Deuel Creek / Centerville Canyon
¼ hr + ½ hour hike
There are about seven mostly small nice camping areas up Deuel Creek Canyon in Centerville. The 2-3 larger ones will sleep about 14-20 people, the others about 6. It is a pretty canyon for hiking with a lot of stream crossings on homemade bridges made by some nice people. There is also a rope swing about a mile and a quarter of the canyon. Thanks to whoever improved it recently. Be aware of of Poison Ivy up this canyon.
It is about a mile to the nearest camping spots from the trail head. Drive east on 100 south in Centerville until you come to a T up a steep hill. When you get to the T go right and follow the main dirt road up (keeping to the left) to an open area. This road has gotten very rutted lately (9/13/14). A high clearance vehicle is preferable. Just above the parking area and north of the bowl area you will see the trail head sign that says South Deuel Creek Trail. Follow the trail up going along the creek. There are a lot of make-shift bridges you have to cross. Eventually you will see somewhat of a waterfall an cliff area. A little ways above that, a little trail takes off to the left in a northwest direction by a pile of rocks. If you follow that you come to place called Mahogany Flat:
It has a few spread out camping spots in between the bushes, large enough for a total of about 20 people, but not one real large open area. This site is not near the creek, but the rest of the sites further up are. It does have a nice view of the valley though. But, it's not much further to the next site and you're closer to the rope swing.
From the junction, if you keep going up the canyon, there is another nice camping area another 8 minutes further, large enough for about 14 people. It's exactly a mile from the trail head. It has a fire pit with some logs erected in a U to sit on. I would suggest using a tent if camping close to the hill in early summer, as there there are lots of spiders.
There are three more, smaller camping areas further. (The second one shown below) They are only large enough for about five people each. The first one has a rope swing in the middle that is a lot of fun.
So you may not want to camp there since it is a popular area for swinging.
There is another pretty good sized nice camping area just above a 12 foot waterfall about a mile up from the fork. This is as far as I've been.
