins. Accessible by car or RV, they have bunk beds and mattresses and/or full-size beds with mattresses. Electric air conditioning and a heater mean you just need bedding or sleeping bags.

Open flames, such as candles and stove burners, are not allowed in the cabins. Picnic tables and charcoal grills are outside.

Lyman Lake State Park

St. Johns

(928) 337-4441

Cabins $50/night

Yurts $35/night

Anglers love this 1,200-acre park between St. Johns and Springerville because the lake is large and stocked with walleye, largemouth bass and channel catfish.

Located in the far south reaches of the Painted Desert, some visitors are unsettled by the otherworldly landscape, perceiving it as desolate. Others love the pristine contours and sparse vegetation, interrupted only by scattered stands of cottonwoods.

Besides the landscape, that breathless feeling may be caused by the park’s 6,000-foot elevation.

Lyman Lake has paved boat ramps, restrooms with showers, a campground and a pleasant picnic area with tables and shelters.

To increase the comfort level, visitors can reserve cabins with covered wood porches and lake views. Furnished with bunk beds, a full-size bed, table and chairs, electric light, heat and air conditioning, they’re also equipped with electric hookups. Picnic tables and charcoal grills are in back.

Besides cabins, yurts offer a slightly less upscale camping experience that’s a step above sleeping on the ground. Originating as shelter for nomads in Mongolia, Serbia and Turkey, these comfortable, circular domed tents measure 16 feet in diameter, have a canvas shell, secure lock, open floor plan and a skylight.

Each yurt is outfitted with two futons, a table and four chairs and electricity, with a picnic table and charcoal grill just outside.

Lyman Lake Park is the only park that offers yurts.

For those who’ve resisted the rigors of roughing it, pampered camping may be a good entry-level experience for getting out into the great outdoors.

Call individual parks for information and reservations, or go to www.azstateparks.com.

Ahwatukee Foothills freelance travel writers/photographers Judy Wade and Bill Baker generally think of camping as a hotel with no room service, but are looking forward to an overnight cabin stay at an Arizona State Park.