Lava Flow Campground
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Write a Review US-93 Arco, ID 83213 208-527-1300 208-527-1335 Official WebsiteGPS: 43.4611, -113.5578
Overview of Lava Flow Campground
This is a first-come, first-served campground. Due to size limitations, it's not recommended to take RVs and trailers beyond site 15. Water and flush toilets are seasonally available.
Last Price Paid: $7
Reported by Hans on 8/18/2024
Longest RV Reported: 45 feet (Class C)
Reported by CindyM on 8/5/2021
Number of Sites 42
Open Seasonally Mid-April - Nov.
Elevation 5,839 ft / 1,779 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Lava Flow Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 208-527-1300
JJ asked on 9/18/2022
Is this park open year round and if so is late October a good time to visit?
Reviews of Lava Flow Campground 64 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 14 Users
Last reported 6/25/2024
Confirmed by 17 Users
Last reported 10/7/2022
Confirmed by 2 Users
Last reported 6/12/2023
“Amazing campground!”
Reviewed 10/8/2020
| Nightly rate: | $7 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 9&11 |
Overall Rating
This is one of the best campgrounds I’ve been to! The hosts were so kind, they all took amazing care of the entire campground, especially the restrooms! It was very cheap ($7.50 a night) and has such a relaxed, beautiful vibe and atmosphere!! 10/10 would stay here again
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AT&T
T-Mobile
tina would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Looks Like the Big Island”
Reviewed 9/20/2020
| Nightly rate: | $7 |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | 13 |
| RV Length: | 30' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Craters of the Moon National Monument, the only National Park Service facility in Idaho, unless you want to count a small sliver of Yellowstone National Park that's hard to get to in Idaho. The campground is appropriately named as it is carved out of a lava field (A'a' Lava as is called in Hawaii).and the campground is close to the ... more
Craters of the Moon National Monument, the only National Park Service facility in Idaho, unless you want to count a small sliver of Yellowstone National Park that's hard to get to in Idaho.
The campground is appropriately named as it is carved out of a lava field (A'a' Lava as is called in Hawaii).and the campground is close to the Hwy, so you get vehicle noise. The spaces are tight to get into and you don't want to get off the pavement with your rig as the lava will do damage to tires and anything else you rub against it, including a pair of Birkenstocks I was wearing.
There is water, but no electric that I saw, or dump station. There is also bathrooms, dumpsters, and recyc bins. As previously stated by many reviewers, you pay daily at a credit card kiosk located at the entrance to the campground and monument. There will be an entrance fee to the monument for all visitors unless you have a Senior Pass. When you look for an open site, look at the site posts that have a small slot to deposit a kiosk receipt behind a plexiglass window. A park ranger will pull all receipts around 0900 to 1000 every morning. So, if a site does not have a receipt inside the window of the post, or a rig parked there, it should be available. No reservations, first-come, first-serve, and spaces to fit were hard to find for us arriving at 1430 hours on a Monday in the middle of September.
The staff are very friendly. There is loop road road that you can drive out and see caves, etc., however, all caves were closed due to the Covid. The bookstore was open
Dumpsites are located close both West and East of the monument. To the West, Carey, there is a dump station behind the Exxon gas station on the corner. To the East, Arco, there is a dump station just East of the downtown area at the Truck Plaza.
BOSN would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Cool scenery”
Reviewed 8/29/2020
| Nightly rate: | $15 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 42 |
Overall Rating
Not a lot of big rig sites(we have a 38’). No signal for us at the campground but we were able to get it further up in the park.
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Verizon
T-Mobile
JohnVT would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Free boondocking just west of campground”
Reviewed 8/29/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | N/A |
| RV Length: | 34' (Class A) |
Overall Rating
We drove to the campground on a Friday evening end of August. Only 1 site left to fit our 35 ft class A with Jeep. But site was up against a hill and overlooking the campground with campers pretty close together with little privacy. No hookups, so we decided to stay less than a mile west of the campground at a large roadside pull-out/ ... more
We drove to the campground on a Friday evening end of August. Only 1 site left to fit our 35 ft class A with Jeep. But site was up against a hill and overlooking the campground with campers pretty close together with little privacy. No hookups, so we decided to stay less than a mile west of the campground at a large roadside pull-out/ overlook. Nobody there, great view, and peaceful except for the cars driving by. I don’t think campground would have been much quieter, it is pretty close to road too. The pull-out we were in easily could have held several large rigs. There are smaller pull-outs further along the road too. Excellent cellular and data with Verizon.
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Verizon 4G
Dave, Gerdien & Grace would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“WOW”
Reviewed 8/16/2020
| Nightly rate: | $15 |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | 27 |
Overall Rating
For the view alone, the experience was so awesome. Since I am a Golden Age Pass Holder, only costed me $7.50 for the site. What a bargain. If you have not gotten a National Park Pass and plan to visit more than one Park; they are worth their price to get in the parks and for camp sites.
no would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Lunar Landscape Campground + Other-Worldly Experience - But Be Warned: It’s Popular!”
Reviewed 7/23/2020
| Nightly rate: | $15 |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
| Site Number: | 21 |
| RV Length: | 25' (Class C) |
Overall Rating
After the immensely BORING road trip from West Yellowstone along US-20, it was very nice to arrive around 4:30pm on a Monday in mid July to this clean and comfortable campground! Set amongst the lava rocks of the Craters of the Moon NM (with hiking trail access right from the CG!), we stayed 2 nights here because we actually got cell s... more
After the immensely BORING road trip from West Yellowstone along US-20, it was very nice to arrive around 4:30pm on a Monday in mid July to this clean and comfortable campground! Set amongst the lava rocks of the Craters of the Moon NM (with hiking trail access right from the CG!), we stayed 2 nights here because we actually got cell service (slow though) after over a week without it! Plus, it’s just hard to leave this place as it is SO other-worldly! They trained the Apollo astronauts near here I understand, b/c they thought it reflected a lunar landscape. I also heard the Visitors Center (which WAS open during the Covid-19 pandemic when we were there!) is incredible -- especially if you are into the moon or space! But with the pandemic, we chose to not go in.
We stayed the 1st night in Site 21, and the 2nd night in Site 31. We loved both, but preferred 31 (it’s in a cute little private loop, along with Sites 29 & 30) and it was less sunny mid July on our rig. This CG is literally right off US-20, so zero access issues and the lower loop is big rig friendly. We stayed in the upper loop as we’re a mid-sized rig.
Make sure to watch for the sign leading into the upper loops that clearly state that it is not intended for bigger rigs! This CG is a mix of tent, mid-size, and large rig sites. We noticed that quite a few tent campers were taking up the pull-through sites that were obviously intended for rigs. Annoying. As stated, we arrived on a Monday early evening (4-4:30) and the CG was about half full already! So plan on getting here early, EVEN if arriving on a weekday!
This campground is great for kids! Not only would the visitors center be great, but also the hiking AND the CG itself if very conducive to kiddos riding their bikes around, as it is very smooth asphalt and as long as they aren’t going too fast and accompanied by a parent, super fun for kiddos to ride their bikes around. There are bat caves, but PLEASE NOTE: during our visit mid July 2020, both the main trail AND the bat caves were closed. Actually looked like it was less Covid-19 related, more upgrading/construction work going on, but not sure. ALSO of importance is - at the time of our stay July 2020 - you could NOT access the trails via the CG unless you walked along the drivable scenic loop, which my hubby said was sketchy at best. He was bummed out that he couldn’t utilize the boardwalks while we were there. Hopefully they’ll open those back up sooner rather than later.
Regarding checking in, it is totally done with an automated machine, and IF you intend on staying more than one night, you MUST walk down and re-register for your site, (or, as we did, move to another confirmed-empty site). The entrance provides all the information you need and the receipt should also be read so you follow policy and procedure correctly! We noticed quite a few fellow campers unaware that they needed to look in the post/receipt window at each site to see if it was already taken or not! And as you can read from other reviews, it could cause a CG ruckus if you don’t do so!
Finally, as one other reviewer noted, it is important to tread on the landscape as little as possible around the campground. We had to a little in order for our two dogs to potty, but we were respectful of the plant life growing out of the lava rock. We would absolutely stay here again!
Nessie The Navion would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“In and out ”
Reviewed 7/6/2020
| Nightly rate: | $15 |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| RV Length: | 19' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
Pay attention to the signage... the upper sites are for smaller rigs and travel trailers. It really is designed for smaller setups. The unique thing about staying here is the access to the driving loop and the hikes in Craters of the Moon and the whole area is lava rocks. Stay on the paths, the ecosystem is fragile and walking off pat... more
Pay attention to the signage... the upper sites are for smaller rigs and travel trailers. It really is designed for smaller setups. The unique thing about staying here is the access to the driving loop and the hikes in Craters of the Moon and the whole area is lava rocks. Stay on the paths, the ecosystem is fragile and walking off path destroys and damages it.
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AT&T 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Arrive early!”
Reviewed 10/1/2019
| Nightly rate: | $8 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 14 |
| RV Length: | 21' |
Overall Rating
There are many reviews here already, so I'll just add a few cautionary notes. This campground is extremely popular, but there are few sites for RVs bigger than a small Class C, so with a trailer, 5th wheel or Class A, you need to arrive early to get a space. Most back-in sites are short and uphill. There are a few pull-throughs, but mo... more
There are many reviews here already, so I'll just add a few cautionary notes. This campground is extremely popular, but there are few sites for RVs bigger than a small Class C, so with a trailer, 5th wheel or Class A, you need to arrive early to get a space. Most back-in sites are short and uphill. There are a few pull-throughs, but most are tightly curved. Pull-through site 14 was just adequate for my truck and 21 ft trailer. It sloped down hill, but needed only 1 block laterally.
I arrived at 1 pm on a Friday, there was a line of RVs at the entrance kiosk, and the campground was already fairly full. Throughout the afternoon and early evening, a steady stream of RVs came in and drove around the campground, often twice, before departing again without finding a site. The kiosk was manned, yet they continued to let people in with large rigs that clearly were not going to be able to stay! They did not take payment at the kiosk. You have to pay every day at a self-pay terminal opposite the entrance.
Bring a coconut door mat to catch the volcanic grit. Otherwise, it gets everywhere indoors, and it's abrasive for linoleum.
My $7.50 rate reflected a 50% discount with my senior pass.
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Verizon
John T would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“GPS didn’t actually take us to the moon...”
Reviewed 9/26/2019
| Nightly rate: | $15 |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | 13 |
Overall Rating
I had expectations, from a previous review, of being tucked away in the lava flows, private and hidden from your neighbors. It is not that. It is stunning, either way, and you can’t blame the campgrounds designers for wanting to limit the amount of this peculiar black rock from being destroyed as they planned the multitude of sites tha... more
I had expectations, from a previous review, of being tucked away in the lava flows, private and hidden from your neighbors. It is not that. It is stunning, either way, and you can’t blame the campgrounds designers for wanting to limit the amount of this peculiar black rock from being destroyed as they planned the multitude of sites that comprise the three loops or so that are this place.
A ranger talk opened my eyes to something new here as well: a national monument is not necessarily any less impressive than a national park. They’re simply two different “nationals” named based on the law used to establish them. We visited Great Basin a few days prior, and while it’s beautiful, the only truly impressive thing they have which can’t be seen across all of Nevada are the Lehman Caves...and that began as a national monument. If you’ve ever been to Organpipe NM or come here to Craters of the Moon, and then think about the arch in St. Louis or the Cuyahoga River...well, it begins to make sense that it’s the establishing legislature, not the actual impressiveness of the thing being commemorated, which decides what type of “national” it is.
Of note here, registration. This is one of few places where it’s your tag on the site’s post, not leaving behind your gear, that determines whether a site is empty or not. This was not explained to us when entering the campground, and resulted in us requiring a good deal of patience when a mixup occurred with a man who was less than interested in peaceful negotiations. I’d still advise you leave something at your site, possession being 9/10ths if the law and all, and was the deciding victory for us in this particular campground mediation.
Beauty being in the eye of the beholder and all, as high desert parks go, Craters of the Moon is out of this world, and this campground puts you directly within its glory.
My only real negative is that there are a bajillion and 3.5 flies here, it’s a bit overwhelming. A ranger agreed that adding flyswatters to the visitor center store would make the park some 2.6 trillion dollars an hour.
They also really like to talk about the moon here, so if you like the moon but don’t know rudimentary facts about it, this place will really be for you.
Milky Way was in full effect.
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Verizon
Nathan @ Wand'rly would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Your best bet for camping to explore Craters of the Moon.”
Reviewed 9/10/2019
| Nightly rate: | $15 |
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| Days stayed: | 3 |
| Site Number: | 42 |
| RV Length: | 33' |
Overall Rating
Lava Flow campground is a quirky little campground, but it is by far the best place to camp to explore Craters of the Moon National Monument. You are within walking distance of the very informative Visitor’s Center. Sites vary widely in size and quality. We arrived early on a Friday and lucked into space #42 a long, level back-in site ... more
Lava Flow campground is a quirky little campground, but it is by far the best place to camp to explore Craters of the Moon National Monument. You are within walking distance of the very informative Visitor’s Center. Sites vary widely in size and quality. We arrived early on a Friday and lucked into space #42 a long, level back-in site near the bathroom. There are maybe a dozen sites that will accommodate larger rigs, a few that are only good for tent/car campers, with the remainder falling somewhere in the middle.
The entire campground is first come/first serve so plan on arriving early if possible. The campground was full by late afternoon every day during our stay. The sites are $15 and you must self-pay at a kiosk with credit card (no cash/checks accepted). You can also only pay for one night at a time, so make sure to renew before heading out to explore the park. We did not see a map of the campground posted anywhere and it would have been extremely helpful. The sites are tucked in and around the natural volcanic rock formations. There are also a couple huge pull-through sites located on the opposite side of the road from the main campground. It’s hard to tell they are even campsites and we saw folks circle the campground and leave when they were empty.
Recycling is located across the road from the main campground, garbage is centrally located about the middle of the main campground. There are bathrooms (both flush and pit toilets), but no showers. Each campsite has a picnic table and grill, no ground/wood fires are permitted.
We had one bar of Verizon 1X which pretty much amounted to no cell service at our campsite. However, if we walked higher in the campground we did manage to get enough coverage to send/receive texts.
Teddi & Roger would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Recreation
- recreation trail
Site Amenities
- big rig
- picnic table
- pull thru
Facilities
- ADA Accessible
- recycle
- restrooms: flush
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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