The staff was helpful and appeared well organized as we were presented with a personalized camp map with our last name printed in bold letters across the top and the site already tagged and ready for our arrival. The sites are fairly maintained and the bathrooms, while partially renovated, were clean. The tent areas were level and nicely appointed with a parking spot, picnic tables, both a grill and a fire pit, and the option to pitch your tent in a walk-in area down by the creek or by the table/fire pit/parking area above. The bathrooms/showers/laundry and camp sink are all situated in a building across from the tenting area so that was really convenient. There's a nice playground area for kids next to the shower/restroom/laundry building.
There were two main turn-off's for us: the creek was littered from dumping (old carpet, tires, and various debris including parts of old cars along the banks and in the water) - not somewhere you want to let your kids play. The second was that it appeared to be part trailer court, part rv park (with a lot of permanent residents) and then a small part tent campground. With the more permanent rv/trailer residents, the area had a shabby/dumpy sort of feel to it since they didn't appear to have requirements on how tenants maintained their individual lots. Otherwise, were were happy with the accommodations and staff.
Wished the park provided a better scenic drive option. We didn't realize you either have to hike it on foot or take shuttle buses to see most of the park. My husband is disabled so we planned to just do a scenic drive through to take in the sites and get some pictures. The short drive that was available was nice, but over too soon and really didn't get into the heart of the park from what I could see on the maps provided at the entrance. We did get to see some mountain goats though, which was fun.
Arch Rock is the more primitive of the two campgrounds at Valley of Fire. It has pit toilets and water available. There are grills, fire rings and shaded picnic tables at most sites. You have to go to the Atlatl campground to get a shower or use a flush toilet or sink. There is no hand soap or sanitizer in any of the restrooms. The pit toilets were particularly effervescent when we were there: the vents in them didn't seem very efficient. Camping among the rocks was a unique experience for our family from PA. We enjoyed taking light hikes in and around the rocks. There were a lot of lizards around the campground which was fun to see. There were ants, too, but we didn't have any problem with them getting into our stuff.
Almost forgot... The park has Africanized Honey Bees (AKA Killer Bees). You are warned to leave them alone and report swarms if you see them. We saw a few near a water spigot, but just used a different one until they moved on.
Economical if you're looking for a place to stay in Vegas. Good entertainment options for young and old alike with the indoor theme park and casino. A range of food options to suit your needs and budget from quick/fast food places to buffets and sit-down restaurants. We didn't stay in the main building, but in one of the side manors. The rooms were dated, but clean which was all we really needed.
Stayed a couple nights at the end of March. The campground is free of charge whereas others within the park are not. It's a little far out of the way from many points of interest in the park; the road to get there is narrow and windy and doesn't have guard rails along ledges (not advised for trailers or large RV's). Water was available when we were there and the pit toilets didn't smell bad compared to others I've experienced (a small scented candle in a corner away from the toilet wards off smells nicely).
Wild mules wander around the area which were fun to see. There are some neat walk-in sites on the hill side, but most sites are scattered around a parking lot type area. Most sites had campfire rings, tables and an adjacent parking spot.
Grounds are well taken care of. Showers are nice, but the building they are in is not heated; if you go during colder months, shower during the warmest part of the day to avoid chills. Nice dish-washing area outside the shower/restroom buildings. Next to a butterfly grove and just over a dune from the beach. Great location.
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Excellent, clean, amenities and friendly, helpful staff. However, depending on your definition of camping, the 'camp' aspect of the grounds may have little to be desired. We're used to camping in state parks and places a little more 'outdoorsy'. Pitching a tent in a gravel parking lot at the edge of town wasn't really what we had in mind, but it served it's purpose for an evening as we were passing through to our next destination.
Economical. Friendly, helpful staff. Clean, but outdated rooms.
Economical. Friendly, helpful staff. Clean, but outdated rooms.
Very clean, updated rooms, hospitable staff, great value