Lava Flow Campground

Larger rigs will want to stay in the first loop of this campground. There is a sign posted where the loop get too small for large rigs to turn.

This campground is conveniently located a few steps from two lava-field walks, and a short drive from many of the other trailheads.

With the added bonus of flush toilets and sinks with running water, this is a great value. There are only one or two sites with shade, and daytime temperatures can reach blistering levels, so be mindful of pets. None of the sites have electrical hookups (so no AC unless you have a generator), but the KOA down the road offers full hookups. The ground is sharp volcanic gravel, so pets with sensitive paws may not like it.

There are many water spigots located around the campground.

Date of stay: June 2015

Craters of the Moon National Monument has been on my radar for a very long time and I finally got the opportunity to visit it. Almost went another direction and would have missed it, which would have been a shame as it is a wonderful place!

Lava Flow campground is a decent sized campground that filled up both of the nights we were there. If you arrive early afternoon you should be fine as it tends to fill up late afternoon/early evening.

Some spots are suitable only for tents while many more are available for small to medium trailers/RVs. If you have a big rig you will have to stay in the first section so your options will be limited.

There is a bit of road noise from the highway that goes through the monument as the campground isn’t set back very far into the entrance. If the wind is blowing right the noise is lessened, and there will be wind. Oh, the wind. Get used to fine lava particles getting everywhere as the wind likes to blow there. But it is just a minor annoyance when you consider where you are.

This place is spectacular, so make sure you get out and explore. The easily accessible areas aren’t that numerous, so you can do the entire monument in a solid day. The monument itself is about the size of Rhode Island, but most of it is hard to access backcountry.

Certain campsites have an awesome view of the surrounding monument. Some do not. But it doesn’t take very much effort to get off your butt and go see what is around you. There is a trail starting at the campground that you take to the north lava flow trail, a nice short walk through one of the many lava flows there. There is a 7-mile loop road that takes you to the other parts of the monument. Road is accessed directly from the campground, so everything is super convenient to where you are staying.

If you have a bike, the road inside the monument is awesome to ride on.

There is limited water in the campground, so bring your own.

The campground is closing July 1, 2015 for major improvements. Not sure what needs to be improved as the campground is in excellent condition. Maybe water and power? We can only be so lucky…

AT&T signal is non-existent, even boosted. Verizon gets you 1 bar LTE boosted (nothing un-boosted) and it was flakey one morning but was solid both afternoons/evening.

Craters of the moon is quite the site to see, and you will be camped right in the midst of it here. The sites are very close together, some so close you can smell your neighbors dinner. Overall the campground is clean, although you will get dirty from the lava covered ground! I had no cell signal here, although I could pick up a little verizon driving around the loop in COTM.

We enjoyed Father's Day weekend here. The campground does have limited spots for large RV's and they are designated on the campground map. The back loop is also well labeled not for larger vehicles. We came in around dinner time on a Saturday evening and was able to get a larger pull through spot across from the bathrooms. Our spot was very close to our neighbors. We did notice most people left early and would arrive late filling most of the campground.

There is little shade here. Was not too bad in June. There was a breeze that felt great all day and we enjoyed the evenings because there were no Mosquitos. Our site had a grill and picnic table. There were flush toilets across the way but no showers. There was a nice separate indoor dish washing station for tent campers.

My kids loved the uniqueness of the campground and climbing over the rocks. There was a trail across from our site, no dogs allowed. I walked my dog on the road and through the campground. I loved how close this campground was to the Park trails and Visitor Center. Just a short drive to both areas. We would stay here again.

The Lava Flow campground is first-come, first serve so if you have a bigger rig you should try to get there earlier in the day. We arrived around noon and were able to find a few sites that would accommodate us (26 ft. travel trailer and 20 ft. truck). Site 26 is a great site as it sits above some of the other sites and it has a decent amount of privacy, though it is not very level. It is also just above the sign that warns big rigs not to proceed up to the top loop due to a very tight turn at the top. We had no problems getting out but a long RV might. There are no site utilities and no dump station; there is water available throughout the campground and the restrooms have flush toilets.

The scenery is awesome, there are very few places like it. The park has a 7 mile loop road to drive with numerous short hikes to points of interest such as lava tubes and cinder cones. We had no ATT signal in the campground but did get some signal while on the loop road and hiking.

We lucked out as we arrived 2 days after they reopened the campground after reconstruction. It is a top-notch campground in all areas, but the hookups were not yet functional. No worries, we came prepared. The campground is pretty close to the highway, so you can hear that noise if you pay attention.

No cell to get some sleep.

This is such a unique place to camp and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. Even without electricity, the heat was not overwhelming because it was windy while we were here. The price reflects our senior pass discount. If you are traveling west out of here, there is a free dump station behind the Exxon station in Carey.

What a strange campoground. You are un the middle of a field of lava. Everything is black, even the sidewalks, There are a few trees and we were lucky enough to get the last site and it had a tree on it, providing shade during the afternoon. All this blackness could raise the temperature during summer days but there is usually a fair amount of wind to make it comfortable. At night (in August), temperature goes down in the high 50's, low 60's so a comfy sleep as well. Even though generators are permitted, very few people use them making the campground a very quiet place. The campground and the area are darker than dark at night which make it one of the best place to look at the stars in total tranquillity. We initially booked for only one night but were totally impressed with what we saw so we decided to stay 4 more nights.

Water faucets available but they ask you not to use them to fill your RV tank. No dump station, no electricity. There is a free dump station in Arco which is about 20 miles away.

Recently renovated, no hookups. Most sites are somewhat private. A few are tent only (be sure not to put anything with wheels on a tent site, you will be firmly told by the camp host to relocate. -even if the campground is already full...)

This camp and National Monument is a hidden gem. Take the time to visit the sights within the park and surrounding areas, its rich in ancient and modern history!

We didn't have high expectations.... but this place is really pretty cool.

And they have the cleanest bathrooms I've ever seen.

Regarding cell signal, we had 0/1 bars of both AT&T and Verizon, but with the booster and Yagi antenna I was able to get a decent AT&T 4g signal, suitable for streaming and video conferencing. (5-7mbit down). Verizon didn't fare as well.