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
“Unique campground and no Mosquitos!”
Reviewed 6/28/2015
| Nightly rate: | $10 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 3 |
| Site Number: | 43 |
| RV Length: | 27' |
Overall Rating
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... more
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.
Airstream On Safari would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Cool location but the camping is tight”
Reviewed 6/26/2015
| Nightly rate: | $10 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | 4 |
| RV Length: | 22' |
Overall Rating
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... more
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.
David Kingham would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great find at an awesome location”
Reviewed 6/21/2015
| Nightly rate: | $10 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 40 |
| RV Length: | 24' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
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 b... more
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.
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| Location | |
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Verizon 4G
Marshall would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Reviewed 8/23/2014
Overall Rating
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 wi... more
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.
Sputnik Goes 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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