Fiddlers’ Campground

We spent one night in Fiddler's Dry Campground while we waited for our reservation in the Death Valley Furnace Creek Campground. This is a large level gravel parking lot that the resort has in the corner of their property. They have the sites marked with plenty space between. The sites are very long. The resort people were very friendly and welcoming. We had access to the entire facility including WiFi and the pool. The lodge where you have to check in is a little tricky because the parking lot is small. We would use this facility again if visiting the area.

We stayed here for 2 nights when evicted from the adjacent Furnace Creek Campground because of a federal government shutdown. The gravel lot was lumpy, unlandscaped, and generally not nearly as nice as the main NPS campground, but we loved the fact that it was OPEN.

The park does have some views of the surrounding mountains, which was nice. Sites located on the south side of the parking lot (against the trees) are shaded so may be better in summer. We needed to generate solar power so the unshaded sites along the north side worked best for us. Site 29 was next to the walkway to the visitor center, so we had foot traffic coming by, but we liked only having a neighbor on one side since there is nothing separating the sites. Having access to the resort's pool, showers, and wifi (which we had to go closer to the office to use) also made the experience much better. The location in the central part of Death Valley is the real draw here, and we were glad to be able to finish our planned visit to the park despite the shutdown.

AT&T has no service in Death Valley, but we had limited access to 3G service via roaming. Without incurring additional charges, we were able to make phone calls and use up to 400 MB of data during the billing cycle, but check your plan before visiting.

The site is just a large gravel lot but it was pretty level. No hookups what so ever but there was a dump station and water close by. By staying at the. RV park you get access to a great pool and a ton of outdoor activities. They have an 18 hole golf course and it was in great shape given the location. Looks like major improvements are coming. But there really isn’t anything I could ask for given the value. No cellular data coverage but calls and text where fine with Verizon.

Good, available camping inside a NP is hard to come by. “Fiddlers” (or “the ranch at Death Valley”) is available, generally, but not good. It’s a big gravel parking lot. Dumpster on site. Four communal fire pits. Across the street from the Furnace Creek visitors center. There is a public dump station and potable water (yes it’s there) across the street. No apparent rules about generator hours which is good because you’ll need to run yours nearly continuously due to the heat (and so will your neighbors). You do get access to the Ranch pool and other amenities.

Fiddler’s Campground at Furnace Creek Ranch (now called the Ranch at Death Valley) is a fairly level gravel parking lot with nothing separating the campsites. We’re OK paying $39/night for dry camping, but I wish we’d known generators are allowed to run 24/7. No quiet time in one of the otherwise quietest places on Earth. Had we known, we would’ve there stayed at the adjacent, cheaper and much nicer Furnace Creek NPS Campground. Cell coverage and 3G internet are available in the area.

Its part to the big Furnace Creek Resort run by Xanterra. Interestingly it sits on a private in holding and is not managed by the National Park.

Small campground. They have no hookups. The resort has public wifi but not at the campground. Plus is that its surrounded by trees so somewhat protected. Also as a guest you have access to the pool. There are several restaurants on site which was nice but you dont have to be a guest at the resort to go in.

Campsites themselves, however, have no privacy. You are right next to each other same as the NPS campsites next door. The previous operator had nice privacy fences built in but not anymore.

Our site was against the wall to the Jeep Rental. One night they had something beeping in their shop all night.

The restrooms (men and women share it) are a short walk from the campsite though they were quite stinky. At reception they told us to use the restroom at the adjacent bar but a sign went up while we were there that campers were not welcome. An odd option the reception desk also told us was to walk to the NPS bathroom next door. Also there are no showers near the campsites. You have to walk to the pool (10 min).

My recommendation, unless you are really wanting to use the pool or other guest amenities, I would opt for the NPS campground next door. Way nicer and there are hookups for rvs.

Where to start —
1. It is pretty level
2. It is just a parking lot next to the National park campground.
3. It has no services except an outhouse that is wedged between the golf course and the camping lot. The outhouse is dirty old rundown
4. The resort website promised wifi, but there is none in the camping lot. You have to walk to the resort lobby to get any service.
5. Access to the pool and the pool showers, but the bathroom is trashed. Must only be cleaned once per day. Also the pool is an even further walk from the camping parking lot than the resort lobby.
6. Checking in at the hotel registration desk is a nightmare because there is no where to park an rv during the process.

Do not stay here. They do not provide what they say they do. The website advertises guest laundry, which is why I booked it. There is none. They also advertise WiFi. Not available in the campground and it’s a 1/4 mile walk to where it is. No bathrooms either. You can use the NPS campground bathrooms.

This was our fourth visit to this campground since 2018, and with each return, our experience has unfortunately diminished but the price has only increased.
Despite some positives, the overall experience warrants a one-star rating.
* The absence of clear campground rules or management oversight leads to chaotic conditions.
* The check-in desk, which handles all the guests for the entire resort, booked someone else in our spot when we left for the day to go hiking. The tag on our post clearly said we were there for another night. Since there is no campground map we had to go back and find another site and then move. The check-in staff rectified the situation by compensating us for the inconvenience. However, the next night only compounded our dissatisfaction.
* There was a 40’ class A pulling a 30’ trailer that was in the 40’ site beside us. They dropped the trailer next to their rig and were so close that their pull outs came into our site. They ran their generator until 10pm (thankfully it was a chilly night and they didn’t need A/C). We had a diesel exhaust pipe 5 feet from our windows
* The amenities, notably the resort pool and showers, are the campground's saving grace, though the latter could use some maintenance and one was out of service.
* The pool area, unfortunately, tends to become crowded, resembling more of a public facility than a tranquil resort setting.
* Additionally, the absence of reliable Wi-Fi within the campground, albeit accessible at the visitor center, poses an inconvenience. There is also no laundry as advertised.
In summary, while certain aspects of the campground hold some promise, the overall experience falls short of expectations, leaving much to be desired for returning guests. From our experiences your stay can range from a 1 star to a 4 star. You really just never know since there’s no consistency and it will depend on the other campers.

Worst experience of trip. No signs to tell you were to go. Had to wait an hour to check in. Food at buffet was very expensive and inedible, grocery’s were ridiculously expensive, bread was $7!!!