Lava Flow Campground — Craters of the Moon National Monument

Prices are 28$ a night unless you have the America the beautiful pass then it's 4$ they have caves that are free to access but you have to get a permit from the visitor center the spots are small and people get there late sometimes so it was a bit noisy at night we stayed for 4 days the hole attraction is because of lava formations over all a very nice stay

First come first serve, clean bathrooms and water. Easy card payments for campsites. The geology of the area is really neat, and it's right off the main road drive through the rest of the park. Very unique.

Came after a few nights in Yellowstone to escape the crowds. Can’t recommend this area enough - the campground/bathrooms are immaculate and the scenery is super cool. Had a very private campsite, could still see the Milky Way despite the bright moon. Worth a detour for sure.

Great campground, very unique setting, great visitor center. Loved it!

Very cool park, stayed just for a night but would definitely go again. Great short hikes but the campsites are close together.

The wife and I are new to camping. Our plan was to SUV camp at one of their back in site with the hook ups. Last minute I decided to book one of their renovated retro campers. We stayed in "Ruby". This cute little red and white 50-60's style camper had all the amenities, microwave, fridge, a/c, heater, coffee maker and a little sitting area for relaxing. The bed was comfy and the entire camper was warm, inviting and clean. Outside there was a firepit and a picnic table. There is also a very clean pit toilet 30 sec walk from camper. If you want hot showers and flush toilets, they have that too. They also had a retro playground for kids. Love love love this place!

I stayed here two nights. I made reservations online and received an email (and text) letting me know to head straight to my site, with no need to officially check in. The campground was huge with lots of stuff to do for kids. A hiking trail is attached to the grounds as well. Bathroom and shower were clean. The surrounding hills were pretty to look at with leaves changing in mid-october. Only downside is the noise from the highway but if you can tune that out, I highly recommend.

Great sites in a simple well-run NPS Monument. Sites are placed amongst cool lava rocks and features. Nearby well water, plumbed bathrooms in-season. Cool activities in park, quaint visitor center. Hiking, running, road biking, and casual cave exploring all recommended.

Great place to camp to enjoy the park. Dry camping but restroom pit toilet was very clean. We pulled in at 430 and was able to obtain a spot though lots of campers already parked. Stayed one night. Price was only $7.50 with senior pass.

We stayed here for 2 nights when we had only planned on one, because it was so interesting and beautiful in the campground and on the drive see the volcano sites.

We are seniors with a National Park pass so we paid only $7 per night. There were plenty of sites available on the 3rd and 4th of July. No showers or electricity but we have a Rialta van and are self contained. We stayed at a different site each nite. The 2nd nite we had a great view of the scenery instead of a view of the visitor center.

The campground is located in an area of big lava rocks that must have been moved around to make great campsites surrounded by views and rocks. there were some really interesting sites to choose from, some in depressions with rock walls some on top of the hill for interesting views. It was our favorite campground of our 3 week trip.

The drive around the park was worth doing both days as there are nice hikes here and there, up cinder cones and spatter cones. There is a good nature trail with info markers and wildflowers that we enjoyed. The visitor center has a small museum with a short video and good info on how volcanoes function, etc.

Great base camp location for anyone interested in exploring Craters of the Moon National Monument. Rangers were very helpful. Toilets were clean. No showers. No cell coverage. Location can get windy.

Had an incredible experience here at this otherworldly campground just inside Craters of the Moon NP. (You can see the welcome center; there’s mild road noise from the highway.)

On a summer weeknight around 5pm, there were about 25% of sites available. As noted in other reviews, all the sites are different shapes and sizes and situated around the natural landscape, but all are scenic and very unique. Despite few trees, the CG is thoughtfully designed so you don’t feel like anyone is too close. Bathrooms immaculate (no showers).

Some folks ran generators all evening but turned them off at the stroke of 10:00 PM at which point everyone, from families to college students to retirees, was very quiet and respectful. This is a Dark Sky campground and my gosh, the stars were spectacular, especially on this landscape! So, so beautiful!

The automated machine doesn’t reserve specific sites, so go leave something in your spot, pay at the machine, and come back to display the receipt.

This place was so cool, I mean... not temperature cool, but so amazing to see! It was, however, pretty hot. There is little to no shade, so if you are not in a trailer and are tent camping (or roof top tent camping like we did), be prepared to cook a little bit outside. There also was a decent amount of wind, so that'll cool you down a bit.

With the temperature out of the way, let's talk about how incredible this place is. You are literally camping around lava boulders and lava fields. A decent hike leads you to the "tree molds." You have to kind of know what you're looking for, but once you find them (see pictures below), you are just blown away. There are also smaller hikes that take you to lava tubes (some still have snow in them!) This is a must see if you are looking for something that you generally won't see anywhere else. 

The visitor center is at the top of the entrance road and has a good amount of gifts/ stuff to buy as well as information about the park. If it's hot, they also have AC... so... take your time a browse!

We stayed here in October when the water was turned off and the sites were half price.  There were no services at all including water, electric or dump station.  Regardless the sites are all amazing.  The park is very fun and interesting.  Depending on how much hiking your want to do will determine how long you stay.  We did limited hiking, arrived early in the day and only stayed one night,   We took the full auto tour and saw so much.  We had no cell service at all, even at the visitor's center and no WiFi.  Campfires are strictly prohibited.  If you tent camp, you will be laying on a lot of crushed lava rock so bring padding.  It was FCFS in October but plenty of spaces were available.  I would definitely come again in shoulder season, I think it would be very hot in summer.

Super cute little campground with nice custom touches for the bathrooms. It sits down in a valley near one of the main roads in Idaho so it's not super quiet during the day but they are really good about enforcing quiet hours and people are very respectful. 

It has a creek that runs by it and it has easy access to Lava Hot Springs in town. This is a great site for families with kids with easy access to local restaurants and fun at the springs water park. 

The sites are part of a large field and are ideal for RV privacy but tents are more exposed. I didn't end up setting up a tent in my site, I slept in my car so I had more privacy.

This is a super cool campground. Made up on entirely lava rock, you need to have some serious stakes or your tent will end up in the middle of the lava field next door like we saw with MULTIPLE tents. 

Lava rocks are lightweight so you can’t use them to weigh it down, you can have it tied off and to the table and grill if possible. 

All sites are exposed to sun for most of the day. There are coveted tucked away sites to protect from wind and some sun but then you don’t get the view of the incredible night sky. 

Sites are first come first serve and the sites turn over at 2 pm so arrive during that time and you will be golden for your pick of views. The farthest loop is not advised for large RV’s, you won’t be able to make the turn. This means it is the perfect loop for tent spots. 

The bathrooms are clean, reservations are on an automated machine, and the campground is surprisingly quiet for being super compacted in one area of the field to protect the rock.

We were here for Labor day weekend and easily got a site. Plenty of hikes nearby and a great long and hot bike ride around the park from the campground.

This campground was an great place to stay while in Lava Hotsprings. It's a two minute drive to the Hotsprings, which are amazing. The campground is clean and very well maintained. Cleanest shower houses and bathrooms we have seen at a campground in a long time! The camp hosts are friendly and the park is very pet friendly! I would highly recommend this spot if you are stopping in Lava Hotsprings for any amount of time!

The campsites are in a volcanic desert setting and no.place to be in hot weather but if it's cool they are some of the nicest in the NP system, mostly paved pull throughs with water close by. Lots of hiking opportunities in the park for the athleticly fit and a nine mile auto touring trail for the less so. At $15 per site per day, half that for Golden Age passes, a real bargain.

An unusual venue to be camped in the middle of a lava flow. But in its own particular way beautiful, especially in the early mornings and dusk.

This is the coolest campground. Nestled in the lava flow in the National Park. We have a 30ft TT and arrived at the park around 1pm and had no issues finding a spot. Nice private pull through with grill and picnic table. Not much shade (as expected) and can get windy so watch your awnings. Most people seemed to arrive in the evening. Beautiful location as others have said but it is dry camping and FCFS.

How often do you get to say that you camped in the middle of a lava field and lava boulders? This first come campground gives you just that. Nice paved sites with picnic tables and grills. Nice paved, wheelchair accessible walkways to the visitors center. Flush toilets (a little old, but super clean) and pit toilets. Community water source. Awesome staff. Cost was very reasonable at $9 with an America the Beautiful pass. The park loop runs right by the campground so everything to see is conveniently located. We had hoped to do some astro photography but a rare thunderstorm blew in making for a spectacular sunset and light show. Yes. I would definitely check this one out.

The Lava Campground is very clean and is set in a little valley with beautiful mountains up close. The fire pits are great. The bathrooms and showers are super clean. They have the cutest retro campers you can stay in too! It’s within walking distance of the town. Great place to stay!

One of best places I’ve been to. I’d definitely recommend several days if you can as some of the trails are pretty challenging though definitely see the spatter cones and the one before it (can’t remember the name but big black hill you can climb even if not in great shape by taking a break every 50 feet or so. Most unique and gorgeous campground with helpful staff. Most spots have at least a couple sides completely blocked off from other spaces. No designations so you can take as big or little of a spot as you want with everything from pull-through s to tent sites with just parking for a car. Recommend to arrive between noon and 3pm for most options to pick your spot. Planning to go back for maybe even a month later on though have to switch spaces after 14 days. Off-season has no running water but vault toilets are clean. If you have handicap/senior access pass, only $4/night off season. If not, you have to also pay park access fee daily. Payment is one-day only so have to go get new receipt from machine every day but close enough for easy walk to entrance.

Large rigs park close to the Credit Card Kiosk (only Credit cards accepted) park entry fee is also required some spots are only tent and some are huge. Water was not on and only had vault toilets so fees were less.

Easy in and out with plenty of room to maneuver with trailers. However the distance to hookups is a bit of a stretch. Bring extra water hose and extension cords for some of the sites. I couldn’t make the water hose reach and still be far enough back to be comfortably parked in our site. Fortunately we had water on board or could have filled up the tank if needed before parking. Road noise is also a factor here. I’d recommend it as a stop and would come back. Playground is also nice for the kids.

First of all, Lava Campground is a wonderful campground. It is clean and well kept. The owners have worked hard over the past three years to develop a campground that is beautiful, warm, and inviting. With that being said, if you are a potential Campground Host, do not unpack your bags. You will not have the loyalty and trust from the owners that you would hope for. There are always two sides to every story, and this is ours. We had been Campground Hosts for not even a week when we had an interchange with a guest who was walking his rather large Pit Bull off-leash. As he came by our site, I politely told him“just so you know, dogs need to be on-leash in the campground.” He rather curtly said“He is on leash” and pointed to his mouth. I started to say something, and he cut me off with a rather nasty“What are you? The campground gendarme?” I let the owners know of the situation and apologized for not having said just the right thing and obviously putting him on the defensive. They explained that sometimes there are guests that might not be very agreeable. Two days later one of the owners came by and told us“they had to think of their business first” and summarily fired us. Apparently, the disgruntled guest called to complain and said he would not return if we were still at the campground. He threatened to write a bad review and cancel his reservations for the summer. Understandably, the owners were concerned about the reputation of their beloved campground but, all of a sudden, we were the“bad guys” with no credibility. The owners chose to believe the guest(we still do not know what he said to them) rather than trust us and give us the benefit of the doubt. We were hurt, humiliated, and devastated. We were looking forward to spending the summer and were acclimating to our duties and responsibilities. To be fair to them, there may have been a few other issues that needed to be worked out as we worked to be more fully aware of our responsibilities to the campground and the guests. Of course, in hindsight, we probably could have been more gracious in explaining to the guest the reason for the leash policy. But he did not give us the chance. And neither did the owners. We regret what happened but feel blind-sided and, once again, humiliated.

Prepare to have your mind blown as you roll in to Lava Flow Campground. It is nestled in the uniquely lunar landscape caused by, well, lava flow. The grounds sit at the entrance of the scenic 7-mile loop that provides access to trails that take you over, under, and around various volcanic features.

We went during COVID times, so there was no access to the caves. Still, it was a memorable experience driving the loop and hiking around. In late October, the water was shut off due to frozen pipes, restrooms were closed except for the vault toilets. We found the vaults to be remarkably clean and unstinky. 

The sites varied drastically in quality and size- probably because they were built around existing landscape that begged to be preserved. Because it was a weekday and off-season, we had the grounds to ourselves and took our time selecting the best site, and made sure to mark our favorites for the next trip. Site 27 was our favorite for sweeping views and size, but we ended up staying in 29, which is nestled on its own in some lava rocks that provide wind protection.

Wonderful campground. Great for star gazing. Sites are scattered across a lava field and represent a unique camping experience. If you find the campground fully booked there is a boon docking site just up the road.

An absolutely beautiful place to camp. Black lava rock everywhere. No cell service. No hookups but if you have a generator it’s all good to run it during normal non quiet hours. Vault toilets open in winter. Lots of fun hikes within the park. Sites have grills and can be used for RVs or tents. 15 or 7.50 if you are NPS pass holder or senior

This place was great! $8 because water is off for the season, I guess...normally $20. All facilities are closed so it’s just camping and exploring the park which is all within walking distance of the campground. Very friendly ranger working the front! Level sites on pavement. No fires allowed unless propane or grills. Very windy! Get a spot that has rocks on your west side to hide lol! This place was a great stop for a evening/night! Not a lot to see but what’s there is really cool! A must see if you’re passing thru Idaho down to Utah.