Stay the last weekend in Oct, and the campground was completely full, so definitely book in advance. As for the campground as a whole, it is in a pretty good location. It's pretty much directly in between the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes and Bad Water Basin. It's also directly adjacent to the visitor center with a restaurant and gas station near by. As for site 56 in general, it's probably one of the better sites. Site 56 has some of the most shade in the campground, which is hard to come by, and is also close to a water fill station and the restrooms without being so close you get all the traffic. The only complaint would be the size. It's can definitely be cramped if you have more than one tent and vehicle.